PTEROGONIUM gracile.
S l e n d e r P te r o g o n iu m .
CRYPTOGAMIA Mußt.
G e n . Char. Fringe limple, o f 16 linear, upright
teeth. Flowers lateral. Veil often hairy.
Spec. Chau. Stems creeping, cluttered. Branches
cylindrical, curved. Leaves imbricated, ovate,
minutely toothed. Capfules oblong, nearly eredt.
S y n . Pterogonium gracile. Swartz. Mufc. Suec. 1 6 ,
Pterigynandrum gracile. Hedw. Sp. Mufc. 80.
Crypt, v. 4. 16. t. 6.
Hypnum gracile. Linn. Mant.'3 1 0 . Lightf. 7 6 6 .
With. 860. Hull. 272.
H . ornithopoides. Hudf. 50 8 .
H . gracile ornithopodioides. Dill. Mufc. 3 2 0 . t. 41 .
f 5 5 ’ _ _ _ _ _
T h i s mots is p e cu lia r to m o u n ta in o u s c o u n trie s. W e have
n o w h e re feen it in g re ater a b u n d an c e th a n in th e n e ig h b o u rh
o o d o f E d in b u rg h , w h e re it forms g re a t p a tch e s o n ro ck s or
tre e s, b u t th e fru ctific a tio n ha s ra re ly b e en obferved in B rita
in , th o u g h com m o n in F ra n c e an d Ita ly . M r. D . T u rn e r
fo u n d th e p la n t in th a t ftate in Ire la n d th is fum m e r; an d it
m u ft b e confidered as a ve ry fo rtu n a te a cq u ifitio n , as it ferves
to confirm H e dw ig ’s obfervations re fp e ftin g th is n ew genus
Pterogonium; for th e h a iry calyptra o r veil has b e en obferved
b y h im in fome P en n fy lv an ian fpe cies, th o u g h h e h ad n o t feen
i t in th is , p ro b a b ly becaufe th e h a irs fall off ve ry e arly, w h ic h
w e find to be th e cafe. T h is m a rk an d th e w a n t o f a n inner
frin g e are fu ffic ien tto keep Pterogonium feparate from Hypnum.
T h e p re fent fpecies is k n ow n b y its flender cylindrical
b ra n c h e s, curved inw a rd (efpecially w h e n d ry ), th ick ly
c lo th ed w ith b ro a d , a c u te , ferrula ted, nervelefs leaves. The
fru it-fta lk s fp rin g from a late ra l, fcaly b u lb . T h e capfule is
a little cu rv ed . T h e veil c y lin d ric a l, an d very flender.
M r . D ic k fo n ’s Hypnum Smithii b e longs to th is g e n u s.