CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
G en C har. Caps, ovate-oblong, from a lateral scaly
"sheath. O u te r fringe of 16 teeth, dilated at the base:
inner a variously-toothed membrane. Veil smooth.
Spec Ch a r. S tem p ro c dm b e n t, closely p e c tin a te d ,
L e a v e s lan c e o la te , c u rv e d , n e a rly e n tire , p la ite d ,
w ith o u t rib s. C a p su le o b lo n g , d ro o p in g . L id co n ic
a l, sh o rt.
Syn. Hypnum Crista-castrensis. Linn. Sp. PL 1591.
Hedw. Sp. Muse. 287. t. 76. ƒ . 1—4, Ehrh.
Crypt. 6.
H. n . 1 7 6 8 , Hall. Hist. v. 3 . 3 4 .
T h E first B ritish sp e c im en s we ever saw o f th is fine mo ss
we re g a th e red b y M r .,G . D o n , several years a g o , b u r sinc e
th e p u b lic a tio n o f Fl. Brit., in wo o d s in S c o tla n d . T h a t in
o u r p la te was s e n t from a w o o d a t th e h e ad o f H aw e s -w a te r,
C um b e rla n d , by th e R e v . M r . D a lto n to M r . T u rn e r , m^ 8 0 9 .
W e h a v e b e en o b lig ed to d raw th e fru it from o n e o f M r . D a -
v a ll’s b e au tifu l Swiss sp e c im en s. 3bK . . ,
W e fin d b y th e L inm e a n h e rb a rium th a t H e dw ig was rig h t
in th e above n a m e ; see H. molluscum, 1 1 3 27, w h ic h E n g lis h
h o ta n is ts h a d m is ta k e n fo r Crista-castrensis. W e have su p p
osed D ille n iu s ’s t. 36. f . 2 0 , B , m ig h t be th e la tte r, b u t ita n a y
S o t b e so , an d th e re fo re we d e clin e a positive re fe ren c e to th a t
fiST h e p re se n t is a m u c h la rg e r an d h a n d som e r p la n t th a n th e
molluscum, m o re a c cu ra te ly a n d close y p e c tm a ted ^ an d e le -
p-antlv c u rv e d , tru ly lik e a n o strich p lum e . T h e leaves are
n a rrow e r a n d lo n g e r in p ro p o rtio n , scarcely se rrated ex cep t a t
th e ir p o in ts , d e s titu te o f a rib , b u t p la ited , an d very s tro n g ly
c u rv e d . F ru it- s ta lk s a n in c h an d h a lf h ig h , o r m o re , red .
C a p su le e lo n g a ted an d a lm o st c y lin d ric a l, d ro o p in g an d
c u rv e d . L id co n sid erab ly sh o rte r th a n in molluscum, q u ite
s tra ig h t, w ith o u t a n y e lo n g a ted p o in t.