

58 



THE SPHAGNA CEy-E OR PEAT-MOSSES OF 





Un. St. p. II, n. 2 (1856). Berkel. Handb. Br. Moss. p. 306, t. 2, f. 2 (1863). 

 HOBKIRK, Syn. Br. Moss. p. 23 (1873). 



Sph, condcnsatum, Sohleich. PI. Crypt. Helv. cent. 2, n. 5 (1804). 



Sph. ohtusifolium p.cojidensatttm, Web. Mohr, Bot. Tasch. p. 73(1807). Rohling, 

 Deutschl. Fl. iii. p. 35 (1813). 



Sph. helvctiaim, Schkuhr, Deutsch. Moos. p. 12, t. 3 (1810). 



Sph. obtusifoUum y8. fninus. Hook. Tayl. Muse. Br. p. 3(1818). Gray, Nat. Arr. 

 Brit. Plants, p. 710 (1821). 



Sph. pramorsum, Zenker, Dietr. Mujc. Thuring. fasc. i, n. 18 (182 1). Brid. 

 Bry. Univ. i. p. 17 (ut van S. compacti). 



Sph. rigidum var. compadum, Schimp. Torfm. p. 66 (1858) j Synops. p. 678. 

 Russow, Torfm. p. 77. Milde, Bryol. Siles. p. 391. Klinggraff, 1. c. Braithw. 

 Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n. 25. 



Had. — On drier heaths and moors. Frequent throughout Europe and N. 

 America. Not uncommon in the south of England, as on the Sussex Downs, and on 

 Oxshot Common, Surrey. 



This form of the species is much the commonest with us, and 

 varies greatly in colour, being sometimes almost entirely rufous 

 brown ; the fruit is also not unfrequent in some seasons. As is 

 usually the case in the dense growing varieties of the Sphagna, the 

 stem leaves have the hyaline cells frequently fibrose. 



Var. y. sqnarrostim, Russow, 



Plants pale green, in loose tufts, 3-6 in. high. Branches more 

 distant, spreading horizontally or decurved ; their leaves loose and 

 squarrose. Perichaetial bracts shorter. 



SvNON. — Sph. sirictum, Sull. Muse. Allegh. n. 201 (1845). C. MOll. Synops. i. 

 p. 104. 



Sph. humile, Schimp. Sull. Muse. Bor.-Amer. n. 14; Mosses of Un. St. p. n, 

 n. 6 (1856). 



Sph. rigidum var. squarrosutn, Russow, Torfm. p. 77. Milde, Bry. Siles. p. 391. 

 Braithw. Sphag. Brit. Exsic. n. 24. 



Hab. — Shady parts of subalpine heaths. 



Europe. — Techelfer Woods, near Dorpat (Russow) ; Bunzlau (Limpricht) ; 

 Weissenfels, in Thuringia (Schliephacke). England : Langdale, Westmoreland 

 (Barnes) ; Darnholm, Goathland, Yorkshire (Anderson). 



N. America. — Tallahassee, Florida (Regel) ; Look-out Mountains, Alabama 

 (Lesquereux) ; Carolina (Sullivant). 



A very beautiful plant, of softer texture than the type, but 

 connected with it by intermediate states which vary in the degree 

 of squarrosity in the branch leaves. 



GROUP D.— CUSPIDATA. 

 Plants rather rigid, loosely tufted. Branch leaves erecto-patent, 

 lanceolate, acute or acuminate, truncate and toothed at apex ; 

 margin more or less bordered, involute at point. 



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