2 ZO
[ 2 1 7 9 ]
T O R T U L A fallax.
Fallacious Screw-moss.
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
G en. Char. Fringe simple, of numerous capillary
teeth, spirally and repeatedly twisted together.
Spec. Char. Stem branched. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
keeled, spreading, recurved. Capsule somewhat
elliptical. Lid oblique.
Syn. Tortula fallax. Swartz. Muse. Suec. 4 0 . Sm.
F l. Brit. 1252. Turn. Muse. Hib. 48.
Barbula fallax. Hedw. Sp. Muse. 120. Crypt v 1
6 2 v t. 24.
Bryum fallax. Dicks. Crypt, fasc. 3 . 5 . With. 833.
Hull. 2 6 4 .
W e received these specimens from W. Borrer. The
moss is not uncommon on the tops of walls, but care is requisite
to distinguish it from some of its congeners, and the great
Hedwig has misapplied synonyms belonging to T. imberlis
El. Brit. 1261.
This species is perennial, and bears capsules abundantly in
March or April. Stems* an inch high, much branched, leafy.
Leaves of a full but yellowish green, linear-lanceolate, dilated
at the base, keeled, slightly revolute, entire, considerably
recurved, furnished with a thick rib, but no hair-like point j
rather indexed by drying. Fruitstalk an inch high, dark red,
at first terminal, but the branches are soon greatly elongated
beyond its insertion. Capsule upright, nearly cylindrical,
brown, smooth. Lid reddish, awlshaped, as long as the capsule,
oblique, scarcely curved. Fringe deep crimson, soon
falling off, so as to mislead an incautious observer respecting
the genus.