H Y P N U M 
SERICEUM. 
Silky Hypnum. 
HYPNUM Linnat Gen. PI. Cryptogamia Musci. 
Anther a operculata. Calyptra levis. Filamentum laterale ortum e perichsetio. 
Raii Syn. Gen. 3. Musci. 
HYPNUM fericeum furculo repente, ramis confertis ere&is, foliis Tubulatis, antheris eredis. Lin. Syjl. 
Vegetab. p. 801. Sp. P/. p. 1595. FI. Suecic. n. 1036. 
HYPNUM fericeum. Scopoli. FI. Carniol. p. 340. 
HYPNUM ramis teretibus ; foliis pilo praepilatis ; capfulis cylindricis, eredis, ariftatis. Haller, hijl. n. 1 7 50. 
HYPNUM vulgare fericeum recurvum, capfulis eredis cufpidatis. Dillen. Mufc. 323. /. 42. f. 59. 
MUSCUS terreftris luteo-viridans fericeus repens. Moris • hijl. 3. p. 626. f 15. t. 5. fig. 25. 
MUSCUS arboreus fplendens fericeus. Vaill. Paris. 132. t. 27. fig. 3. 
HYPNUM repens trichoides terreftre luteo virens vulgare majus, capitulis eredis. Raii Syn. p. 84. 
Hudfon. FI. Angi. ed. 1. p. 428. 
Lightfoot. FI. Scot. v. 2. p. 762. 
CAULES five viticuli longi, repentes, fibrillis copiofis, 
tomentofis adhaerentes, valde ramofi, in den- 
fos caelpites congefti, ramis creberrimis, fur- 
redis, brevibus, fubteretibus, inficcitate in- 
curvis, fig. 1, tadu rigidis, in humiditate 
redis mollibus. 
FOLIA ovato-lanceolata, fig. 2, in pilum longum 
terminata, denfiffime imbricata; in ficcitate 
apprelfa, capillaria; humida latiora, patula, 
ex obfcuro viridia, cum fericeo fplendore ad 
luteum vergente. 
PEDUNCULI femunciales, unciales, purpureae, pe- 
richaetio fquamofo cindae, fig. 3, confertae, 
circa medium furculi ortae. 
CAPSULiE oblongas, teretes, eredae, inferne paulu- 
lum incraflatas, ex livido fufcae, fig. 6, 7, 
per medium difciffa, fig. 10. 
CALYPTRA pallida. 
OPERCULUM breve, roflratum, miniatum, fig. 8. 
CILLE albidae, eredae, una tantum feries, fig. 9. 
STALKS, or fhoots, long, creeping, adhering by nu- 
merous finall, woolly fibres, very much 
branched, and forming clofe tufts ; branches 
numerous, upright, fhort, and roundifh ; 
when dry, bending down at top, and fome- 
what ftitt, fig. 1 ; when moifi;, upright and 
foft. 
LEAVES oval and pointed, fig. 2, terminating in a 
long hair, lying clofely one over the other, 
when dry prefled together, and very fine ; 
when moifi; broader, and more lpreading, of 
a dullifh green, inclining to yellow, with a 
Ihining filky appearance. 
FOOT-STALKS an inch and a half or an inch long, 
purple, at bottom covered with a fcaly peri- 
chaetium, fig. 3, arifing from about the mid- 
dle of the fhoots. 
CAPSULES oblong, round, upright, fomewhat en- 
larged at bottom, of a livid brown colour, 
fig. 6, 7 ; cut down the middle at fig. 10. 
CALYPTRA pale brown. 
OPERCULUM fhort, ending in a beak of a bright 
red colour, fig. 8. 
CILLE or hairs whitifti, upright, and one row only, 
fig- 9- 
THE Hypnum fericeum is one of our moll common, as well as one of our earliefl: Mojfes , producing its 
Capfules from September to February. 
It generally puts forth its fru&ifications in the greatefi: plenty, on the tops of old walls. It creeps alfo 
on the ground, as well as on the trunks of trees. 
None of our Mojfes afford a more beautiful carpet : it frequently exhibits all the richnefs and foftnefs of 
filk, particularly when dry. But thofe patches of it, which put on this yellow and fhining appearance, by 
which it is fo readily diftinguifhed, do not always produce fructifications in the greatefi; abundance. 
It may be diftinguifhed from the Hypnum rutabulum , which often occurs with it, by having longer and more 
upright Capfules. 
Dillenius has defcribed this Mofs with his ufual accuracy, which is modernized, and fomewhat im- 
proved by Weis, from whom our defcription is almofi: literally taken. 
