G R I M M I A pulvinata.
G r e y C u s h io n G r im m ia .
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
G en. Char. F r in g e simple, of 16 teeth, broadest at
their base. Flowers terminal. V e i l cylindrical.
Spec. Char. Leaves lanceolate, hair-pointed. Capsule
elliptical, angular, drooping. Lid convex, with a
cylindrical, blunt, straight point.
Syn. Dicranum pulvinatum. Swartz. Muse. Suec. 32
_ Sm. F I . B r i t . 1214. T u rn . Muse. Hib. 78.
Fissidens pulvinatus be. Hedw. Sh. M m e . 158. t. 40
ĥ 1 - 3 .
Encalypta pulvinata. Siblh. 278.
Afzelia pulvinata. E h rh . Crypt. 163.
Bryum pulvinatum. L in n . Sp. P L 1586. B u d s . 487.
W i th . 840. H u ll. 267. Relh. 422. A bbo t. 243*
B. orbiculare pulvinatum, hirsutie canescens, capsulis
immersis. D i l l . Muse. 395. t. 50. f . 65.
B. trichoides hirsutie canescens, capitulis subrotundis
reflexis, in perbrevibus pediculis. R a i l Syn. 100.
O N E of the most common of Mosses, on walls, roofs, rocks'
and stones, forming little hoary convex tufts, laden with
abundance of drooping capsules in the spring. The stems are
short and branched. Leaves dark green, of a broad lanceolate
iorm, entire, concave, somewhat revolute, each having a
strong prominent midrib, ending in a white wavy hair about
as long as the leaf. Fruitstalks terminal, twisted, very much
curved at the summit, all generally in one direction. Capsule
drooping, almost pendulous, elliptical, short, brown when
ripe, with many prominent ribs. Lid convex, with a cylindrical
blunt straight point, the whole about half as long as
the capsule. Veil torn at the base into several segments,. The
teeth are sometimes jagged at ihe point, with 2 or 3 notches,
which caused Hedwig, Swartz and others to consider the plant
as a Dicranum i but as most of the teeth are acute and entire,
we are induced to remove it to Grimmia, where it meets with
as natural allies as in Dicranum. By the above synonyms it
appears how much the best botanists have differed about its
genus. Mr. Relhan, though he preserves the old genus of
Bryum, has understood the structure of the fringe in this
species as we do.