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G YMN O S T OMUM viridissimum.
Bright-green Branched Beardless-moss.
CR YP TO GAM I A Musci.
Gen. Char. Caps, without a fringe. L id deciduous.
Veil separating entire from the base.
Spec. Char. Stem branched, tufted. Leaves crowded,
lanceolate, recurved. Capsule ovate, furrowed,
erect. Lid awlshaped, curved.
S yn. Dicranum viridissimum. Sm. FI. Brit. 1224.
Turn. Muse. Hib. 71. Turn, and Dillw. Botanist’ s
Guide, 728.
Bryum viridissimum. Dicks. Crypt, fasc. 4. 9. t. 10.
ĥ 18. .
G a t h e r e d on trees near Ripon, Yorkshire, by Mr. W.
Brunton junior, to whom we are obliged for the final determination
of its genus, about which there has been some dispute.
I could not at first trace out the origin of my own mistake in
FI. Brit., but I find the account of the peristomium was communicated
by a very excellent friend, not there mentioned,
who has few errors to correct. In this intricate department
some must be expected from the most careful investigator;
and the difficulty of proving a negative renders the determination
of a Gymnustomum peculiarly hazardous#
This moss seems by the Botanist’s Guide to be not very
uncommon. Possibly it may have been overlooked for Orthotrichum
crispum.
The stems form level-topped tufts about an inch high, and
are more or less branched, leafy, rusty in their lower part.
Leaves crowded, spreading (close-pressed and twisted when dry),
lanceolate, acute, beardless, entire, keeled, single-ribbed, of a
fine opaque bright green, turning at length to a rusty brown.
Fruitstalks brown, half an inch long. Capsule erect, ovate,
brown, at length furrowed and somewhat cylindrical, with
a narrow naked mouth. lid awlshaped, rather shorter than
the capsule.