298 BARTRAMIACE^. 



size, trom an erect base, rigid, squarrose, cuspidate at the tips of 

 the branches, when dry somewhat shrinking, but hardly altering 

 in direction, glossy, sub-scariose ; base somewhat sheathing, 

 widening upwards from the insertion, then quickly narrowed and 

 lanceolate, gradually tapering to a long, finely acuminate point ; 

 2~4 deep narrow plicae on each side of the nerve. Margin plane 

 or very narrowly recurved, finely and closely denticulate ; nerve 

 very narrow, reaching apex ; cells very narrow, linear, 4-8 times 

 as long as wide, gradually becoming longer below, a few at basal 

 angles wider and larger ; upper usually with a single sharp 

 papilla at the lower end. Perichastial bracts erect, not papillose. 

 Seta short, red, arcuate, usually abruptly bent, almost geniculate, 

 about the middle ; capsule orange-brown, large, striate, sulcate 

 when dry, thin-walled ; lid very small. Dioicous ; male flowers 

 terminal, discoid, bright golden brown, the perigonial bracts finely 

 acuminate. 



Hae. Damp rocks, frequent by waterfalls and by mountain streams. Fruit 

 very rare, autumn. 



A very fine species, having some outward resemblance to some species of 

 Hylocomium, such as H. triquetnim or H. loreum, in the branching and the direction 

 and form of the leaves, a resemblance which is increased by the plicate, sub-scariose 

 leaves with almost Hypnoid areolation. The dense felt-like coating of brown 

 tomentum that covers the stems for the greater part of their length is however quite 

 sufficient to distinguish it at first sight ; and in the sharp papillae and narrow, single 

 nerve the leaves are also quite distinct trom those of the species named ; the latter 

 character, with the large, plicate, squarrose leaves, and indeed the general habit, fully 

 separate it from any of the species of the present Order. 



Order XVIII. BRYACE^E. 



Plants usually growing in dense tufts, the stems producing 

 numerous innovations towards the base and below the inflor- 

 escence. Leaves usually increasing in size upwards and forming 

 a comal tuft, the nerve long and frequently excurrent, the tissue 

 usually thin and much shrunken when dry, with cells more or 

 less rhomboidal or more rarely linear-vermicular, prosenchy- 

 matous, smooth, thin-walled. Calyptra narrow, cucullate, smooth, 

 soon falling off. Capsule on an elongated seta, pendulous, or 

 more or less inclined or suberect, never or very rarely erect ; 

 symmetrical or nearly so, varying from rounded-pyriform to 

 narrowly clavate, usually with a shorter or longer tapering, 

 narrow neck, not striate ; lid convex, mamillate or apiculate, very 

 rarely with a longer beak (never longly rostrate in the British 

 species). Peristome usually double; outer teeth lanceolate, 



