PoLYTRiCHACEiE.] 58 \_Polytrichum. 



Tayl. Muse. Brit. 26, t. x (1818). Funck Moostasch. 69, t. 55 {1821). Gray Nat. arr. 

 Br. pi. i, 721 (1821). Zenk. Dietr. Muse. Thuring. n. 33 (1822). Wallr. F1. crypt, 

 germ, i, 201 {1831). Hueben. Muse. germ. 535 (1833). Bals. DeNot. Pr. Bry. mediol. 

 18 {1834). De Not. Syll. mus. n. 206 (1838). Br. Schimp. Bry. Eur. iv, Mon. 13, t. 

 xvii (1844) ; Syn. muse. 448 (i860) ; et 2 ed. 545 (1876). C. Muell. Syn. muse, i, 220 

 (1849). WiLs. Bry. Brit. 211, t. x (1855). Berk. Handb. Br. m. 209 (1863). Milde 

 Bry. Siles. 252 (1869). De Not. Epil. Bry. Ital. 329 (1869). HoBK. Syn. br. m. 103 

 (1873). HusN. Mouss. nord-ouest 136 (1873). 



Pol. commune a. majus Weiss Crypt, getting. 168 (1770). 



a. serrulntum Retz. F1. Scand. ii. 209 (1779). 



u,. yucccefolium Ehrh. in Hann. mag. 235 (1780). Hook. Tayl. Muse. 



brit. 26, T. 10 (1818). 



Pol. yucccefolium Ehrh. PI. crypt, n. 214, et Beitr. vii, loi (1792). Web. Mohr Bot. 

 Taseh. 221 {1807). VoiT Muse, herbip. 58 (1812). Mart. F1. cr. Erl. 83 {1817). 



Pol. serratum Schrank Bayer. Fl, ii, 446 (1789) ; et Prim. fl. salisb. 223 (1792). 



Pol. profinquum R. Br. in Parry Voyage, Suppl. 294 (1824). 



Pol. quadrangulare Gilib. ; e Steud. Nomen. crypt. 353 (1824). 



Dioicous ; very tall, laxly caespitose, in large deep green patches, 

 rufescent below. Stem 6 — 18 in. high, flexile, trigonous, tomentose at 

 base, simple, rarely forked. Lower leaves lax, scale-like, fulvous, 

 shining, from an oblong base, subulato-setaceous, rough at apex, the 

 upper very long, patenti-recurved or squarrose, erect arid appressed 

 when dry with the apex flexuose, from a sheathing, ■ submembranous, 

 glossy whitish base, linear-subulate, plane, the wings very narrow, 

 densely spinuloso-serrate to the base, above scabrous at back ; lamellae 

 with the margin thickened and grooved, occupying nearly all leaf, about 

 60, low, straight, each in section of a row of 4 — 6 cells, the marginal 

 broader, incrassate, subquadrate, semilunar at top ; perich. bracts 

 erect, very long, sheathing, the internal membranous, the nerve without 

 lamellae, prolonged into a short bristle. Seta very long, orange-red. 

 Calyptra extending below the capsule, ferruginous with a silky gloss. 

 Capsule tetraedral, acute-angled, somewhat flattened horizontally, 

 pachydermous, rufo-fuscous, at first erect, horizontal when dry and 

 empty ; hypophysis annular ; lid from a depresso-convex base, conico- 

 rostellate, rufous red at margin ; teeth 64, small, rather broad, on a 

 yellowish basal membrane. Spores very small, rufous. 



Male plants shorter, less comose ; the infl. discoid, repeatedly 

 proliferous from the centre, bracts subcuneate-ovate, mucronate, 

 denticulate, lamelligerous at apex ; paraphyses very numerous and long, 

 filiform and spathulate. 

 Hab. — Marshy places on turf-moors. Common. Fr. 6 — 7. 



Var. y8. Perigoniale {Michx.) Br. Schp. 



Stem shorter, simple; inner perichastial bracts longer, quite entire; 

 leaves nearlj' smooth at back. 



Syn. — Polyir. pcrigoniale Michx. Fl. bor.-amer. ii, 293 (1803). Brid. Sp. muse. 54; Mant. muse. 

 197 ; et Bry. univ. ii, 150. 



