136 
NEW AlUlANGEMENT OE 
early botanists. The only other plant that has been referred 
to this genus, is one of more recent discovery; S. Javamnse, 
or i7'7'idans of B kid el, or S. clandest'mum ofPALisoT de 
Bej\uvois. It has been since removed by Bridel, in his 
" Methodus nova," with much more justice, to Dicrmium, 
near D. glaucum^ under the name of D. megalophylluni. 
The structure of the leaves is not very unlike to Sphag- 
num, from the cellules being crossed with transverse lines ; 
but the cellules themselves ai'e very different, being oblong 
and quadrangular, and possessing nothing of that undulat- 
ing character so peculiar to Sphagnum. The fructification 
has never been discovered, unless it be the same as a Di~ 
cranum, which Dr Hooker has observed in Mr Turker^s 
rich Herbarium. 
The genus Sphagnum^ as it is now universally received, 
is a very natural one, and therefore liable, hke all such ge- 
nera, to be reduced to too few, or extended into too many 
species. Two of the present species were figured by Dil- 
LENius, while iLiNN^us introduced them under sc and /S of 
his Sphagnum palustre. These were made by He d wig 
distinct species. Weber and Mohr added other two, 
S. cuspidatum and squarrosum, which last was probably 
intended by Hedwig to come under his S. latifolium. 
Bridel described *S'. Magellicum, compactum, and simpli- 
■cissimum. Three out of the above enumerated species were 
first correctly delineated by Schw^grichen. It would, 
however, be useless to trace all the changes that have been 
made in this genus by different authors. We shall only 
observe, that Palisot de Beauvois added what be con- 
ceived to be two distinct species from North America ; and 
Bridel has latterly, in his " Methodus nova Muscorum,** 
.or fourth part of his " Muscologise recentiorum supple- 
amentum," enumerated seventeen, with one {^S. simplkissu 
