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B Y S SU S purpurea.
Purple ByJJiis.
CRT P TOG AM IA A’g<e.
Gen. Char. Whole plant confiding of down or Ample
powder. Fructification unknown.
Spec. Char. Filaments eredt, Ample or branched,
purplifh.
Syn. Byflus purpurea. Lightf. FI. Scot. 10 0 0 . JVilh.
Bot.Arr. V, 3 . 2 7 6 .
B. rubra. HudJ. Ft. An. 6 0 5 . App. 6 6 3 .
E are obliged for this elegant and curious production to
the Rev. Mr. Hugh Davies of Aber in North Wales, from
whom the late Mr. Hudfon alfo received many of his rareft
plants. It is found on the micaceous rocks of Anglefea, forming
broad uniform patches of a dark reddifh purple colour, and
fcarcely the breadth of a hair in thicknefs, fo very fhort are the
minute, ereft, thick-fet, and moftly branched, filaments of
which it is compofed. When much moiftened thefe filaments
become clotted together in clufters, and in that moift ftate it
exhales a kind of fea-weed fcent, more like the Florentine Iris
root than violets, in which refpeft it agrees with the B. Iolithus
of Linnaeus ; but the latter is really a cruftaceous Lichen, and
of a paler colour than this. How far Linnaeus may have confounded
them, or whether ours may be Micheli’s 89. ƒ 3.
(it is furely not his tab. go. f . 2.) we dare not determine. Ours
cannot be called “ aurea” (gold-coloured), neither is it at all
cruftaceous, but a true filamentous Byflus. We think with
Haller the powdery Byfli are molt probably Lichens.
Mr. Lightfoot found his B. purpurea on the bafe of Abbot
Mackinnon’s tomb in Y-Columb-kill, where a naturalift of our
acquaintance has fince fought for it in vain. Perhaps therefore
his fpecies may not be perennial. We quote Mr. Hudfon on
his own authority, though his name rubra is not very appofite.