PTEROGONIUM sciuroides.
Squirrel-tail Wing-moss.
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
G en . C h a r . Caps, oblong, from a lateral scaly sheath.
Fringe simple, o f 16 linear upright teeth. Veil generally
hairy.
S p e c . C h a r . Stems creeping, branched. Branches cylindrical,
incurved by drying. Leaves ovato-lance-
olate, striated, entire. Veil smooth. Teeth of the
fringe deeply cloven.
Sy n . Pterogonium sciuroides. Turn. Muse. Hib. 32.
Dicranum sciuroides. Sm. FI. Brit. 1215. Sibth. 280.
Fissidens sciuroides, Hediv. Sp. Muse. 161.
Hypnum sciuroides. Linn. Sp. PI. 1596. Huds507.
With. 846. Hull. 274. Relh. 429. Jbb o t.25 \ .
H. arboreum sciuroides. Dill. Muse. 319. t. 41. f . 54.
H . trichoides erectum, ramulis recurvis, obscuri colons.
Raii Syn. 83.
F e w more ju d ic io u s improvements in b o tan y have been
suggested th an the removal o f this moss from Dicranum to
Pterogonium by my excellent friend M r. T u rn e r, in which I
n ow h e a rtily c o n cu r. T h e remarkable she a th and its lateral
in se rtio n , as well as the h a b it, require th is , n o t to m en tio n
th e stru c tu re an d tex tu re o f th e frin g e , w h ic h only differs
from th e o th e r k n ow n species in h av in g deeply cloven teeth,
fo r so I th in k it m o st inte lligible to describe th em .
O u r specimens in fruit (which is very rare in E n g lan d ) were
se n t from th e N ew Forest by M r. L y e ll, with man y judic ious
rem a rk s. H e m en tio n s th e p lan t as freq u en t o n th e steins of
old beeches, and conspicuous for its rich green h u e . The
creep in g stems are m u ch b ra n ch e d , and th e branche s are
curved upward when dry, cylindrica l, n o t m u ch subdivided,
th ic k ly c lothed with broadish-lanceolate, po in ted , entire leaves,
e ach marked with 3 lo n g itu d in al plaits, b u t n o t ribbed. They
sometimes bear axillary b ran ch in g b u d s. She a ths axillary,
lo n g and tap e r. F ru itsta lk s taw n y , scarcely thric e as long.
Capsules erec t, ovate, sm o o th . Veil slender, sm o o th . Lid
-conical, red. F rin g e sma ll, ten d e r, pale, its te e th deeply
divided, b u t resembling th e in te rn a l fringe o f a Hypnum in
tex tu re more th a n th e firm red te e th o f a tru e Dicranum.
M a le flowers red.