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Hab.— Among grass on sandy ground. Godalming (Mitten 1881) ! !
Resembling a small state of D. majus, but quite agreeing with D. scoparium
in the structure of leaf. It appears to me to differ far more from D.
pallidum, than the latter does from typical D. scoparium.
Var. S. turfosum Milde.
Tufts tall, glossy, yellow green above, dark fuscous below, with few
radicles. Leaves elongated, erecto-patent, subcuspidate a-t apex, almost
entire, or with a few obtuse teeth toward apex and at back.
S y n .— D . scoparium var. turfosum M i l d e B r y . s ile s . 7 1 .
H ab.— Moorland bogs. Moor near Blasham beck, Lofthouse, Yorks.
(Wesley 1878) ! !
This variety deviates much in aspect from all the other forms of D. scoparium,
approaching somewhat to D . spadicemn by the dark colour of the lower
leaves.
Var. e. orthophyllum Brid.
In dense yellow-green tufts, radiculose. Leaves erect or subsecund,
rigid, elongated, entire or distantly and obtusely serrated toward apex.
S y n .— D. scoparium var. orthophyllum B r id . 1. c . H u e b e n . , S c h im p ., M i l d e , J u r a t z .
Hab.— On heaths. Near Conway ! Ardingly, Sussex (Davies). Grewelthorpe
moor, Yorks. (West 1880)!! Carmendow, Derby (Ho/i 1882)! ! Near
Penzance (Varenne 1882)! !
Var. i. paludosum Schimp.
In tall dense bright green tufts, strongly radiculose. Leaves short,
broad, subsecund, sharply serrate, rugulose at apex.
S v n .— D . scoparium var. paludosum S c h im p . S y n o p s . g o . M i l d e , J u r a t z .
Hab.— Moorland bogs. Glen Ogle, Perth (Bcswell 1873) ! ! Near Loch
Maree, Ross (Bcswell 1875)! ! Kinder scout (Holt 1882)! !
This very common but elegant moss is the centre of a group of closely
allied species, as it is also of a series of varieties, which are troublesome to
the student and difficult to define in w o rd s ; indeed, the acute bryologist
Mitten is inclined to regard D. scoparium as a compound of several species.
The first point to which attention may be drawn in the typical form, is
the condition of the leaf-cells, which in the young and active stage are seen
to be crammed with chlorophyl and large oil-globules, these at a later period
are used up and all the cells are found to be empty, but in both states the
transverse pores are distinctly visible ; a patch of the central basal cells is also
often thin and hyaline.
Dicr. pallidum S c h im p . (D. scoparium S u l l iv . musc. alleg. n. 155) I cannot
distinguish from D. scoparium, from which it does not differ in male infl. while
the paler color of the capsule cannot have much specific value.
Dicr. Venturii D e N o t . of which I have original specimens from Dr.
Venturi, collected on the Alps of Saent, I must also refer to Dicr. scoparium,
and in this opinion I am confirmed by Limpricht, Lindberg and B o sw e ll;
although in aspect approaching D. Bonjeani it has the stout strongly serrated
nerve of the former species, the areolation throughout being rather laxer and
more abbreviated. The plant referred here by Mitten I regard as a variety
of the next species.
Dicr. spadiceum Z e t t e r s t . (D. neglectum J u r a t z .) is an extreme form
having much the aspect of a distinct species, but quite agreeing with
D. scoparium in its areolation. The leaves are quite entire and smooth at
back.
From this it will be seen that D. scoparium is highly polymorphous, and
that the presence or absence of serrated margins to the leaf cannot be relied
upon to afford a distinctive character, yet a peculiar facies runs through all
its forms which will generally indicate the species, but the microscope must
also be used for confirmation.
8. BICEANUM BONJEANI De Not.
D io ic o u s ; la xly tufted, tomentose. L e a v e s lanceolate, erecto-
pa tent, glossy, undulated above, nerve lost below the serrated apex.
Capsule solitary, subcylindric, slightly curved, striated. (T. X X I , B.)
S y n .— Dicranum Bonjeani De N o t . in L i s a Elen, z g , et Syll. musc. 213 {1838), Epil. bri. ital.
616 (1869). C. M u e l l . Syn. i, 369 (1849).
Dicr. undulatum (baud E h r h .) T u r n . M u s c . hib. 59 (1804). Sm. Eng. bot. t. 2260 p.p.
H o o k . T a y l . M u s c . brit. 57, t. 18 (i8i8). H o o k . Fl. scot. p. 2, 133 (1821), Br. Fl. ii, 41
(1833). G r a y Nat. arr. br. pl. i, 737 (1821). M a c k . Fl. hib. P. 2, 24 (1836). J e n s . Bry.
dan. 90 (1856).
Dicr. palustrc (h au d L a P y l .) B r. S ch . B r y . eur . fa s c . 37-40 , p. 39, t. 31 (1847). H a r tm .
Skand. fl. R a b e n h . Deutsch. kr. fl. ii, S. 3, 146 (1848). W i l s . Bry. hr. 79, t. 18 (1855).
S c h im p . Synops. 91 (i860), 2 ed 94 (1876). B e r k . Handb. br. m. 279 (1863). M i l d e
Bry. siles. 72 (1869). H o b k . Syn. br. m. 48 (1873). H u s n . M ouss. nord-ouest 54 (1873).
J u r a t z . Laubm. Oesterr.-ung. 49 (1882).
Au to icou s and d io ic o u s ; in large soft la x tufts, stems slender
4— 6 in. high, covered with tomentum, at first whitish, finally
ferruginous, subcuspidate a t apex. L e a v e s thin, e recto-patent,
y ellowish-green, v ery glossy, sharply serrate and minutely transve rse ly
undulate above, from a broad base, lan ceolate a cuminate, acute, nerve
vanishing below apex, narrow, smooth a t back, or fa intly serrate near
a p e x ; cells at base large, quadrang. brown, above elongate hexagono-
rectangular, upper nar row ly ellip tic or oblong. S e ta solitary, slender,
yellowish above, pale red b e low ; bracts short, from a broad base,
abruptly subulate, inner longer, convo lute, nerve o b so le te ; capsule
leptodermous, cernuous, incurved, turgid obovate-oblong, with a
substrumose neck, exannulate, yellowish-brown, striated with orange ;
ca lyptra large s traw -co lo red ; lid subulate, long as caps, pale r e d ;
peristome as in D . scoparium. pale purple.
FIa b.— In moorland bogs and on damp shady b an k s ; not uncommon.
Fr. 7— 8.
In fr. Forest of Ballochbui and Kinnoul (Croall 1855)! Doune (McKinlay
1866)! Levens, Brandt Fell and Bowness (Barnes 1867)! !
Var. fi. j'uniperifolium (Sendi.)