PHASCUM. 5 



HAB. Bogs, not rare, generally growing in the water. 



The difficulty of finding this plant in fructification, joined 

 to its generally growing in water, would afford a very strong 

 reason for considering it as a variety of S. acutifolium, if 

 the difference of shape in the leaves were not too striking. 



3. PHASCUM. 



GEN. CHAR. Fruitstalks terminal ; Lid persistent ; 

 Calyptra. dimidiate. (TAB. I.) 



This genus contains not only species which are amongst the 

 most minute of the Mosses, and often scarcely discernible with 

 the naked eye, but such as are extremely dissimilar in general 

 appearance to each other. P. serratum is remarkable for its 

 conferva- like shoots, and P. alternifolium for the structure of its 

 fruit, while the rest have the leaves either subulate or broad 

 and ovate; and these latter may be divided into such as have the 

 fruit immersed in the perichaetial leaves, and such as have it con- 

 siderably exserted beyond them. By P. bryoides this genus is 

 closely allied to the following. 



* Shoots creeping, leafless, articulated, Iranched. 



P. serratum ; shoots branched, conferva-like ; perichaetial 

 leaves lanceolate, serrated, nerveless. (TAB. V.) 



P. serratum. Schreb. de Phase, t. 2. Engl Bot. t. 460. Turn. Mute. 

 Hib.pA. Dicks. Crypt, fasc. l.t.l.f.l. P. stoloniferum. Dicks. Crypt, 

 fasc. 3. t. 7.f. 2. Hed. Engl Bot. t. 2006. 

 HAB. Shaded sandy banks. 



Under this species is to be included P. stoloniferum of 

 Dickson, which has alreadyjudiciously been made a variety 

 of P. serratum by Mr. Turner in his Muse. Hil. and which 

 seems to differ solely in the lower parts of the shoots being 

 browner, and the joints there nearly obsolete. The only 

 leaves of this plant form its perichcetium, and vary some- 

 what in their serratures and their more or less acuminated 

 points. P. cohcerens Hedw. and P. crassinervium Schwaegr. 

 differ in having a strong nerve to the leaf, while the leaves 



