Since the very recent discovery of this species, it has been
found in several remote stations, and more than once under
circumstances of deep interest, as Dr R ic h a h d s o n detected it
in Arctic America, and the gentlemen of the expedition under
Captain P a r r y in the Island of Igloolik, <(1822-3). It seems
to be less frequent in this country than most of our native species
: at the same time, it has probably been repeatedly overlooked
for O. affine or O. striatum, both of which it resembles in
size and colour. O. speciosum is, however, a more flaccid
plant, and readily enough distinguished by the more or less
exserted capsules, which are besides, more numerous than in
O. affine. The plant figured in S t u r m ’s Flora has much
shorter fruitstalks than ours, and the capsule is represented as
quite smooth, so as rather to resemble O. elegans of S c h w a e -
GRiCHEN. I am assured, however, by my friend N e e s a b
F s e n b e c k , to whom I communicated specimens, that ours is
the true O. speciosum.
The recent discovery of so many additional species of Or-
thotricha in this country, is a pleasing encouragement to the
cryptogamist, who, by a farther search, may, without forming
unreasonable expectations, hope to add O. obtusifolium and O.
Sturmii to the British Flora.
Fig. 1. 0. speciosum, nat. size. Fig. 2. A leaf. Fig. S. Theca. Fig. 4. Theca
in an old stale. Fig. 5. Peristome. Fig. 6. Calyptra. Fig. 7 . Portion o f
the peristome. Fig. 8. Sporules,—All hut Fig. 1 . more or less magnifed.