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FONTINALIS capillacea.
Bristly Water-moss.
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
G en. Char. Caps. o b lo n g , la te r a l , in c lo s e d in a
s c a ly s h e a th . Outer f r in g e o f 16 te e th , d ila te d a t
th e b a s e ; inner r e ti c u la te d .
Spec. Char. L e a v e s lin e a r - b r is tle s h a p e d , s p r e a d in g .
S h e a th s a n d f ru it s ta lk s e lo n g a te d a n d th r e a d s
h a p e d ; th e s c a le s a c u te , o v e r to p p in g th e c a p su
le .
Syn. F o n t in a l i s c a p ill a c e a . D ic k s . Cryp t.fa s e . 2 . 1 .
Sm. FI. B r it. 1 3 3 7 . With. 7 8 9 . Hull. 2 7 5.
F . c a p ill a c e a , c a ly c ib u s s tili in s t a r c u s p id a tis .
D ill. Muse. 2 6 0 . t. 3 3 . f . 5.
G i v e n us b y Mr. Dickson, who gathered it in alpine
streamlets in Scotland. T h e whole p lan t is o f a brownish
green, about a span long, branched in a pin n a te manner.
Leaves imbricated, spreading nearly equally every way, not
sickle-shaped an d curved to one side as in F. falcala ofSwartz
an d Hedwig, w h ich has often been confounded with this, even
b y Linnmus an d E h rh a rt, b u t is not known to be a British
moss. T h e form o f th e leaves is very slender, almost h a irlike,
an d they are keeled, with a m idrib. Sheaths either latera
l, or terminating some short branch, long an d threadshaped,
consisting o f th in , convoluted, acute scales, th e innermost
longest, enveloping an d concealing th e capsule, which in our
specimen is too imperfect to be delineated.
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