■i l
hib. 1’ . a, 26 (1S36). De No t. in Mem. ac, Torin. xl, 290 (1838), Syllab. 171 (183S),
Mnsc. ital. I, 35, t. 14 (1862), Epil. bri. ital. 538 (1S69). WtLs. Bry. brit. 134, t. 12
(1855). B e r k . Handb. br. m. 250, t. 22, f. 4 (1863). L in d b . d e Tort. 246 {1864).
H o b k . Syn. br. m. 71 (1S73).
Sytitrichia ruralis B r id . in Schrad. Journ. iii, P. 2, p. 299 (i8oi), Mant. 98 (1819), Bry.
univ. i, 584 (1826). W e b . M o hr Bot. Tasch. 215 (1S07}. V o it M u s c . herb. 52 (1812).
Mart. Fl. cr. erl. 88 (1817). S c h u l t z Recens. 229, t. 34, f. 3 (1823). H u e b e n . M u s c .
germ. 338 (1833). J u r a t z . Laubm. oesterr.-nng. 143 (1882).
D io ic o u s ; in loose ta ll e.xpanded tufts, ferruginous below, deep
green and hoary above, dicho tomously branched. Le a v e s remote,
crowded at apex, carinate, from a long erect subvaginant base, recurvo-
squarrose from the middle, appressed and tw isted when dry, oblong,
elongated, apex rounded or emarginate, margin revolute almost to
a p e x ; nerve red, excurrent in a flexuose hoary spinulose a r is t a ; cells at
base rectangular, hyaline, above soft, hexagonal, co a rse ly papillose.
S e ta long, purple a t base, yellowish above, ca lyp tra la rge, fu s c e s c e n t ;
caps, erect, elongated, cylindra ceous, a little curved, brown, p a ch yd e r mous
; annulus double, lid red, suboblique, e longa te-conic ; per. very
long, the lower h alf tubula r, pale, spirally te s se lla ted, te e th purple,
contorted.
Male plant more slender. Infl. terminal, gemmaceous, inner b ra cts
o v a te , nerved, submuticous.
H a e .— On old thatched roofs, sandy banks and walls ; rarely on trunks of
trees, common. Fr. 4— 5.
Var. /3. arenicola Braithw.
P lan ts ta lle r, more slender, yellow-green. L e a v e s more distant, longer,
o f thinner tex ture, becoming nar rowed tow ard the apex, the point shor tly
acuminate in a scarious membrane, prolonged on the a r is ta and sometimes
d en ticula te at the margin.
S y n .— B a r b i l la r u r a l i f o rm i s B e s c h . in Musci Gall. n . 4 57 . H u s n o t M o u s s . nord-ouest
2 ed. 79.
H a b .— S andy ground near the coast.
St, Andrew’s Links (Braithwaite 1865)! ! Southport (Holt 1879) ! ! Cromer (H. N.
Dixon 1S84) ! !
The recurved leaves with revolute margins best distinguish this species,
and Lindberg also describes as peculiar to it two longitudinal plaits, just
within the margin of the leaf. Barbula pulvimta J u ka tz. is intcrmcdiale
between montana and ruralis, though the structure of the leaf agrees better
with the latter, of which it must proliably be regarded as a variety.
Tortula mrvegka (W e b . 1804). Barbula aciphylla Bitucii S chimp. 1842, is
a close ally of ruralis resembling our Var. /3, but has a green nerve running
out into a reddish brown rigid arista only faintly spinulose. It is confined to
mountain regions, but may turn up here as it reaches to the Dovrefjeld and
Lapland.
21. TORTULA PRINCEPS De Not.
Synoicous ; tall, rufescent. Le a v e s patent, broadly oblong-ovate,
obtuse, nerve excur rent in a slender spinulose arista. Caps, erect,
cy lin d r ic ; peristome with a long tube. (T. X X X I I I , C.)
S y n .— Tortula princeps D e N o t . in Mem. ac. Torin. xl, 288 (1838), Syllab. 170 (1838), Musc.
ital. I, 33, t. 13 (1862), Epil. bri. ital. 537 (1869). L in d b . de Tortulis 247 (186.^).
H o b k . Syn. br. m. 70 (1873).
Syntriehia Mnelleri B r u c h MSS.
Barbula Muclleri B r . S c h im p . Bry. eur. fasc. 13— 16, Mon. 44, t. 28 (1842). S c h im p .
Synops. 192 (i860), 2 ed. 232. H u s n . M o u s s . nord-ouest 87 (1873). L e s q . J a m e s
Mosses N. Amer. 133 (1884).
Barhula princeps C. M u e l l . Synops. i, 636 (1849).
Tortula Mnelleri W i l s . Bry. br. 134, t. 44 (1855). B e r k . Handb. br. m. 250 (1863).
Syntriehia princeps M i t t . Journ. Lin. soc. i, Suppl. 39 (185g). J u r a t z . Laubm.
oesterr.-ung. 145 (1882).
'Synoicous and polygamous ; in ta ll la x ferruginous brown tufts.
Stems repeatedly interrupted by innovations, dense-leaved, radiculose
at base. Le a v e s imbricated patent, when dry appressed and complicate,
rosulate at apex o f innovations, b ro adly oblong-ovate, obtuse, concave,
carinate in the middle, the margin subrevolute in the lower h a lf ; nerve
rufous, excurrent in a slender hyaline faintly spinulose a rista ; cells at
base lax, pellucid, above quadrate, not opake, soft, papilloso-scabrous.
Cap s, on a red flexuose seta, cylindraceous, arcuate, brown ; annulus of
a double series o f cells, lid elongato-conic ; per. pale, the lower h alf
tubular, ob scurely te sse lla ted, teeth red.
Male infl. mixed w ith the female or sometimes with female infl. also
on the same plant.
H ab.— On rocks, walls and sometimes trunks of trees ; rare. Fr. 4— 5.
Menstrie glen, Ochils (GreviUe 1S55). Blair Atholl (Miss Mcjnroy 185g) ! ! Craiglockart,
near Edinburgh (Dr. B. White 1S65) ! Ram rocks, Ben Wyvis (Howie 1S64) ! On the
Cruise, Brechin and Menmuir (Rev. M. Anderson l86g) ! Kirriemuir and Loch mill,
Forfar (Rev. J . Fergusson 1866) ! ! Raith, Kirkcaldy, Fife, on weathered trap (Ewing
1885) ! ! Deer park, Glenarm, Antrim and Benbulben, Sligo (Moore).
This fine moss is easily known by its interrupted stem, and dense soft
broad rusty-coloured leaves ; its head quarters is the Mediterranean basin.
6. P L E U R O C H Æ T E L in d b .
Oefv. af kong. Vet. akad. foerh. xxi, 253 (1S64).
Pe richætia axillary, w ith the b ra c ts a c c re scen t inward. Fru it on
an e longated seta, resembling th at of Tortula, la teral, peristome scarce
twisted. L e a v e s with a v ag in ant hyaline base, stellato-comant, seiTate.
Inhabiting barren stony p la ce s, e spe c ia lly near the sea. Der. wXevpa
the side, xo-trv ^ seta