TETRAPHIS PELLUCID A. PELLUCID TETRAPHIS.
T E TRAPHIS pellucida; caule elongato, foliis ovato-acuminatis, perichætialibus lanceolatis, capsula
cylindracea.
T E TRAPHIS pellucida. TIedto. Sp. Muse. p. 45. t. 7. f . 1. Swartz Muse. Suec. p. 21. Turner
Musc. Ilib. p. 12. Mong. et Nest. n. 14. Bridel Musc. vol. ]. p. 43. Mohr Ft.
Crypt. Germ. p. 93. Smith Ft. B rit. p. 1179- Engl. Bot. t. 1020. -Wahl. Lapp,
p. 3Ö5. Hooker and Taylor Muse. B rit. p. 16. t. 8.
M N IUM pelluçidum.' Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1574. Schmid. Icon. p. 13. t. 3. Lightf. Scot. p. 705.
MNIUM serpylli foliis tenmbus pellucidis. Dill. Muse. p. 232. t. 31. f . 2.
M N IUM minus non ramosum, angustioribus et pellucidis foliis. Dill, in R ail Syn. p. 78.
Class and Order. CRYPTOGAMIA MUSCI.
[N atural Order. MUSCI, Juss. Decand.]
G en. Char. Seta terminalis; Peristomium simplex, quadridentatum, dentibus erectis; Calyptra mitriformis.
Gen . Char. Fruitstalk terminal; Peristome simple, four-toothed, teeth e rect; Calyptra mitriform.
Radix fibroso-tomentosa, fusca.
Caules pollicares, plerumque dense ctespitosi, erecti,
flexuosi, teretes, rubicundi, subpellucentes, sira-
plices, rarius hicillic innovalionibusdivisi, inferne
fere aphylli, superne foliosi.
Folia erecta, lutescente-viridia, subnitida, inferiora mi-
nuta, distantia, anguste ovata, subacuminata; re-
liqua imbricata, late ovata, breviter acuminata,
rigidiuscula, undulata, ad marginem ubique om-
nino integerrima, paululum concava, areolata,
areolis minutissimis, nervo satis valido, paulo infra
apicem evanescente, instructa: Perigonialia
quatuor vel sex, ovata, acuminata, sed apice
obtusiuscula, inferne convexa, nervo tenui: Pe-
richastialia lanceolata, subacuminata, cStinata,
nervo valido.
Fructihcatio dioica.
Flos masc. in summitatem caulis: Antheras oblongas,
breviter pedunculate, reticulate, filis succulentis,
articulatis, pellucentibus iramixte.
Flos FCEM. in summitatem caulis: Pistilla sex vel
plura, filis succulentis deStituta.
Seta vix unciam longa, rubra, erecta, lfevis.
Capsula cylindraGea, maturitate magis oblonga, erecta,
vel paululum inclinata, ore subdilatato.
Operculum conico-acuminatum, flavescens, basi ru-
brum, insigniter tenerum, fere membranaceum,
pellucidum.
Calyptra lineari-oblonga, campanulata, plicato-sulca-
ta, integra, margine solummodo subdentata, pal-
lide fusca, apice fusco intensibre imbuta.
Peristomium e dentibus quatuor, lanceolato-acumina-
tis, erectis, rufo-fuscis, coriaceo-inembranaceis,
opacis, reticulatis, areolis in lineis longitudinali-
bus dispositis.
GemM/E numeroste, in cyathis ad extremitatem caulium
elongatorum, e foliis plerumque tribus obcordatis
constructis, rotundate, compresste, reticulate,
virides, I-Ias gemmre dum in cyathis restant non
raro radiculas singulas, longiusculas, albas, pellu-
cidas, articulatas protrudunt, ut ad Jig. 17 appa-
reant.
Fig. 1.1. Plants, male, female, and gemmiferous, vat. siz
male plant. Fig. 4. Single gemmiferous plant. Fig. i
stem-leaf. Fig. 8- Leaf of the stem. Fig. 9. Fema
the operculum being removed. Fig. 12. Teeth of the j
lyptra. Fig. 15. Interior view of the gemmiferous cu;
nyied.
Root, fibrous-tomentose, brown.
Stems an inch high, generally thickly casspitose, erect)
flexuous, round, reddish, subpellucid, simple,
rarely here and there divided by innovations,
below almost destitute of leaves, above furnished
with them.
Leaves erect, yellowish green, rather glossy, the lower
ones minute, distant, narrow ovate, subacuminate;
the rest imbricated, broadly ovate, shortly
acuminate, somewhat rigid, waved, everywhere
a t the margin entire, a little concave, areolate,
with the areoles very minute, furnished with rather
a stout nerve, disappearing a little below the
point: Perigonial leaves from four to six, ovate,
acuminate, but rather obtuse at the extremity,
below convex, having a slender n erve: the Pe-
richffitial leaves lanceolate, subacuminate, carinate,
with a strong nerve.
Fructification dioicous.
Male flower in the summit of the stem: Anthers
oblong, shortly pedunculate, reticulated, intermixed
with succulent, jointed, pellucid filaments.
Female flower terminal: Pistils six or more, destitute
of succulent filaments.
Fruitstalk an inch long, red, erect, smooth.
Capsule cylindrical, more oblong in maturity, erect,
or a little inclined, with the mouth slightly expanded.
Operculum conico-acuminate, yellow, reddish at the
base, remarkably delicate, almost membranaceous,
pellucid.
Calyptra linear-oblong, campanulate, plicato-sulcate,
entire, the margin alone subdentate, pale brown,
at the extremity tinged with a deeper brown.
Peristome of four teeth, which are lanceolate-acuminate,
erect, reddish brown, coriaceo-membrana-
ceous, opaque, reticulated, with the areoles disposed
in longitudiual lines.
Gemmje numerous, in cup-like processes at the extremity
of the elongated stems, which are composed
of, generally, three obcordate leaves, roundish,
compressed, reticulate, green. These gemmee,
while they remain in the cups, throw out, not un-
frequently, single, longish, white, pellucid, jointed
radicles, as seen at fig. 17.
e. Fig. 2. Single male plant. Fig. 3. Single young fell.
Male flower. Fig. 6. Perigonial leaf. Fig. 7. Lower
; flower. Fig. 10. Young capsule. Fig. 11. Capsule,
ristome laid open. Fig. 13. Operculum. Fig. 14. Ca-
Fig. 17. Gemmas.— A ll but fig. 1. more or less mag-
N o t an uncommon inhabitant of woods and forests, particularly in submountainous and alpine countries, and also
in the South of England. About London, however, it is not frequently met w ith; nor do we remember its being
found in the counties of Norfolk or Suffolk. In the woody glens of Devonshire it is abundant, as it is .in Wales
and Scotland, where it seems to occupy the place that Weissia cirrata does with us, delighting to grow on decaying
posts and pales, and the trunks of fallen trees, covering them with a'beautiful lively green verdure, and bearing capsules
through the whole summer.
Even to the naked eye the size of the teeth of this plant is very remarkable, and the gemmiferous cups, unlike
any thing we know in other mosses, form at once a striking character.
I t was on account of these terminal heads or cups that the older authors included this plant among their Mnia ;
yet a more distinct genus than the present we have not in the order-of Musci. There is a peculiar rigidity ab o u t.
the leaves of the whole plant, especially when dry. Its calyptra is totally different from that o f any other genus,
but approaches nearest to that of Orthotrichum. The operculum is singularly thin and delicate—a pellucid membrane
spread over the teeth of the peristome; and if the capsule be examined before that period of maturity when
the operculum would fall off by the efforts of nature, the attempt to remove it will only be attended with the consequence
of pulling it to pieces, and tearing away portions of the peristome to which it adheres:—the teeth too, which
are in number but four, are very large in proportion to the size of the capsule. All these peculiarities it has in
common with another plant of the genus, Tetraphis ovata, but which is widely different in other respects.
With regard to the structure of the peristome, it will be seen by the annexed figure that it is formed of closely
set oblong reticulations or cells, which run very much in parallel lines. Each tooth, in this species, has appeared
to Mr. Brown to have seven longitudinal strife. Now if each stria indicates here, as in Orthotrichum and some
other genera, an union of two teeth, the real number of teeth in this genus will be thirty-two. To me, however,
even with the highest power of the microscope, the.strife have appeared so imperfect, and the teeth altogether so
opaque, that I have not been able to satisfy myself by actual observation of the existence of this circumstance; yet
I have every reason to believe the fact; for in teeth removed from a young capsule of T. ovata, the number of
strife is very decided, and exactly as Mr. Brown describes them. Still the teeth have a structure very different
from that of any other moss; allowing, I mean, that each is composed of eight narrow setaceous teeth, for these
would then be composed of joints three or four times longer than they are broad.