EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA. 67 



Smith, Fl. Brit. p. 1146 (1804); Eng. Bot. t. 1406 (1815). Turner, Muse. Hib. 

 p. 6 (1804). P. Beauv. Prodr. p. 87 (1805). Lamarck et Cand. Fl. Franc, i. 

 p. 445 (1805). 



Sph. capillaceum, Swartz, Muse. Suec. p. 18 (1798). Wahlenb. Fl. Lapp. p. 

 302 (1812), et Fl. Carpat. p. 333 (1814). 



Sph. pentastichum, Brid. Sp. Muse. i. p. 16 (1806); Mant. Muse. p. 2 (1819). 



Sph. capillifolioides, Breutel, Bot. Zeit. 1824, p. 438. Brid. Bry. Univ. i. p. 751. 



Sph. ascherbachianum, Breutel, 1. c. p. 439. 



Sph. subulatum, Brid. Sp. Muse. i. p. 19; Mant. Muse. p. 3, et Bry. Univ. 

 i. p. 18. SchwAgr. Suppl. I. pt. 1, p. 18. 



Monoicous or sometimes dioicous ; in soft tufts, pale green, 

 usually more or less tinged with purple. Stems slender, dichoto- 

 mous, pale ; cuticular cells generally without pores, in 3-4 strata ; 

 cells of the peripheral layers incrassate, purple. Stem leaves 

 erect, ovato-acuminate, concave, with the margin incurved, minutely 

 auricled at base, 5-toothed at apex ; hyaline cells of the middle 

 base hexagono-rhomboid, with one or two oblique partitions, 

 without fibres or pores, the upper also divided, and often slightly 

 fibrillose, lateral very narrow and forming a broad border, 

 gradually decreasing in width toward apex. 



Ramuli 3-5 in a fascicle, 2-3 arcuato-divergent, 1-2 pendent, 

 filiform, all more or less attenuated at points ; their retort cells 

 flask-shaped, subcylindric, perforated and slightly recurved at apex. 



Ramuline leaves minute and ovate at base, median ovato- 

 lanceolate, erecto-patent, deeply concave, uppermost narrowly 

 lanceolate, all toothed at the slightly truncate apex, and with the 

 margin involute in the upper third ; hyaline cells confluent at back, 

 with a few large pores and annular fibres, those of the upper half 

 of leaf much smaller, more densely fibrose, and with smaller pores ; 

 border extremely narrow, of two rows of long thin cells ; chloro- 

 phyllose cells obtusely trigonous, interposed between the hyaline 

 at the concave surface of leaf. 



Capsules numerous, usually clustered in the capitulum ; pe- 

 duncle moderately elongated, the bracts numerous, straw-coloured 

 or reddish, lowest broadly ovate, acuminate, concave, median 

 oblong, narrowed at apex, uppermost elongated, convolute ; the 

 hyaline cells narrower and more solid than in the cauline leaves, 

 with 2-3 partitions, but no fibres or pores. Spores ferruginous. 

 Male inflorescence purple, in clavate acute amentula ; the bracts in 

 five rows, ovate, acute. 



Hab. — Heaths and bogs, forming loose cushions. Common throughout Europe 

 and North America. Fr. July. 



F 2 



