Fusciiia bryoides S c h r a n k Baiers. Fl. ii, 451 (1789) ; Prim. Fl. Salisb. n. 826 (1792).
Dicranum bryoides S i b t h . Fl. oxon. 17g (1794). R o th Fl. germ, iii, 181 (17 9 5). S m ith
Fl. Brit. iii, 1232 (1804). T u r n . Musc. hib. 56 {1804). S c h k u h r Deutsch. Kr. Gew.
P. II, 82, t. 37 (iSio). PIooK. T a y l . Musc. Brit. 51, t. 16, p.p. (1818). G r a y Nat. arr..
Br. pl. i, 733 (1821). M a c k . Fl. Plib. P. 2, 21 (1836).
Skitophyllum bryoides L a P y l . in D e s v . Journ. Bot. 1813, 40, t. 35, f. 4,
Schistophyllum bry. B r id . MSS. L in d b e r g .
Fiss. inconstans S c h im p . Syn. m u s c . 2 ed . 1 1 4 ( 18 76 ).
Au toicou s; deep green, densely gregarious or somewhat cæspitose.
Stems 5— I in. ascending from a declinate base ; leaves 3-plurijugous,
patulous, oblongo-ligulate, mucronulate, w ith a thickish hyaline border,
confluent at apex w ith the excurrent nerve, or ending below a very
minutely serrate apiculus ; vag. lam. about h a lf length o f leaf, inf. lam.
narrowed downward to the base and d ecur rent; areolation angular-
rotundate. Capsule on a purple seta, erect or s ligh tly inclined, ovate
or oblong, small, brown ; c a lyp tra cu cu lla te , lid conic-attenua te, short
red ; teeth o f peristome deep red, c le ft h a lf w a y, th e legs subulate, v ery
s ca b ro u s ; spores smooth. Male infl. a xillar, numerous, b ra c ts 4— 5,
v e r tica l lamina minute, pointed, antheridia few, v ery small ; sometimes
also it is on a radical surculus.
H a b .— D amp sh ad y banks in woods and edges o f streams, common.
Fr. 10— I.
Few persons have seen this little moss without admiring it, and occasionally
it is found in shady crevices where spray falls, tinged with a steel
blue gloss which renders it still more beautiful. It is usually credited with
being the plant which attracted Mungo Pa rk ’s attention when in great
distress during his African wanderings, but unfortunately this is not correct,
the species he brought back is a smaller plant with a short seta, and non-
margined leaves which Mr. Mitten has named Fiss. Parkii.
I regard F . inconstans Schimp. (Sunningwell, Oxford, Boswell i 85i) as
rather of the nature of a sport than a permanent variety, as in structure it
agrees in every respect with F . bryoides. Th e fruit is both terminal and
from the middle on the same stem, and others have it radical like F . taxifolius,
while the male infl. is axillar like the type, radical as in F . incurvus, and
sometimes terminal on a separate plant ; the same form has been found by
Mr. Bagnall at Binton Bridges, Warwick, and it is very probable that F.
gymnandrus B use forms another link in the chain. F . rivularis S pruce is quite
distinct, having smaller areolation and a very thick border.
Var. ¡3. cæspitans Schimp.
Plan ts I— i j in . high, spa ringly branched by innovation, soft, bright
green, in wide crowded p a tch e s interwoven with rufous purple radic les.
B o rd e r o f lea ve s narrow, vanishing below th e v ery minutely serrate
apiculus. Capsules pa le, th in, ov ato-rotundate, inclined.
S y n .— S c h im p . S y n . m u s c . 2 ed . i i i .
Hab.— Wet rocks under spray of a waterfall, Newlyn cliff, Penzance (Ctirnow 1868) ! ! In a
stream at Kymal bridge, St. Creed {Ralfs 1879) ! !
6. FISSIDEIIS ORRII (Lindb.)
Autoicous ; very small. Le a v e s narrow, linear, very acute, with a
thickened border and excurrent nerve. Capsu le minute, obovate, c e r nuous,
lid conico-rostrate. (T. X , F.)
^Yn.— Schistophyllnm Orrii L in d b . in Revue bryolog 1880, p 97.
Autoicous (rhizautoicous); very small, pale or yellowish, cæspitose,
innovating from brown rh izomatous tomentum. Le a v e s o f sterile plant
multijugous, rigid, stra ight, p a ten t, linear-lanceolate, v ery acute, with a
thickened y e llow border confluent in the apex with the excurrent nerve ;
v ag. lam. | — | length o f leaf, infer, lam. gradually narrowed to base and
sligh tly decurrent ; cells incra ssa te, oval and angular, smooth, pellucid.
Le a v e s o f fertile plant about 8-jugous, smaller. S e ta slender, straight,
y e llow ; capsule minute, pale, pachydermous, obovate, inclined ; pe ristome
brown-purple, legs o f teeth v ery slender ; lid large , pale,
conico-rostrate, ca lyp tra small, con ical. Male infl. very minute, gemmiform,
cohering to base o f female stem, b ra c ts sheathing, emarginate
a t apex, with a th ick excurrent nerve, antheridia 3— 5, without
paraphyses.
H a b .— On stones in the Tolka river and at an old quarry on its north hank near Fingías bridge,
Glasnevin Botanic Garden, Dublin [D. Orr 1854).
The close vicinity of a Botanic garden naturally casts some shade of
doubt on the claims of this pretty little moss to be considered indigenous,
as spores may have been introduced with the soil attached to foreign plants.
Mr. Orr gathered and distributed it as F . viridulus, and the drawing is made
from the original plant kindly lent by Prof. Lindberg.
7. FISSIDENS OSMTJNDOIDES {Swartz) Hedw.
Dioicous ; stems dicho tomous, leaves crowded, scalpelliform, apiculate,
margin minutely crenulate, not bordered, nerve vanishing ; capsule
erect, oval, ca lyp tra mitriform, lid ro s trate . (T. X I , A.)
S y n .— Dicranum osmundoidcs S w a r t z in Act. Holm. 1795, p. 240. T u r n . M u s c . Hib. 55
(1804). S m ith Fl. Brit, iii, 1233 (1804) ; Eng. Bot. t. 1662.
Dicr. bryoides Sw a r t z M u s c . S u e c . 86, t . 2, f. 4 ( 17 9 9 ). W e b . M o h r B o t . T a s c h . 163
(1807). S c h k u h r Deutsch. Kr. Gew. P. II, 82, t. 37 (1810). Var /3. clongatum H o o k .
T a y l . M u s c . Brit.
HyPnum asplcnioidcs D ic k s . Cr. fasc. 2, p. 10, t. 5, f. 5 (1790), excl. Syn. Swartzii. W i t h .
Bot. arr. Br. Veg. 3 ed. 843 {1796). H u l l Br. Fl. P. 2, 268 (1799).
Fiss. osmundoidcs H e d w . Sp. musc. 153, t. 40, f. 7— 11 (1801). P. B e a u v . Prodr. 57
(1805). S c h u l t z Fl. starg. 292 (1806). B r id . Sp. musc. i, 168 (i8o6) ; Mant. musc.
188 (1819 ) ; Bry. univ. ii, 689 (18 2 7 ). S c h w a e g r . suppl. I, P. II, 7 ( 18 16 ). M a r t . Fl.
c r . E r l. 109 { 18 1 7 ) . F u n c k Moost. 33, t. 22, n. 4 ( 18 2 1 ) . H u e b e n . M us c . g e rm . 221
(1833). H a r tm . Skand. Fl. B r . S c h im p . Br. eur. i, Mon. 8, t. 3 (1843) ; Syn. musc.
106 (i860); 2 ed. 116 (1876]. F i e d l . Syn. Laubm. Meckl. 130 (1844). R a b e n h .
Deutsch. Kr. Fl. ii, P. 3, 305 (1848). C. M u e l l . Syn. musc. i, 60 (1849). W i l s . Bry.
Brit. 305, t. 16 (1855). B e r k . Handb. Br. m. 158 (1863). M i l d e Bry. Siles. 82 (1869).
De N o t . Epil. Bri. Ital. 481 (1869). H o b k . Syn. Br. m. 137 {1873).