ORTHOTRICHUM affine.
Bale Straight-leaved Bristle-moss.
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
Gen. Char. Caps, oblong, terminal. Outer f r in g e
o f 16 teeth: inner of 8 or 16 bristles; or none.
V e i l angular, mostly clothed with erect hairs.
S pec. Char. Stem branched. Leaves lanceolate, keeled,
revolute, spreading. Veil slightly crenate. Inner
fringe of eight teeth.
S yn. Orthotrichum affine. Schrad. S picil. 67. Sm. F l.
B r i t . 1263. T u rn . Muse. H ib ern . 96.
Weissiaaffinis. R oth. Germ. v. 3. 217.
Poly trichum capsulis sessilibus, foliis brevibus, rectis,
carinatis. D i l l . Muse. 432. t. 5 5 . f 10 ?
W e first gathered this on rocks near Edinburgh in 1782,
but did not learn to distinguish it from the Orthotrichum striatum,
Dill. t. 55. f . 8, till we were favoured with specimens
of Dr. Schrader’s 0 . affine from himself. It is probably not
an uncommon species. Mr. Turner finds it plentiful on the
mortar of old walls about Yarmouth, and has received it from
Ireland. The fruit is perfected in summer and autumn.
The stems are perennial, firmly rooted, branched, leafy, and
form tufts about an inch high. Leaves pale yellowish green,
rather spreading, linear-lanceolate, somewhat acute, beardless,
entire, revolute, keeled, with 1 rib, but no lateral veins. Capsules
on short stalks, nearly cylindrical, erect, furrowed from
their infancy, and twisted as they ripen. Veil conical, acute,
furrowed, more or less crenate or tom, clothed with a few upright
yellow deciduous hairs. Lid with a slender point and
very red margin. Outer fringe of 8 pairs of reflexed teeth;
inner of 8 simple white inflexed bristles, scarcely jointed except
when very old. The 0 . striatum differs in having ! 6
strongly jointed teeth in its inner fringe, darker coloured leaves,
and a more entire veil.