stem is red and rigid, having, while young, its branches
often pinnate, in which state it bears no inconsiderable resemblance
to H. Jlagellare, to which species, except in the
smooth fruitstalk, it is jndeed very closely allied, though
it has also some resemblance in general habit to H. striatum.
The leaves are various, all of them closely serrated, two-
nerved at the base, suddenly contracted above the middle,
and thence prolonged into a narrow wavy point; those of
the stem distant and squarrose, with very broad clasping
bases; those of the main branches patent, concave, and,
especially in a dry state, marked with striae; those of the
smaller branches more closely imbricated, and scarcely
striated. Fruitstalk very smooth, usually about three-
fourths of an inch in length, sometimes rather more. Capsule
shortly ovate, cernuous, somewhat ventricose and pellucid,
so as to show the sporular sac within, very glossy
and smooth on the surface, especially while recent. Lid
conical, with a very short, cylindrical, mucronate beak, very
carefully and accurately expressed in our figure, but not
well represented or described by Schwaegrichen. Calyptra
yellow, prettily tinged with red on the upper part.
The description of Hypnum umbratum in Smith’s FI. Brit.
(gathered in Ireland by Dr. Scott), on the authority of Mr.
D. Turner, agrees well with our moss ; but H. umbratum
of Ehrhart, no. 66. (regarded by Smith as identical with
his), is a different, though very closely allied species. Assuming
that H. umbratum of Mougeot and Nestler, no. 329,
is the same asEhrhart’s,that moss is not easily distinguished,
except by very close examination, from I i . brevirostre. The
chief differences observed are these : Stem and branches in
H. umbratum tomentose, with dense root-like fibres; leaves
ovate, acute, all of them strongly plicato-striate; the ser-
ratures large and distant; the double nerves stouter and
often combined into one, extending above half-way up the
leaf; the general aspect more like that of I i. splendens.
Bridel, in his Bryol. Univ. vol. ii. p. 433, makes the following
remarks under H. umbratum-. “ Turn. Muse. Hib.
p.158? e descriptione et synonymia contra Hookerum qui
ad sequens pertinere affirmat. Specimina Hibernica hu-
jusce musci e Turneri descriptione omnino cum nostris con-
veniunt.” If this be correct, then the true H. umbratum
has been found in Ireland ; a circumstance the more probable,
from the fact that there exists in the Hookerian
Herbarium a specimen gathered in the Forfarshire mountains,
which exactly agrees with H. umbratum of Mougeot
and Nestler. The moss figured under that name in Engl.
Bot. t. 2565, belongs however to our H. jlagellare, a species
hitherto unknown on the continent, and essentially distinguished
by its rough fruitstalks, faithfully figured and described
in Engl. Bot., but overlooked in later works?—
W. W.