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POLYTRICHUM strictum.
Close-leaved Hair-moss.
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
Gen. Char. Outer fringe of 32 or 64 short incurved
teeth: inner a flat undivided membrane. Veil generally
double: the outer hairy.
S p e c . C h a r . Leaves lanceolate; their margins in-
flexed, entire. Capsule quadrangular, on a flat
pedestal. Stem branched.
Syn. Polytrichum strictum. Menz. Tr. o f Linn.
Soc. .v. 4. 7 7 . t. 7. ƒ. 1. Sm. FI. Brit. 1376.
Hull. 247. Turn. Muse. Hib. 83.
A . N A T IV E o f d r y , b a rre n , m o u n ta in o u s p lac es. W e have
i t from S c o tla n d , b y fa v o u r o f M r. G . D o n , as well as an
a u th e n tic sp e c im en from M r. Menz ie s. T h e b ra n c h e d stem,
w ith a g re a te r q u a n tity o f soft w h ite wo o lly d ow n - about
th e ro o ts, a n d th e more u p r ig h t o r close p o sitio n o f th e leaves,
a re su p p o s ed to co n stitu te a sp e c ific difference between this
a n d P . ju n ip e r im m , t. 1 2 00. T h e b ra n ch e s moreover are
sometimes v e ry lo n g , a n d from th e close-pressed leaves, at
least in d r y w e a th e r, lo o k v e ry slen d er, w ith a p a le , more red
o r ru s ty a sp e c t th a n is observable in th e ju n ip e rin um . Nevertheless,
we a re in c lin e d , w ith M r. T u rn e r , to su sp e c t it a var
ie ty o n ly , th o u g h c e rta in ly a rem a rk ab le one. T h e tip s of
th e leaves a re s lig h tly se rra te d , b u t o n th a t we d a re n o t lay any
<rreat stress in th is case. <3