PoLYTRiCHACE^.] 50 [Polytrichum. 



cernuous, tumid, ovate ; lid obliquely rostrate ; peristome short, 

 irregular. (T. VI, D.) 



Syn. — Polytrichum alpinum ranicsum, capsulis « summitate ellipiicis DiLL. Hist. muse. 427, 

 t. 55, f. 4 (1741) et Herb. 

 Pol. alpinum L. Sp. pi. ii, nog, n. 2 (1753) ; Syst. nat. ii, 700. Neck. meth. muse. 120 

 (1771). Wither. Bot. arr. Br. Veg. ii, 663 {1776). Lightf. F1. Scot, ii, 703 (1777). 

 Weber F1. gott. 40 (1778). Huds. F1. Angl. 2 ed., ii, 470 (1778). Roth F1. Germ. 1, 

 457 (1788), et iii, 349. Brid. Muse. rec. ii, P. I, gg (1792) ; Sp. muse. I, 62 (i8o6) ; 

 Mant. muse. ig8 (i8ig). Hoffm. Deuts. Fl. ii, 24 (1796). Menz. Tr. Lin. Soc. iv, 83 

 (i7g8). SwARTZ muse. suec. 76 (1798). Hull Br. Fl. P. 2, 248 (1799). Hoppe Bot. 

 Taseh. 153 (1800). Hedw. Sp. muse. 92, t. ig, f. 2—6 (1801). Smith Fl. brit. iii, 1377 

 (1804) ; Eng. Bot. t. 1905. Turn. Muse. hib. 85 (1804). P. Beauv. Prodr. 85 (1805). 

 Lam. De C. Fl. frane. 3 ed. ii, 490 (1805). Web. Mohr Bot. Taseh. 225 (1807). Fl. 

 Dan. t. 1362. Wahlenb. Fl. lapp. 346 (1812) ; Fl. earp. 348 (1814). Hartm. Skand. 

 Fl. 286. Schwaegr. Suppl. L P- 2, 307 (1816). Hook. Tayl. Muse. brit. 27, t. xi 

 (1818). Hook. Fl. Seot. P. 2, 126 (1821) ; Brit. Fl. ii, 50 (1833). Funck Moostaseh. 

 69, t. 57 (1821). Gray Nat. arr. Br. pi. i, 721 (1821). Wallr. Fl. crypt, germ, i, igS 

 (1831). Hueben. Muse. germ. 527 (1833). Mackay Fl. Hib. P. 2, 28 (1836). De Not. 

 Syll. muse. n. 2og (1838). FiOR. Maz. Briol. rom. 2 ed. 2g (1841). Rabenh. Deuts. Krypt. 

 Fl. ii, P. 3, 236 {1848). C. Muell. Syn. muse, i, 210 (1849). Lindb. op. e. 129 (1867). 



Pol. urnigerum var. /8. Huds. Fl. Angl. 400 (1762). 



Pol. ferrugineum Brid. Sp. muse, i, 61 (1806). 



Pogonatum alpinum Rohl. Deutschl. Fl. 2 ed. iii, 59 (1813) ; et in Ann. Wetter. Gas. iii, 



226 (1814). Brid. Bry. univ. ii, 129 (1827). Br. Scrimp. Bry. Eur. iv, Mon. 9, t. x 



(1844) ; Syn. muse. 441 (i860), et 2 ed. 538 (1876). Wils. Bry. Brit. 208, t. xi (1855). 



Berk. Handb. Br. m. 211 (1863). Milde Bry. Siles. 249 (1869). De Not. Epil. Briol. 



Ital. 338 (1869). Hobk. Syn. Br. m. 102 (1873). 



Pol.furcatum Hornsch. in N. Esf.n. Hor. phys. berol. 67 (1820). 

 Pog.furcatum Brid. Bry. un. ii, 133 {1827). 



Dioicous ; laxly and irregularly caespitose, deep green, rufous brown 

 when old. Stem rooting only at base, trigonous, slender, erect or 

 ascending, 2 — 4 in. high, dichotomous and fasciculate-branched. Leaves 

 below scale-like, scariose, aristate with the excurrent nerve, upper 

 gradually longer, from a whitish, glossy, long sheathing base, patulous, 

 recurved or subsecund, when dry erecto-appressed, with the margin 

 inflexed, long, lineal-lanceolate, cuspidate, concave, sharply serrate, 

 spinulose and reddish at back towards apex; lamellae about 32, higher, 

 each in section of one row of 4 — 7 rounded cells, the marginal larger, 

 ovate, incrassate, papillulose on the surface. Seta long, flexuose, 

 orange. Calyptra shorter than capsule, fulvous brown. Capsule 

 obliquely inclined, turgidly ovate or subgibbose — oblong, with a short 

 neck bearing stomata, leptodermous, smooth, at first greenish-yellow 

 with the mouth red, afterwards olive brown or black when old ; lid 

 small, conoid, with a subulate oblique beak ; teeth of peristome yellow, 

 short and very irregular ; spores punctulate. Male plants shorter and 

 more slender, scarce ; bracts obovate, pointed. 



Hab. — Rough stony and grassy places on all our mountains, descending to 

 the lower moorlands in a dwarf form. Fr. 7 — 8. 



This pretty moss maj' be readily known by its branching stems and 



tumid, pale, oblique capsule. Several well-marked varieties have been met 



