HYPNACE^E.] 69 [Hypnum. 



Dioicous; in dense tufts readily falling apart, glossy, golden yellow- 

 green above, pale fuscous below. Stems I 3 in. long, creeping, 

 irregularly branched, the branches erect, simple or dichotomous, tumid, 

 julaceous, obtuse. Leaves densely imbricated, shining, appressed and 

 subscariose when dry, soft when moist, obovate-oblong, concave, the 

 basal angles rounded, nerveless, margins incurved and sharply serrulate 

 in the upper half, suddenly narrowed into a lanceolate filiform point, 

 length of leaf; cells short, linear-vermiform, at base hexagono- 

 rectangular, minute and subquadrate at angles. Fruit unknown. 



HAD. Rocks by the coast, Outer Hebrides. 



N. Uist (Dr. C. Smith) ! ! Benbecula (Stirton). Near Loch Coruisk, Skye (Rev. H. 

 McMillan). Tiree (McVicar 1897) ' ' Cam Mohr, Moidart, W. Inverness (MacVicar, 

 Dec. 1898) ! ! 



This beautiful moss has a close ally in another species found in the 

 Canaries and Azores, H. Berthelotianum MONTAGNE, where our species is also 

 found. Schimper must have overlooked the fact that he had already named 

 and described the moss, as Hochstetter's specimen is in its proper place with 

 the Hebridean plant in his herbarium, and the tuft bears what appear to be 

 broken setae, but on denuding one of these at the side it will be seen they are 

 continuations of the stem ; I have figured it at C*. 



Sect. 2. SCLEROPODIUM By. Sch. In soft glossy tufts having the 

 \\sibitoiBrachythecium. Plants creeping or ascending, with julaceous obtuse 

 branches, incurved when dry. Leaves crowded, imbricated and appressed 

 when dry, very concave, ovate with a finely serrulate apiculus, cells very 

 narrow, vermicular, at angles quadrate hyaline, nerve single or forked. 

 Seta verrucose, rarely smooth ; capsule cernuous or suberect, oblong slightly 

 curved ; peristome normal. 



CLAVIS TO THE SPECIES. 



Seta smooth. Stem regularly pinnate. purum. 

 Seta rough. Stem irregularly branched. 



Leaves rounded, with an apiculus. illecebrum. 



gradually pointed. ccespitosum. 



2. HYPNUM PURUM L. 



Dioicous ; in pale green, lax soft tufts. Stem pinnate, branches 

 tumid, slightly curved ; leaves closely imbricated, ovate-oblong with a 

 small recurved apiculus, very concave, entire, nerved half-way ; capsule, 

 elliptic oblong, lid conical. (T. XCVIII, A.) 



