POLYTRICHACE^.] 59 [Polytrickum. 



Pol. yucccefolium Var. ft. perigoniale MART. Fl. crypt, erlang. 83 (1817). 



Pol. commune a. campestre WALLR. Fl. crypt. Germ, i, 201 (1831). Var. ft. campestre 

 HUEBEN. Muse. Germ. 535. Var. ft. perigoniale BR. SCHP. Br. Eur. iv, Mon. 13, t. 17, 

 fig. ft. et Syn. muse. WILS. Bry. Brit. 212. LINDB, op. c. 117. 



HAB. Drier places on moors. 



Newchurch bog and Woolston moss (Wilson) \ 

 Var. y. Minus Weiss. 



Plants shorter and more slender ; leaves dense, shorter and more erect, 

 perich. bracts less distinct. Capsules much smaller and shorter, less acutely 

 quadrangular, lid with a short straight beak, calyptra pale golden brown. 



SYN. Pol. commune Auct. ant. p.p. Var. ft. L. Sp. pi. ii, 1109, p.p. Var. ft. minus WEISS PI. 

 crypt, gott. 171, p.p. LIGHTF. Fl. Scot, ii, 700. DE NOT. Syll. muse. Ital. 163. Var. ft. 

 humile SWTZ. Adnot. hot. 141. Var. y. minus BR. SCH. Bry. Eur. iv, mon. 13. 

 C. MUELL. Synops. i, 221. WILS. Bry. brit. 212. SCHPR. Coroll. 92. Var. y. humile 

 SCHPR. Synops. 449, et 2 ed. 546. Var. 8. minus RABENH. Deutsch. Krypt.-Fl. ii, 

 P. Ill, 239. GIRGENS. Naturg. Moos. Livl., &c., 365. 

 Pol. yucccefolium HOPP. in Sturm Deutsch. Fl. ii, 4 p.p. 



* Pol. cubicum LINDB. in Not. ur Sa'llsk Fl. Fn. fenn. ix, 117. 



HAB. Wet heaths. Not uncommon. Oakmere. (Wilson] \ \ 



Regarded by Lindberg as a subspecies, and named cubicum, reaching he 

 says a height of i foot, and corresponding to the *P. strictum in its relation to 

 the typical species. 



Var. 8. Fastiglatum (Lyle.] Wils. 



Stems taller, fastigiate-branched, densely tufted ; leaves shorter, a little 

 recurved at apex when dry, more deeply channelled, with higher lamellas ; 

 capsule smaller, cubical. 



SvK.Polytr.fastigiatum LYLE MSS. 



Pol. commune Var. y ft. fastigiatum WILS. Bry. brit. 212. 



* Pol. cubicum Var. y. fastigiatum LINDB. in Not. ur Sallsk. Fn. et Fl. fenn. forh. ix, 119. 



HAB. Dry moors in mountain districts. 



Near Airth, Scotland (T. Lyle 1849) ! Cliviger moor, Keb Clough and Longfield moor 

 (Nowcll 1849) ! ! Winslade, Hants. (Hill 1861) ! Easterside, Yorks. (Baker 1855). 

 Appleton, Lane. (Wilson) ! 



This appears to be a form depending on arrest in the line of growth, and 

 a corresponding state is met with in other species, as P. juniperinum, urnigerum 

 and piliferum, sometimes each innovation bearing a capsule, so that we see 

 ten or twelve on one root. 



Few mosses offer better material than P. commune, for an examination 

 of the various organs ; thus the beautiful rosette-shaped male inflorescence is 

 easily dissected, and the antheridia when fully perfected afford an abundant 

 supply of active antherozoids, readily seen by a sufficient magnifying power, 

 the paraphyses also both of the filiform and spathulate kind being well 

 developed. The calyptra when stripped of its villose indumentum, will be 

 seen to be small and cucullate, and in its early stage will show that this 



