j r [ 1038 ]
H Y P N U M Goafertum, <
Clujiered Hy/inum.
CRYPT OGAMI A Mufti.
Gen. Char. Fringe double : outer of 16 tapering
teeth : inner a toothed membrane. Flowers lateral.
Fruit-ftalk from a fcaly fheath.
Spec. Char. Stem creeping. Branches eredt, cylindrical,
Ample. Leaves clofely imbricated, ovate,
acute, minutely ferrated, obfoletely ribbed. Cap-
lules inclining, ovate. Lid with a long flender
curved beak.
S yn. Hypnum confertum. Dick/. Crypt, fafc. 4 . 17.
t. 1 1 . f . 14.
H . clavellatum. Huff. 508. With. 866. Hull. 274,
M E have Mr. Dickfon’s authority for believing this the
Hypnum clavellatum of Hudfon; that of Linnaeus, adopted
entirely from Dillenius, is a Pennfylvanian mofs, unknown in
Europe, though Linnaeus incautioufly fays the contrary. The
clavellatum of Pollich and Hedwig feems to be ftill a different
fpecies.
Ours therefore has received the name of confertum in Mr.
Dickfon’s yOn.fafciculus. It is a rare fpecies, and was gathered
at Walthamftow by Mr. Dillwyn, bearing ripe fruit early in
laft February. The ftems creep upon the bark of trees,
throwing up ffiort Ample round branches, thickly clothed (as
well as the ftems) with concave, ovate, more or lefs pointed,
leaves, very obfcurely ferrated in their upper part, and fur-
nithed with one central rib, which vanilhes about the middle
of the leaf. Fruit-ftalks from a lateral or axillary fcaly bulb,
fcarcely more than half an inch long, reddifli-brown. Capfules
ovate, inclining, turgid. Veil whitifh. Lid with a long flender
curved beak.
By Hedwig’s figure of H. murale this fliould be fcarcely
diftinguifhable from that fpecies j but we find the leaves of the
latter more long and pointed than he draws them, and very
diftin&ly ferrated throughout their whole length. Future more
minute examinations may perhaps help us to further diftinc-
tions.