EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA. 6 1 



This form is regarded by Lindberg as a young or imperfectly 

 developed state of Sph. squarrosum, and has never been found in 

 fruit. It is generally of a more dingy green colour. 



Var. y. imbricatum, Schimp. 



Plants robust. Branch leaves imbricated throughout their 

 length, or with the apex only recurved. 



Synon. — Schimp. Synops. ed. 2, p. 836 (1876). 



Hab. — Near Gefle, Sweden (C. Hartman). 



This variety I only know by the brief description given in Schimper's Synopsis. 



Var. S. laxum, Braithw. 



Plants loosely tufted, pale whitish green, soft, 6-10 in. high. 

 Stems slender, fragile ; the leaves short, broad, quadrate, laxly 

 areolate, deeply fimbriate at the truncate apex ; the sides with a 

 border of narrow cells, which is widest at base. Branches in 

 distant fascicles, dependent, very long, attenuated ; the leaves laxly 

 incumbent, divergent, not squarrose, or only slightly recurved at 

 points, broadly ovate, acute. 



Synon. — Sph. fi?nbriatum var. robustum, Braithw. Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n. 44 



(i877)- 



Hab. — In ditches in the old alum works at Eskdale, near Whitby, Yorkshire 

 (Anderson). 



This form is very peculiar, from its soft texture, straight leaves, 

 and long pendent branches, which with the broad fimbriate stem 

 leaves appear to connect it directly with Sph. fimbriatum. 



The plants are generally stained of an ochraceous or rusty 

 colour in the lower part, by the iron set free from the roasted alum 

 rock. 



Var. e. subteres, Lindb. 



Plants very slender, elongated, 5-10 in. high, bright green. 

 Branches elongated, slender ; the leaves imbricated, with the upper 

 half recurved and attenuated toward apex. 



Synon. — Braithw. Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n. 28. 

 Hab. — Subalpine bogs. Not common. 



Europe. — Finland (Lindberg). Skeggles, Westmoreland (Barnes) ; Saltersgate 

 Moor, Yorkshire (Anderson). 



A very pretty variety, having much greater resemblance to 

 Sph. intermedium than to Sph. squarrosum, the stem leaves are, 

 however, quite normal. 



