C 212 ]
B YS SUS aurea.
Golden B y jfu s.
CRY P TO GAM I A Alga.
Gen. Char. Whole plant confiding of down or
Ample powder. FruEUficaticn unknown.
Spec. Char. Filaments Ample or branched, clofely
matted together, powdery, orange-coloured.
Syn. Byflus aurea. Linn. Sp. PI. 1638. Hud/. FI.
An. 6 0 6 . With. Bot. Arr. v. 3. 276. Relh.
Cant. 4 4 6 . Sibth. Oxen. 338.
B. aureus DerbienAs humifufus. Raii Syn. 56.
B. pet rasa crocea, glomerulis lanuginoAs. Dill.
Mu/c. 8. t. r . ƒ. 16.
T h i s Byflus thrives beft in a pure air, always in moil! fhad
places ; and although moft abundant and luxuriant on the calcareous
rocks and banks of Derbyfhire, yet it is found occafion-
ally on damp limeftone buildings, and in chalk-pits in other
parts of England. We procured it plentifully from a chalkpit
near Gad’s-hill, Kent, in June laft.
It often uniformly covers a fpace of many inches in diameter,
and looks like a fine piece of orange-coloured cloth or velvet
; fometimes the furface is more tufted, broken and irregular,
and it frequently grows in a (haggling manner, fcattered
over mofies. When of any confiderable fize, it is a very con-
fpicuous and beautiful objedt. Its fine colour is not however
permanent; for although this colour does not change (as authors
report) immediately upon drying, but generally lafls till 5 or *5
weeks afterwards, yet at that period, or fometimes earlier, the
whole plant becomes of a greenilh gray, which never changes.
The cruft is often £ of an inch in thicknefs,and, from a curious
fpecimen in Dr. Smith’s pofleflion, appears to grow in a concentric
manner. The fibres are very fine, thick fet, ere£t,
moftly branched, and ftrongly matted together.