5'° [ 2 2 9 6 ]
HYPNUM rufesceris.
Shining Reddish Feather-mossi
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
Gen. Char. Caps, ovate-oblong, from a lateral scaly
sheath. Outer fr in g e o f 16 teeth, dilated at the base :
inner a variously-toothed m embrane. Veil smooth.
Spec. Char. Stem erect. Bran ch es elongated. Leaves
lanceolate, pointed, striated, entire. Capsule cylin
d ric a l. L id conical.
Syn. H y p n um rufescens. Sm. FI. B r it. 1316. Dicks.
Crypt, fa s c . 3. 9. U 8 . f t 4. With. 846. H ull. 269.
H o ffm . Germ. v. 2. 59, u n d er n. 16.
H . caulibus vix ramosisj foliis subulatis aristatis,
capsulis grac ilibus. Hall, in A c t. H elv et.v . 5. 12.
n. 3 4 *
H . n. 1784. Hall. H ist. v. 3. 3 8 ; ex c lu d in g the
synonym o f D illenius.
F ir s t noticed by Mr. Dickson on wet rocks in the Highlands
of Scotland. Mr. W . Borrer found it covering the
perpendicular rocks by the falls of Moness, and has favoured
us with the only genuine fructification we have ever seen,
which is a very great rarity. Its supposed fruit and the
accompaniments, described in FI. Brit, from the Linnaean
herbarium, appear to be those of an undescribed Hypnum, or
perhaps Hookeria, whose herbage is so like the present moss,
that the greatest judges have been deceived by it.
The stems of II. rufescens grow erect, or loosely spreading,
from one inch and a half to three in height, their branches
more or less elongated, cylindrical, leafy throughout. Leaves
yellowish green with a fine purplish tinge, very shining, imbricated,
a little spreading, lanceolate, concave, entire, taper-
pointed, sometimes hair-pointed, ribless, but so furrowed or
plaited when dry as to look many-ribbed. Sheath of many
broad pointed scales. Fruitstalk slender, above an inch long.
Capsule cylindrical, nearly erect. Lid almost half as long,
conical. Fringe reddish. We have not seen the inner one,
but Mr. Borrer and Mr. Hooker assure us it is that of a
Hypnum. The name refuscens in some of our authors above
is an error of the press.