SPLACHNUM. 19 



Mysc. p. 54. t. 8. /. 4-6. Turn. Muse. Hib. p. 15. Engl Bot. t. 1590. 

 S. rugosum. Dicks. PL Crypt, fasc. 4. t. 10. / /. Engl. Bot. t. 2094. 



HAB. Found on the dung of various animals in alpine 

 countries. 



This is the most common species of the genus, and liable 

 to variation in the length of the stems, which are from a 

 quarter of an inch to an inch in height, and of the fruitstalks, 

 which are often flexuose. In addition to S. gracile, which 

 Turner and following him Mohr have already justly united 

 to S. sphcericum, we have to add, as Mr. Turner suspected, 

 on the authority of specimens sent from Mr. Dickson, his 

 own S. rugosum. The specimens figured in English Botany 

 under this namehave the appearance of S.vascutosum, but the 

 leaves are acuminate, which is not the case in this plant. 

 Schwaegrichen, who contends that S. gracile is specifically 

 distinct from sphcericum, does so principally on the ground 

 that the leaves of one are serrated and those of the other 

 entire, which does not hold good, as far as our experience 

 will enable us to decide; and we equally think his other cha- 

 racters are not to be relied on ; as for instance what he in- 

 troduces into the specific character, of the apophysis of S. 

 sphcericum being green, for so it is in every Splachnum 

 when young, changing as they advance ; when S.. sphce- 

 ricum becomes dark brown with a yellow capsule. 



S. tenue; leaves obovato- acuminate, serrated; apophysis ob- 

 conical, narrower than the capsule; columella exserted, 



(TAB. IX.) 



S. tenue. Dicks. Crypt, fasc. 2. t. 4.f. 2. Engl. Bot. 1. 1 133. S. ser- 

 ratum. Hedw. Sp. Muse. t. 8. f. 1-3. S. longicollum. Dicks. Crypt, 

 fasc. 4. t. 10. Grimmia splachnoides. Smith Fl. Brit, (not of Engl. 

 Bot. ? nor of Stvartz.) 



HAD. Scotch mountains in very elevated situations upon 

 the ground, in a turfy soil, never on the dung of animals. 



The description of Grimmia splachnoides in Fl. Brit, is 

 taken from specimens (which we haveexamined) of this plant : 

 it is consequently very different from Welssia splachnoides 

 of Swartz. The stems are short in this species, rarely ex- 

 ceeding half an inch in height; the fruitstalks about an inch 

 long. We should have no hesitation in considering the figure 

 of Grimmia splachnoides in Engl. Bot. as different from 

 our plant, were it not that the leaves are represented as 

 acuminate and serrate, which is by no means the case witty 

 ft'eusia splachnoides of Swartz, 

 c2 



