f ft* ^
1020 ]
T E T R A P H I S p e l lu c id a .
Four-toothed Mofs.
CRYfTOGAMIA Mufci.
G e n . C h a r . C apfule o b lo n g . F rin g e fim p le , o f 4
p yramid al, u p righ t, feparate tee th.
Sp e c . Ch a r :.............
S y n . Tetraphis pellucida. H edw . S p . M u fc. 4 5 . t. 7 .
ƒ . 1. S w a r tz . M u fc . S u ee. 2,1. S ib th . 275.
M n ium p e llu c id um . L in n . S p . P I. 1574. H u d f. 4 72 .
W ith . 7 9 9 . H u ll. 24 9. R e lh . 398.
M . ferpilli foliis tenuibus pellucidis. D ill. M u fc .
232. t. 31. ƒ. 2.
M . minus non ramofum, anguftioribus et pellucidis
foliis. D ill, in R a il Syn. 78.
Brvum pellucidum. A b b o t. 2 37.
A NATIVE of wet fhady places at the roots of trees, for
fpecimens of which we are obliged to Mr. Abbot. It flowers
early in the fpring, ripening its capfules in April or May.
Roots annual, tufted, Ihaggy with black or brown matted
hairs. Stems fimple, ereCt, clothed with alternate, feflile, ovate
or lanceolate, entire, pellucid, fingle-ribbed, beardlefs leaves,
various in breadth, the uppermoft and lowermoft gradually
diminifliing and remote. Male flower terminal, folitary,
round, deprefled, encircled with three or four large broad
leaves. Sometimes, by Hedwig’s defcription, it feems to be
abortive, and gemmiparous; at other times, in the early fpring,
hermaphrodite. Generally however the female flower terminates
a different flem, and confifts of from 4 to 6 ftyles, one of
which only (as ufual) is fertile, and the oblong nearly upright
capfule becomes elevated on a ftraight flender flalk. The veil
is torn at the bafe, orange-coloured at the tip. Lid conical,
reddifh, thin. Teeth 4, of a finning brown, ereCt, pyramidal,
pointed, frnootb, all feparate from top to bottom, by which the
genus is clearly characterized, and this is its only known fpecies.