324 BRYACE/E. 



at the base are of the same pale colour throughout, being little 

 thickened at their insertion. Besides this there is a common 

 facies about the plants, all of them having rather wide leaves, 

 obtuse or shortly pointed only, not narrowly acuminate, and with 

 the nerve, when at all excurrent, less than in most of the species 

 of Eu-Bryum. The cells also are usually wider, and the leaves 

 more flaccid and more shrunken when dry ; and all the species are 

 found in watery situations, and are dioicous.] 



{Nerve ceasing below apex ; Is. crisped when dry 2 

 Nerve excurrent, or nearly so ; Is. scarcely crisped 3 



/Leaves orbicular, obtuse 13. cyclofhyllum 



\ Leaves acute, with long decurrent wings 12. Duvalii 



(" Leaf- border bi-stratose ; plant often reddish 11. pallens 



3-j Leaf-border not thickened ; capsule constricted below mouth when dry 



[ 14. turbinatum 



11. Bryum pallens Sw. (Tab. XLIII. J.). 



Extremely variable in habit, usually with some tinge of red, 

 frequently bright rose red ; loose or compact, ^-3 inches high ; 

 leaves soft, densely crowded or distant, erecto-patent, carinate, 

 concave, strongly decurrent, when dry somewhat crisped and 

 flexuose, in the compact forms incurved and catenulate ; oblong- 

 lanceolate or widely ovate, shortly pointed, with the reddish 

 nerve excurrent in a short mucro, or vanishing at or just below 

 the apex ; cells lax, sub-hexagonal, with firm, often thickened 

 walls, pellucid ; margin entire or sub-denticulate at apex, recurved 

 to near summit, border thickened, clearly defined, brownish, 

 revolute. Seta long, capsule inclined or sub-pendulous, rarely 

 suberect, pale brown, pyriform with a long tapering neck, the 

 whole often slightly curved and gibbous above ; mouth wide, not 

 oblique ; lid widely mamillate or convex. Peristome pale 

 yellow ; cilia perfect, appendiculate . Dioicous. Male flower 

 gemmiform. 



Var. p. speciosum Schp. (B. speciosum Voit). Tall, robust, 

 bright green above, reddish brown below. Leaves large, wide, 

 obovate-spathulate , rounded and slightly apiculate at apex, cells 

 lax, wide, chlorophyllose, border narrow, not reaching apex, 

 nerve slightly excurrent in an often recurved mucro. Capsule 

 larger, on a longer seta ; lid smaller. Rarely fruiting. 



Hab. By streams and wet places, especially on clay. Common. The var. JS 

 on mountains ; rare. Fr. summer. 



One of the most polymorphous species of the genus. The stems at one time are 

 stout and robust, with leaves i£ lines long, at others slender, almost filiform, with 

 narrow, almost minute leaves ; sometimes the tufts are very loose and soft, sometimes- 



