182 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH MOSSES. 



near them ; both above and below there are imperfect cilia be- 

 tween the ribs. 



52. MNIUM, Br. Sf Schimp. 



Sporangia often aggregate, pendulous, ovate or oblong, 

 but not pyriform, with scarcely any apophysis, the spore-sac 

 filling up the cavity at the base; ring compound, unrolling 

 spirally ; peristome double ; outer of sixteen, very hygroscopic 

 teeth ; inner a membrane, divided halfway into sixteen keeled 

 mostly perforated processes with intermediate cilia ; veil small, 

 hood-shaped ; spores small ; paraphyses of male flower cla- 

 vate. Mosses with large leaves, the leaf-cells mostly radiating 

 from the nerve, the innovations usually from the lower part of 

 the fertile stem. 



Beet. I. Innovations stoloniform, subterraneous or creeping, 

 a. Leaves with the bordered margin simply toothed. 



1. M. afline, Bland.; dioicous; fertile stems erect, simple; 

 stolons very long, arched ; upper leaves rosulate, obovato-ob- 

 long, apiculate; border narrow, sharply toothed; sporangia 

 ovato-oblong, mostly aggregate ; lid convex, apiculate. Hook. 

 % Wils. t. li. ; Eng. Bot. t. 2739. ; (Plate 17, fig. 2) ; Moug. % 

 Nest. n. 930. 



In woods and marshes. Scotland, north of England, and 

 Suffolk. Bearing fruit, but rarely, in spring. 



Forming tall wide tufts. Leaves spreading, recurved when 

 dry, the reflected wings and margin crisped ; lower leaves dis- 

 tant, elliptico-lanceolate, upper elliptico-oblong ; fruitstalks 

 12 inches long, often two or more together. A larger plant 

 than M. cuspidatum. 



It varies in the length of the stem and fruitstalk, in the 

 length and direction of the stolons, the length of the leaves, 



