166 HANDBOOK. OF BRITISH MOSSES. 



Sf Wils. t. ix.; Eng. Bot. t. 785, 1590, 1921.; (Plate 15, fig. 

 3) ; Mouff. §■ Nest. n. 1 103. 



On dung in alpine bogs. Bearing fruit in early summer. 



Forming loose tufts. Stems mostly short ; lower leaves small, 

 upper spreading, narrow at the base, obovate, acuminate, entire 

 or strongly toothed ; nerve reaching nearly to the tip ; fruit- 

 stalk extremely variable in length, even in the same plant; 

 sporangium elliptic or subglobose ; apophysis globose or ovate ; 

 teeth yellowish, at length separate. 



2. S. ampullaeeum, L. ; leaves lanceolate, upper obovate 

 or oblongo-lanceolate, acuminate, toothed ; nerve reaching 

 nearly to the tip ; sporangium oblong ; apophysis large, pit- 

 cher-shaped ; lid conical. — Hook. §• Wils. t. ix. ; Eng. Bot. t. 

 144, 1116. ; (Plate 15, fig. 4) ; Moug. §• Nest. n. 15. 



In turbaries, on dung of herbivorous animals, on the plains 

 or in subalpine districts. Bearing fruit in early summer. 



Monoicous or dioicous ; forming pale-green loosely or some- 

 times densely tufted patches, which in drying emit an odour like 

 tanned leather. Stem varying in length, annual or biennial, 

 often matted together by brown rootlets ; sporangium ovato- 

 cylindrical, yellowish with a large soft pear-shaped flesh- 

 coloured apophysis, which at length assumes a purple tint, 

 gradually attenuated below and confluent with the long stem, 

 the central substance connected with the outer by threads 

 which traverse a considerable cavity. 



S. Turnerianum, Eng. Bot., is a variety with very short 

 stems, darker leaves, and much narrower apophysis, more 

 nearly resembling S. sphcericum. I have received it from De- 

 vonshire. 



3. S. vasculosum, L. ; dioicous ; stems elongated ; leaves 

 large, lower suborbicular, upper obovate, somewhat acumi- 

 nate, nearly entire ; nerve reaching nearly to the tip ; sporan- 



