74 THE SPHAGNA CE^E OR PEAT-MOSSES OF 



attenuated suddenly into a narrow minutely-toothed point, free 

 from fibres. 



Synon. — Sph. aeutifolium var. S. luridum, Hueben. Muse. Germ. p. 28. Braithw. 

 Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n. 40. 



Hab. — Deep peat-bogs. 



Europe. — Barmbeck, near Hamburg (Huebener). Ben Lawers, Perthshire (Braith- 

 waite) ; Darnholm, Goathland, Yorkshire (Rev. Mr. Crouch) ; Witherslack Moss 

 ^Barnes) ; near Llanberis (Boswell). 



I have referred this plant to Huebener's variety,, as it closely 

 accords with his description. The plants have a dirty brownish 

 tinge, and their closely placed fascicles with the branches of equal 

 length give it rather a peculiar appearance, not usual in any forms 

 of Sph. aeutifolium. 



Var. /x. Icete-virens, Braithw. 



Growing in small dense tufts, bright green above, light or 

 ochraceous brown below. Stem leaves ovate, short, or elongated ; 

 the apex obtuse, obscurely 5-toothed ; the cells without fibres. 

 Branches in rather remote fascicles, elongated, ascending and 

 divergent ; the leaves loosely imbricated, large, broadly ovate at 

 base, suddenly narrowed into a longish, truncate, 5-toothed point. 



Hab. — By the margin of moorland streams. 



At Darnholm and Kazebeck, Goathland, Yorkshire (Braithwaite). Reawick, 

 Shetland (Sim). 



This may possibly be a form of the next variety, but as I have 

 no authentic types of the latter it may for the present stand apart. 

 The small dense cushions, of a beautiful bright green colour while 

 growing, are very unusual in this species, from which some shade 

 of red is hardly ever absent. At Darnholm it grows with 

 Sph. molle, /3, and thus got accidentally introduced into the 

 Sphag. Brit. Exsic. with that plant; at Kazebeck it is found 

 intermixed with Sph. cymbifolium var. congeshim. 



Var. v. patulum, Sciiimp. 



Plants more robust, pale green. Branches lax, elongated, 

 flexuose, spreading ; their leaves longer, patent, laxly incumbent, 

 broadly ovate, loosely areolate. Stem leaves large, the apex 

 obtuse, lacerate, or fimbriate. 



Synon. — Sph. aeutifolium var. £ patulum, Schimp. Synops. p. 674, et ed. 2, 

 p. 826. Braithw. Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n. 41. 



