EUROPE AND NORTH AM EPJCA. 



37 



fibres, and chlorophyllcse ; in the upper ha ! ;>apilIose and fibrose 

 with foramina on both sides, as are also thi marginal nearly to 

 base. 



Capsule subglobose, brown ; spores ferruginous. 



Male plants in distinct tufts, resembling the female ; amentula 

 apical on divergent branches, ochraceous or brownish ; bracts round, 

 cochleari-concave, with the structure like that of the branch leaves ; 

 the barren branches of the coma few and short, as compared with 

 those of Sph. cymbifolium. 



Hab. — The smaller peat-bogs in subalpine districts, and especially in drains and 

 cuttings filled with water. Fr. July. 



Europe. — Finland : First found at Helsingfors by Lindberg, and since in various 

 other places and in the islands of Hogland and Aland. Sweden, Norway : Dovrefjeld, 

 Christiania, &c. (Blytt). Germany, Westjihalia, &c. England: Darnholm, Goathland, 

 Yorkshire (Braithwaite) ; Penzance (Curnow) ; Barrowfield, intermixed with Spk. 

 cymlnfolium, and Witherslack Moss, Westmoreland, in fine fruit (Barnes). Scotland: 

 Ben Lawers, Perthshire ; moors near Loch Achilty, Ross, and near Garynahine, Isl. 

 Lewis, Hebrides (Braithwaite) ; Dalfroo and Dalbrake bogs, Strachan, Kincardine, 

 and Reawick, Shetland (Sim). Ireland: Killarney, Brandon Mountains, &c. (Moore, 

 Lindberg). 



N. America. — Has been found mixed with Sph. cymbifolium. 



This elegant species has, no doubt, been always mistaken for 

 Sph. cymbifolium, but in the growing state it has quite a different 

 aspect, being a coarser and more rigid plant, and when removed 

 from the water the branches retain their position and do not fall 

 down and collapse against the stem, and they are much shorter 

 and less attenuated at points. 



The plants are generally more or less tinged with ochraceous, 

 and this tint is most conspicuous on the apices of the branch leaves, 

 showing much more affinity to Sph. Auslini than to Sph. cymbi- 

 folitim. The papillae which cover the internal walls of the 

 combined hyaline and chlorophyllose cells are somewhat variable 

 in distinctness, but with a good illumination are seen to differ in 

 size and to be in form of a low obtusely-pointed cone. Professor 

 Schimper strangely regards these characters as of small impor- 

 tance, and not sufficient to constitute a species. 



Var. /8. confertum, Lindb. 



Plants much smaller, dense, frequently dichotomous. Branch 

 leaves round, deeply cochleari-concave and obtuse. Bracts of peri- 

 chsetium shorter. 



-v->- 



