R YliM> 
B 
RYUM Argenteum. 
IILVER 
BRYUM Lm. Gen. P/. Cryptogamia Musct. 
. .dnihera operculata. Calypira lajvis* Filamentum e tuberculo terminali ortuni; 
Kan. Syn. Gen. 3, Mtrsci. 
BRYUM antheris pendulis, furculis cylindricis imbricatis Isevibus. L;«, S\/i. Veffeiah-. p. 78b; 
Sp. VI 1586. F/. Sueck. «.1008. y o r ■/ 7 
BRYUM caulibus teretibus, capfulis ovatis acuminatis pendulis, Haller, hill. iS-’i 
BRYUM argenteum. Scopoll. FI. Cam. n. laio. ^ 
Pr ^^Senteu^ Dili. mufc. qoi. t. cd. f. 62. 
MUSCUS fquamofus argenteus, ericze folio. Vaillant. paris. 13+. t. 26. f. 11. 
MUSCUS minimuse viridi argenteus, capitulis oblongis cernuis. Mori. hiji. 3. p. 627. f. 15. t. 6. f. 
Confertim nacitur, cauliculis feffilibus, in ramulorum 
aliquot furculos teretes, (duarum trium li- 
nearumj divifis. 
FOLIA ovata-lanceolata, acuta, pilo terminata, qua- 
druplici alterna ferie difpofita, tam arfte cauli 
appreflii funt, ut nonnifi per lentem diftingui 
poffint, pilis creberrimis, fericeis, argenteis. 
PEDUNCULI circa hiemem furgunt e bafi cauliculo- 
rum, ab aliquot lineis ad lemunciam longa;, 
inferne purpureas, fuperne pallidiores. 
CAPSUL.® ovatae, nutantes, luteae, verfus fetam ru- 
bicundiE, qu« ab initio virides, et redae ante 
maturitatem fuere. Operculum breve, obtu- 
fum, aurantiacum. Ora ciliata, Calyptra e vi- 
ridi fufca, quae nonnifi in junioribus capfulis 
reperitur. 
I Stalks growing clofe together and feflile, dividing into 
round furculi two or three lines in length. 
I LEAVES oval pointed, terminated by a hair, difpofed 
■f in an alternate quadruple row, lb clofely 
t preffed to the flalk, as to be fcarce vilible 
I without a magnifier, the hairs exceedingly 
^ numerous, filky, of a filver colour. 
I PEDUNCLES arife from the bottom of tlie flalks, a- 
I bout winter, from a few lines to half an inch 
f in length, below purplifli, above paler. 
I CAPSULES oval, pendulous, yellowHh, but near the 
^ peduncle reddifh, when young green, and up- 
right. Operculum fhort, obtufe and of an o- 
I ■ range colour. Mouth ciliated, Calyptra of a 
^ greenifli brown, and only vifible in the young 
j capfules. 
It is not poffible in painring to do juffice to the filvery appearance which this little mofs ufually puts on, and 
which in general obvioufly diftinguiihes it from all our other Eryums, this filvery hue it however lofes in fome 
lituations and appears of a green colour, elpecially in molfl: fhelter’d places, where the leaves not only become 
gieener but laxer alfo and the furculi grow to a much greater length, in this Rate it is figured by Dillenius 
as a diRind fpecies, the furculi vary much likewife in their fhape fometimes becoming very fine and almoft 
thread fhaped as reprefented at Jig. 2. 3. 
The Bryum argenteum produces its Capfules as early as December and January, and this their early appear- 
ance IS one realon why they are not not fo often found as fome others, but added to this it does not produce 
fruaifications fo plentifully as fome other Bryums, large patches of it being often found perfeftly barren. 
It is very common on Walls and Banks. 
Fig I. to 7. reprefeut it of its natural fize in Its various Rates, fig 8. to 12 magnified. 
Bryum c.tspiticium. matted Bryum. 
BRYUM cafpiticium antheris pendulis, foliis lanceolatis acuminato-fetaceis, pedunculis longiffimis. 
Lin. Syjl. Vegetab. p. 799. Sp. PL p. 1586. FI. Sueck. loio. 
HYPNUM foliis ovato-lanceolatis ariRatis patulis, capfulis ovatis obtufis pendulis. Huller. hijl. 1790. 
BRYUM pendulum ovatum csefpiticium et pilofum, feta bicolori. Dill. Mufc. 396. tab. 50. f. 66. 
MUSCUS capillaceus minimus, capitulo nutante, pediculo purpureo. Vaill. paris. 134, t. 29. f. 7. 
MUSCUS trichoides capitulo parvo reflexo, pediculo ima medietate rubro, fumma luteo- viridi. Moiis. 
H. Ox. III. p. 629. f, XV. t. 6. f. XV. Raii. Syn. p. 100. n. 44. 
CAULICULIS in denfos csefpites congeRis, lata Rrata 
efficit, fupra muros imprimis et in terra gla- 
reofa. fg. 3. 
SURCULI ipfi breves, et ad aliquot tantum lineas fu- 
per terram eminentes, i. 4. fubramofi, 
inferius multo tomento fufeo obfiti. 
FOLIA exigua, denfe congeRa, ovato lanceolata, pilo 
Incano terminata, pallide e luteo viridia, feri- 
cea, fplendentia, fub lente in humida planta 
pellucida, j/%-. 14. 16. 
PEDUNCULI unciales, Jig. 5. inferne purpurea, fu- 
perne lute*, e furculorum annotinorum ro- 
fula terminali prodeunt, Jig. i. inter ramulos, 
five potius furculos juniores, bulbillo inRruc- 
ti, /5-. 2. 
CAPSULA ex ovato-cylindrica, ab initio erefta fg, 7. 
tenuior, deinde fenfira craflefeens, pendula, 
fg. 8.9, II. fublutea, operculo te<Ra papilli- 
formi, miniato, nitido, quo fecedente ora ap- 
paret ciliata. 12. 
CALYPTRA in junioribus ereiRa, gracilis, conica, pal- 
lide fufca, in adultloribus rufa, inclinata. 
fg- 7 * 8 9 ' 
stalks growing clofely together, form broad turfs 
' particularly on walls and gravelly fituatlons. 
3 - 
SURCULI themfelves Ihort, raifed a few lines only 
above the earth, fomewhat branched, fg. 1. 4. 
below cover’d with a brown wooly kind of 
fubRance. 
LEAVES fmall, clofely compared, oval pointed, ter- - 
minafed by a grey hair, of a pale yellowifh 
green colour, filky, Riining ; under a magni 
fier, In the moiR plant tranlparent.j?^. 14. i6' 
PEDUNCLES about an inch in length, 5. below 
purple, above yellow, proceeding from the 
top of the laR years furculus fg. :. between 
the branches or rather younger furculi, fur- 
niflied with a fmall bulb. fg. 2. 
CAPSULE of an oval cylindrical form, at firR upright. 
^g. 7. llender, afterwards becoming gradually 
thicker and pendulous, 8, 9, ii. ofayel- 
lowiffi colour, cover’d with a fmall, Riort, 
prominent red and Ihining operculum, which 
falling oft the mouth appears ciliated, fig. 1 2. 
CALYPTRA on the young capfules upright, Render, 
conical, and of a pale brown colour, in thofe 
more advanced reddiffi brown, and inclined to 
one fide. fig. 7, 8, 9. 
This fpecies of Bryum is very commonly met with on Walls alfo on gravelly and fandy foils producincr its 
Capfules in February, March and April, it varies much in fize, in the ffiape of its leaves and the length of its 
Surculi. 
