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GRIMMIA PULYINATA. GREY-CUSHIONED
GRIMMIA.
G R IM M IA pulvinata, caule ramoso, pulvinato; foliis undique erecto-patentibus, ellipticis, acumine
longo piliformi, incano: seta arcuata; capsula ovata; operculo conico-acuminato (pe-
ristomii dentibus integris rimis perforatis, v. fissis).
G RIMMIA pulvinata. Engl. Bot. t. 1728. .
TRICHOSTOMUM pulvinatum. Mohr FI. Crypt. Germ. p. 109- Voit H ist. Muse. Herb. p. 23.
D ICRANUM pulvinatum. Swartz Muse. Suec. p. 32. Roth Germ. vol. 3. p. 173. Brid. Hist.
Muse. Rec. Suppl. vol. 1. p. 211. Turn. Muse. H it. p. 78. Smith FI. B r it. vol. 3.
p. 1214. Pal. de Beauv. Prodr. d'JEtheog. p. 65. Lamarck Fl. Fr. ed. 3. vol. 2. p. 478.
Lam. Fl: Gall. p. 100.
F IS SIDENS pulvinatus (var. «.) Hedxv. Sp-. Muse. p . 158: t. 4 0 ./. 1—3. Brid. Hist. Muse. Rec.
vol. 2. p. 149-
LEERSIA pulvinata. JVilld. Prodr. Fl. Berol. n. 9 1- Roth Fl. Germ, vol 1. p. 454.
ENCALYPTA pulvinata. Sibth. O.v. p. 278.
AFZELIA pulvinata. Ehrh. Crypt. 1(53.
BRYUM pulvinatum. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1586. Huds. Angl. p. 487. Relh. Cant. p. 422. With.
Bot. A rr. vol. 3. p. 283.; Hoffm. Germ. Fl. vo l 2. p. 31. Sturm Deutsch. F l Ic.
BRYUM orbiculare, pulvinatum, hirsutie canescens, capsulis immersis. D ill Muse. p. 395. t. 50.
| f . 65. . . . . .
BRYUM foliis lanceolatis, pilo terminals, capsulis pendulis, ovatis, anstatis. Hall. Iielv. n. 1822.
/3. argentata ; statura graciliore; foliis dilute viridibus, siccitate nitidis. Turn. Muse-. TIib-. t. 3. f . 1.
Class a n d Order. CRYPTOGAMIA MUSCÎ.
(N atural Ord e r . MUSCI, J uss. Decandolle. CRYPTOGAMÆ CALYPTRATÆ, Adam. OPERCÜ-
LATÆ, Mohr.)
Gen . Char: Perist. simplex ; dentibus sedecim, liberis, integris (sæpe perforatis, rarissime hic illic fissis).
Calyptra mitræformis.
Radix parva, fibrosa, fusca.
Caules semiunciales et ultra, erecti, simplices v. ra-
mosi, in cajspitulos orbiculatos densissime congest!,
pulvinafci.
Folia undique erecto-patentia; inferiora minora, mu-
tica, omnia luteo- et obscure vifidia, qblongo-
elliptica,. coneava, subcarinata, margine plana vel
recilrva, apice ill acumen piliforme, longum, flex-
liosum, canum, subserrulatum, desiiientia: nervo
valid© concolore percursa; siccitate appressa,
nigro-viridia. Substantia firma, opaca, longitu-
dinaliter seriatim punctata. Perichastialia reli-
quorumsimilia. , :..;
Seta terminalis, vel ob innovationes lateralis, duas ad
tres lineas longa-, primum erectiuscula, demum
insigniter arcuata, ut capsulte foliis immergantur,
maturitate recta vel solummodo torta.
Capsula exacte ovata. pendula, primum viridis, de-
mum fusca, siccitate sulcata, ore rubro.
Operculum conico-acuminatum, fuscum, margine ru-
brpm.
An n ulus, simplex, processubus pallidls.
Calyptra mitraformis, basi quadrifida, pallida, apice
Peristomium simplex, rubrum, dentibus sedecim lati-
usculis, transversim striatis, plerumque integris,
sed longitudinaliter hie illic perforatis (Jig. 11),
rarius imperforatis, quandoque apice bifidis.-
Root small, fibrous, brown.
Stems half an inch or more in length, erect, simple of
branched, collected togéther in small, very dense,
roundish tufts or cushions.
Leaves on every side ërecto-paterit ; the lower ones
smaller, pointless, all of them of a yellowish and
obscure green, of an oblongo-elliptical figure, concave,
somewhat carinate, with the margin plain
of recurved, ending in a long, piliform, flexuose,
hoary, subserrulate point, and furnished with a
strong nerve of the same colour; wh.endry thèÿ
are appressed and blackish green. The substance
is firm, opaque, dotted longitudinally in
rows. The-pêrichætial leaves are hkè the. rest.
Fruitstalk terminal, or, on account of innovations,
lateral, two or three lines long, at first almost
erect, then remarkably arcuate, so that the capsules
are immersed among the leaves ; when mature
straight or only twisted.
Capsule exactly ovate, pendulous, at first green, at
length brown, and when dry, sulcate ; thé mouth
réd.
Operculum conical and acuminate, brown, with the
margin red.
Annulus simple, with pale processes.
Calyptra mitræform, quad ri fid at the base, pale,
. brown at the point.
Peristome simple,, red, with 16 widish teeth, transversely
striated, generally entire, but here and
there longitudinally perforated (Jig. 11), rarely
imperforate,- sometimes bifid at the apex.
Fig. 1. Tbft of Gr. pulvinatd. Fig. 2. Branched individuals. Fig. 3. Unbranched plant:—all of the natural
size. Fig. 4. Leaf. Fig. 5. Fruitstalk and capsule with the calyptra. Fig. 6. Capsule deprived of its ca-
, lyptra. Fig. 7.. Calyptra. Fig. 8. Capsule with its annulus. Fig. 9- Operculum. Fig. 10. Calyptra.
. Fig. 11. Teeth of the peristome:—all more or less magnified.
Scarcely any moss is more Common* than the present on old walls and the roofs of houses, where, in dry weather
particularly, it is rendered conspicuous by the numerous, diaphanous, hair-like points of the leaves. In the
form of these leaves it approaches Gr. crinita of Schwaegrichen, but that has sessile fruit j and in general
habit its nearest affinity is certainly with Gr. ovata here figured on the same plate, from which it may be known
a t the first aspect by the curved fruitstalks and by the different shape of the leaf. In this it is elliptical, terminated
by a long hair-like point; in the other it is lanceolate, gradually tapering into a long acumen. I t is true, that even
in Gr. ovata the fruitstalk is not always straight; sometimes it is twisted, but never curved in the remarkable
manner that occurs in Gr. pulvinata, nor have I ever seen the capsules, when dry, striated.
Mr. Turner has described a variety of this species which was found upon walls about Dublin by Dr. Scott, and
near Powerscourt by Dr. Stokes, in which the leaves and capsules were of a pale but lively green, shining, when
dry, so as to appear silvery. Its size too was unusually small.
I f this species be amongst those that are without much, difficulty distinguished from their associates, the same
cannot be said of the genus; and the various opinions of Botanists relative to that in which it ought to be ranked,-
may be judged of by the above list of synonyms.
I f there were no other objection to the use of the male flowers o f mosses, in the construction of generic characters,
than the extreme minuteness of these parts, that alone, in my opinion, would be a sufficient one. With Fissidens,
where it was placed, on account of the situation of the male flowers, by Hedwig, the habit altogether forbids its remaining.
Nor can it belong to Dicranum, whose character, as established by Mohr, is to have a dimidiate calyp-
ira. To the genus Trichostomum it has a strong claim, because the teeth are, according to the testimony of various
authors, as much divided as some acknowledged species of that genus; and besides, the calyptra is mitneform;
nor is there any thing in the habit which can forbid such an union* But then, on the other hand, the teeth are
often entire as m Gnmmia, and generally (as represented in the annexed figure) perforated like many species of
that genus: moreover, in habit it is as much allied to them as to Trichostomum.
With this view of the subject, I should not unwillingly see the two genera Grimmia and Trichostomum united under
the former name: for the latter is liable to this objection, that many even of its legitimate species are a t variance
with the appellation. But I cannot bring myself, without the most cogent reasons, to abolish a genus which has
been established by one of the first and greatest of Museologists, and adopted by all succeeding ones. There is
this inconvenience, however, as they now stand, that the subjects of the present and following descriptions will,
according to the different ideas of Botanists, be sometimes arranged under one genus, sometimes under the other.
To me they seem to have the strongest claim to Grimmia, the generic character of which I have in a slight degree
altered in order still more to increase that claim.
* Jt is even found in Asia Minor, wfiero the traveller Scezen found it between Smyrna and Bursa.