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HYPNUM proliferum.
Opaque Proliferous Feather-moss*
CRYPTOGAMIA Musci.
G en. 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 triply pinnate. Leaves heart-shaped,
acute, close-pressed, very minutely serrated, opaque,
with one or three nerves. Lid awl-shaped.
Syn. Hypnum proliferum. Linn. Sp. PI. 1590. Sm.
FI. Brit. 1297. Huds. 499. With. 853. Hull. 270.
Relh. 434. Sibth. 294. Abbot. 248. Lightf. 750.
Curt. Land. fuse. 1 . t. 7 2 . Dicks. H. Sicc.fasc.
14. 2 1 . Turn. Muse. Hib. 157.
H. tamariscinum. Hedw. Sp. Muse. 261. t. 67.
ƒ• 1— 5.
H. filicinum, tamarisci foliis minoribus non splenden-
tibus. Dill. Muse. 2 7 6 . t. 35. f . 14.
H. repens filicinum minus luteo-virens. Rail Syn. 86.
O n e of the most handsome Europaean mosses, very common
in woods, and sometimes in exposed situations, clothing the
ground or the trunks of old trees with a rich entangled tapestry.
The capsules are very rarely found. They are produced
in the winter or early spring. Our specimens were
gathered at Studley by Mr. W. Brunton. In them the fruit-
stalks are all solitary, but we have generally seen 2 or 3 from
each sheath.
The stem is elegantly proliferous from its uppermost side ;
the branches triply pinnate, clothed with rusty down and
with imbricated, close-pressed leaves, which are heart-shaped,
acute, of a fine opaque (not shining) green, often yellowish;
the larger furnished with 3 nerves, the rest with ] ; the edges
apparently entire, but Mr. Sowerby, with a high magnifier,
has found them serrulated as in our plate. Sheaths awl-
shaped, shining, of several lanceolate, finely serrated leaves.
Fruit-stalks crimson. Capsule incurved, cylindrical, red-
brown. Lid awl-shaped, curved, thick at the base..