D I C R A N U M. 



51 



beak of the lid is somewhat longer : and with regard to 

 F. longifolius, Bridel himself says it is perhaps a variety 

 Of F. palmatus, although he takes no notice of the curved 

 capsule. In all the varieties the capsule is nearly urceol ate, 

 and the lid has a subulate beak. D. osmundioides in Engl. 

 Bot. is represented much branched, with innovations ; a 

 State in which it is found in very wet situations^ although 

 Wahlenberg says he has never seen it. 



Varieties of D. bryoides we have in our possession, ga- 

 thered by Mungo Park in the interior of Africa ; and we 

 scarcely see any decided characters by which the fine spe- 

 cies Fissidens asplenioides and F. polypodioides of Swartz 

 may be distinguished from it. 



D. adiantoides', fruitstalks lateral; perichsetial leaves ovate^ 

 slightly convolute, pointed. (TAB. XVI.) 



D. adiantoides. Swartz Muse. Suec. p. 31. Turn. Muse. Hib. 

 p. 5J. Moug. et Nestl. n. 25. Fissidens adiantoides. Hedw. St. CV; 

 if. 3. t. 26. Hypnum adiantoides. Linn. Sp. PL p. 1588. Engl Bot. 

 t, 264. Fissidens taxifolius. <3. fTaht. Lapp. Dill Muse. t. 34. f. 3. 

 HAB. Moist banks, wet pastures, and bogs. 

 From the last-described species the present differs in being 

 very much larger, frequently two inches long, branched 

 by innovations, especially when growing in wet places, 

 where our larger specimen was gathered by our kind friend 

 Mr. Dalton. The leaves are nearly lanceolate, more or less 

 serrulate at the point; the base of the fruitstalk is surrounded 

 by a remarkable scaly perichaetium, whose leaves are very 

 unlike the cauline ones, being ovate, concave, convolute, 

 nerveless, except at the acuminated point, which has a ver- 

 tical direction. The base of this perichsetium is inserted 

 laterally upon the stem of the plant, and always throws out 

 reddish roots, exactly as the following species, from which it 

 differs scarcely in any thing but in the point of insertion of 

 the fruit. The fruitstalks are flexuose, the capsule inclined, 

 and the lid subulate. Wahlenberg considers this as a va- 

 riety of the following, perhaps not unjustly. 

 D. taxifolium ' } fruitstalks radicular*; perichaetial leaves 

 ovate, sheathing, involute, pointed. (TAB. XVI.) 



D. taxifolium. Swartz Muse. Suec. p. 31. Turn. Muse. Hib.p. 56. 

 Moug. et Nestl n. 217. Fissidens taxifolius. Hedw. Sp. Muse. t. 39. 

 f. 1-5. Hypnum taxifolium. Linn. Sp. PL p. 1587- Engl. Bot. #.416. 

 Dill Muse. t. 34. f. 2. 



T_ - - . 1 - - - - -,, - 



* By this word we mean to imply that the fruitstalks are inserted at the 

 ybase of the stem among the roots. 



E 2 



