Hypnum Proliferum. Proliferous Hypnum.
HYPNUM Linncei Gen. PL C r y p t o g a m ia Musci.
Raii Syn. Gen. 3. Musci.
HYPNUM proliferum furculis proliferis, plano-pinnatis, pedunculis aggregatis. Linncei Syß. Veg.
p. 800.
HYPNUM ramis teretibus pinnatis, pinnulis pinnatis, foliis adpreffis. Haller. Hiß. 3. p. 33.
HYPNUM filicinum, Tamarifci foliis minoribus, non fplendentibus. Dillen, p. 276. icon. 35. fig. 14.
HYPNUM repens filicinum minus, luteo virens. Catal. Gifs. 287. RaiiSynop. p, 86. re. 36, Hudfon.
Fl. Angl. p. 422' Weis Cryptogam, p. 230.
CAULES palmares ad dodrantales, repentes, hinc 0
inde radiculas fufcas exferentes, fsepe vero |
adeo intricate connexi ut humi ferpere ne- 4
queant, foliis ovato-acuminatis, carinatis, x
. mucronatis, fparfe te6lis, fig. 1. horum fo- $
liolorum fuperficies, microfcopio valde au£la f
granulofa apparet, Jig. 2. $
STALK S from three to nine inches in length, creeping
on the ground,' and here and there fending
forth fmall brown fibres, but very often
fo intricately conne&ed together as to,be
, hindered from creeping, thinly covered with
leaves of an oval pointed fhape, having a
ftrong midrib, which runs out to a fine point,
jig. 1. when greatly magnified, the furface
o f thefe leaves exhibits a granulated appearance,
jig. 2.
BRANCHES beautifully pinnated, and bending downward,
of a green colour, more or lefs inclined
to yellow, according to its place o f growth,
ana the feafon o f the year, without any glo/s;
the midrib o j the fame colour with the leaves,
and generally thicker at its extremity; the
fmall leaves laying one over another, and
fcarce difcernible to the naked eye. From
the middle o f the branch or Frons moft commonly
arifes a new ftalk, or furculus, by
which means this plant is Angularly extended
and propagated, and from this circumftance.
it acquires the name of Proliferous.
PEDUNCLES about an inch and a half in length,
of a bright red colour, generally about four
or five, fometimes more, fpring from the
ftalk nearly together; in fome of the ftalks
there is the appearance o f feveral Perichcetia
without peduncles, which probably arife from
them the next year. The P e r ich a s t ium ,
jig. 3. which is the bafe of the peduncle, is of
an oval Ihape, and covered with fmall leaves
which terminate in a long flexible point.
The C a p su l e s or A ntheras containing the
pollen or feed, jig. 4. are incurvated, and o f
a brown orange colour. The O p e r c u lum ,
Jig. 6. (which fits on to the top o f the Capfule,
and when the feed contained within it is ripe,
falls off) is ftiort and pointed ; the mouth of
the Capfule has two rows o f C ilias, jig. 8,
9. the exterior row, jig. 8. orange coloured
and diverging, the tops of them fometimes
bending a little inward, and brittle when
dry, the interior row, jig. q. converging, of
a membranous1 texture, and when very much
magnified, appearing reticulated. The
RAMI pulchre pinnati, deflexi, virefeentes, ad. lu- <
teum colorem plus minufve accedentes pro <
ratione fitus aut anni temporis, omni fplen- ^
dore dejlituti, rachis concolor, ad extremita- <
tem plerumque incraffatus; R am u l i et ^
P inn ulæ foliolis exiliffimis, confertis, nudo <
oculo v ix confpicuis imbricatim te6li ; e \
difeo rami, aut frondis, novus caulis aut
furculus plerumque exfurgit, unde plantula J
mire extenditur ac propagatur, et hinc Pro- <
lifer vocatur. ■ <
PEDUNCULI fefquiunciales, rubri, plerumque qua- ]
tuor aut quinque, aliquando plures e caule <
aggregatim affurgunt, et in quibufdam cau- <
libus, Perichcetia plura aut potius eorum ru- <
dimenta occurrunt, e quibus pedunculi fe- j
quente anno probabiliter nafeuntur. P e r i - <
ch æ t iu m , ßg. 3* aut bafis pedunculi, ova- |
turn, foliolis tenuibus pilo longo flexuofo «
terminàtis veftitum. C apsulas five A n- j
theræ, ßg. 4. quæ fernen aut pollinem <
continent, incurvatæ, ex fufco aurantiaeæ. j
O pe r c u lum , fig. 6. (quod collo capfulæ \
infigitur, et femine matur^cente decidit) <
breve, et acuminatum. Orificium Capfulæ /
duplici ferie Ciliarum inftruitur, ßg. 8, 9. <
C il iæ exteriores, fig. 8. aurantiaeæ, diver- jj
gentes, apicibus aliquando paululum inflexis, <
et cum aridæ fint fragiles ; interiores, ßg. 9. Î
convergentes, membrana reticulata connexæ, <]
ad quam videndam microfcopio opus eft. |
P o llen five S emen viride. C a l y p t r a , û
fig. 5. quâ anthera cum fuo Opercuio partim 5
tegitur et quæ primum decidit albida eft. <3
Y P o llen or S eed contained within the Cap-
,f fules is green. The C a l y p t r a , fig. 5. which
| partly covers the anthera and operculum, and
<j> nrft drops off, is of a white colour.
There is fcarcely a wood in the environs o f this city, on the borders of which this elegant fpecies of Mofs
doth not occur.. 1
It produceth its falsifications from December to February; in this ftate, however, it is but feldommet
with, yet may be found by diligent fearching: Linn«eus, in one o f hisjournies through Sweden, obferved
this Mofs growing m the thickeft woods, obfcured with perpetual Ihade, and where all other plants perifhed.
Moft of the writers, who have made this clafs o f plants m6re particularly the objeft o f their inquiries, have
generally made two diftinft Genera of the Hypnum and Bryum, yet fo great is the affinity betwixt them, and
fo much do they run into one another, that what fome of thefe authors call a Bryum, others denominate a
Hypnum ; indeed this divifio.n feems adopted more to facilitate the inveftigation. of the plants of this numerous
family, than from any real natural divifion which takes place between them. The difference between fome of
the Hypnums and feme of the Bryums is obvious to almoft every one, but to afeertain the limits where the
one begins and the other terminates, feems a talk too difficult for the moft accurate Botanift.
The principal characleriftics o f a Bryum, according to Linnaeus, are, that the peduncle which fuftains the
Anthera or Capfule, grows out o f the top of the furculus or ftalk, and is furnifhed at its bafe with a little
naked, tubercle or bulb; in the Hypnum, on the contrary, the peduncle grows out o f the fide o f the ftalk
s and the tubercle at its bafe is covered with leaves and called a Perichsetium.