2 y o
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ORTHOTRICHUM diaphanum.
Sharp h a i r y -leaved Bristle-moss.
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
G en. Char* Caps, oblong, terminal. Outer f r in g e
o f 16 te e th : inner o f 8 or 16 bristles; or none.
V e il angular, mostly clothed with erect hairs.
Spec. Char. Stem somewhat branched. Leaves lanceolate,
pointed, tipped with a transparent bristle.
Veil mostly naked, slightly crenate.
Syn. O r t h o t r i c h u m d i a p h a n u m . Schrad. Spicil. 6 9 .
Sm. F I . B r i t . 1 2 6 5 . T u rn . Muse. H ib ern . 9 9 . t. 9 .
f I*
W e i s s i a d i a p h a n a . Roth. Germ. v . 3. 2 2 3 .
F o u n d on old pales, and especially on the trunks o f trees,
in many places. M r. D . Turner has pointed it out to us in
several different parts of Norfolk. I t is perennial, bearing its
fruit in April, when the little reddish veils and capsules, rising
up among the hair-pointed leaves, distinguish it from surrounding
mosses.
The stems are tufted, scarcely branched, not half an inch
high. Leaves of a dull or olive green, rather upright, closely
imbricated, lanceolate, acute, entire, revolute, tipped with a
white, pellucid, bristly point. Capsules terminal, on short
stalks, cylindrical inclining to ovate, with 8 furrows. Veil
bell-shaped, plaited, very slightly hairy, and sometimes quite
naked, of alight reddish brown, darker at the tip; its edge
crenate. Lid reddish, convex, with a little point. Outer fringe
of 16 separate, linear-lanceolate, narrow teeth: inner of as
many indexed white bristles.