HYPNUM curvatum.
Curve-branched Bushy Feather-moss.
CRYPTOGAMIA Musa.
Gen. Char. Caps, ovate-oblong, from a lateral scaly
sheath. Outer fringe of 16 teeth, dilated at the base:
inner a variously-toothed membrane. Veil smooth.
Spec. Char. Stem creeping. Branches clustered, incurved.
Leaves elliptical, concave, entire, single-
ribbed. Lid tapering. Capsule erect.
Syn. Hypnum curvatum. Swartz. Muse. Suec. 64.
Sm. FI. Brit. 1284. Dicks. Crypt, fasc. 4. 18.
Turn. Muse. Hib. 139.
H. myosuroides. Hedw. Sp. Muse. 266. Crypt.
v. 4. 20. t. 8. Huds. 508, (3.
H. myosuron. With. 865. Hull. 274.
H. myosuroides crassius, capsulis erectis. Dill.
Muse. 316. t. 41. ƒ . 50.
H. repens, triangularibus angustis foliis, ramulis sub-
rotundis. Dill, in Raii Syn. 83.
V e r y frequent on the tranks of trees, more particularly in
the dry woods of limestone countries, where it fructifies plentifully
in the spring and summer months.
The stems are perennial, creeping, entangled, elastic and
wiry, throwing up numerous, simple or divided, more or less
clustered, cylindrical, acute branches, which are also rigid
and elastic, always in some degree curved. The leaves are
imbricated, concave and turgid, elliptical, entire, sharpish,
single-ribbed at the base, of a pale, shining, but not a cheerful,
green. Sheath yellowish. Fruit-stalk tawny or reddish,
scarcely an inch long. Capsule always upright, ovate, small,
tawny. Lid conical, tapering, acute, a little curved.
The real H. myosuroides is a smaller plant, with serrated
leaves, .and a less upright capsule.