B O T 
or without a ring, fingle; or double j outer cartilaginous, 
fometimes fwollen, or elle contradled at the bate, forming 
a kind of excrefcence called apophyfis. Mouth of the 
capfule either naked, or clofed with an outer fringe. Outer 
fringe with from four to thirty-two teeth, which are up¬ 
right or reflected, ftraight or twilled, triangular, fpear- 
Ihaped or briftle-fliaped, acute, or blunt. Inner fringe finer, 
either clofely adhering to the outer, or joined to it by 
threads from its inner-fide, or loofc and unconnedted, or 
fixed to the pedicle on its little bulb. Mouth naked, or 
covered with a membrane or network, of the inner fringe, 
or varioufiy jagged, or clofed by diftindt and regular teeth. 
Column extending from the bafe to the point of the cap- 
fnle, filiform, ftraight, palling through the lid into the 
ilyle, and often giving the lid a pointed appearance. 
Seeds : numerous, minute, fpherical, fmooth, or rough. 
Habit : Stems leafy. Leaves membranaceous, reticu¬ 
lated, after being dried reviving when f'oaked in water. 
If Brytim pomiforme, fubulatum of Haller, trichodes, 
artd a few others be excepted, modes bear the ftamina and 
piftillum in feparate flowers, either on the fame , or on dif- 
tinEl plants. The time of flowering generally coincides 
with that of the fruit attaining maturity, as happens in 
other evergreen perennials. Thus in Polytriclnim urni- 
gerum ; Mnium fontanum, hornum, punftatum, undula- 
tum ; Bryum trichodes, caefpitilium, &c. the veils fall olf 
early in the fpring, and the feed is fcattered abroad ; whilft 
at the fame time the lefs obvious unimpregnated germens, 
and the male or ftameniferous flowers, are performing their 
refpedtive fundtions. This circumftance has heretofore 
caufed thefe ripe capfules to be miftaken for antherae, and 
the feeds for pollen. 
Both male and female flowers are furnifhed with an in- 
volucrum, which gives the Outward figure to the flower, 
and is called the perichaetium, as growing round the foot- 
ftalk. It varies more, and is more to be attended to in the 
male than in the female flowers. The radiated dilks of 
the Polytrichums and Mriiums are very remarkable, and 
the feales compofing them differ in many refpedls from the 
other leaves. The heads which put forth at the extremi¬ 
ties of the Bryums, have been hitherto unnoticed, though 
they contain the parts of fructification, and are compofed 
of leaflets or feales different both in fhape and fize from 
the ftem-leaves. Thus in Bryum rurale they are not ter¬ 
minated by hairs, and are fhorter than the ftem-leaves. In 
Bryum pellucens, fcoparium, heteromallum, aciculare, 
&c. they are broader than the other leaves, and more hol¬ 
low -at the bafe. Where the difk-like fubftances form a 
kind of bud, as in almoft all the Hypnums, Bryum extinc- 
torium, fubulatum, pulvinatum, hypnoideum, &c. they 
are much fmaller than the leaves ; they are alfo concave, 
ovate or fpoon-fhaped, and deftitute of the hairs which are 
©n the real leaves. Thefe therefore are truly the calyx, 
and as they include the florets with ftamens only, they may 
be called the perichretiums of the male florets. 
On thofe modes which bear female flowers or capfules, 
the leaves adjoining to the peduncle are much more beau¬ 
tiful than thofe on the ftems: but fometimes the inner 
leaves become gradually fmaller, and thofe neareft to the 
flowers fo very minute, that without a microfcope it is not 
poflible to difleCt them away fo as to expofe the flower. 
Thefe therefore are to be confidered as the involucrums of 
the female flowers, furrounding and embracing the germen. 
Male , or fameniferous f outers. —The antherae are almoft 
universally cylindrical, either ftraight or crooked ; but in 
Sphagnum paluftre and Mnium androgynum, they are 
ovate, and more or lefs tapering to a point. Their colour 
is a very dilute green, almoft white. When viewed under 
the higheft magnifiers, and ftrongly illuminated by reflect¬ 
ed light, they are found to contain a granulated fubftance ; 
but their tops are very pellucid, and this pellucid part ex¬ 
pands into a rifing veficle at the time the pollen is about 
to be difeharged. The top then opens .and the pollen is 
ejected, the fpace from which it iffues becoming more 
jtranfparent. This pollen, when evacuated, feems to ex. 
Vol. III. No. 130. 
A N V. ' . 28 r 
plode in the drop of water, in which thefe obfervations 
ate to be made. Befides the antherae included within the 
fame i-ovol tic rum are force very delicate fucc-ulent bodies 
of various fliapes. Thefe are exhibited in the Botanical 
Piute X. fig. 24 ; a , the antherae j b, the fucculent veffels. 
In Polytrichum and Mnium, fome of the barren florets 
are like difks, others like rofes ; and fome like (tars when 
in a fully expanded date. In the debated polytrichums, 
the feales'are placed in concentric circles ; in Mnium hor¬ 
num, paluftre, fontanum, See. they are more like a rofe or 
a difk. After the pollen is difperfed, thefe roles or ftars 
become more expanded $ but previous thereto they are 
generally fo open as to admit a view of the parts they con¬ 
tain. In fome modes the flowers terminate the branches, 
as in Mnium pyriforme and purpureum ; Bryum pelluci- 
dtim, aciculare, fcoparium, heteromallum, viridulum, 
(implex, &c. in fttch, though a little open, they are not 
enough fo to allow' a fight of the antherae, until the flow¬ 
ering be paft. Some florets are like buds, and lit in the 
bofom of the leaves ; others in the imbricated thickened 
termination of the branches, as in Sphagnum. 
Female fouters. —Thefe are furniftied with the ufual fe¬ 
male organs, viz. a germen, ftyle, and ftigma ; but being 
accompanied by other fubftances much refembling them, 
they are difficult to be diftinguifhed until the germen.be¬ 
gins to fwell. The piftillum, after impregnation, daily 
growing larger, and rifing upwards, puts forth the calyptra. 
or veil, which may be confidered as a kind of petal, and 
is perforated at the top by the ftyle. This ftyle is fome¬ 
times permanent, falling off only with the veil itfelf; but 
where it is not fo, the remains of it are always to be found. 
It is evident from hence, that what Linnaeus called the 
antherae, are really the feed-veffels : and by fowing the 
feeds which they contain, a crop of young plants has been 
repeatedly procured, in all refpedls fimilar to their parents. 
Jofeph Fox raifed plants of lycopodium felago from feed. 
It is lingular that Mr. Miller ftiould pofitively affert, in 
the year 1768, that modes cannot be propagated from feed 
by any art; and that a journeyman weaver of Norwich 
Ihould accomplifh it in the year 1779 ! 
The capfules of moffes are always fupported upon a pe¬ 
duncle, though fometimes it is very fhort, and excepting 
only in Sphagnum paluftre, it is Iheathed and conical at 
its bafe. The capfules vary in fhape, fize, and confidence. 
In fome fpecies there is an elaftic ring between the capfule 
and the veil, which, when the feed is ripe, throws off the 
veil with more or lefs force. The veil being thrown off, 
certain fringe-like proceffes or projedlions appear, varying 
greatly in fize, fhape, ftrudture, number, and difpofition : 
they furround the opening of the capfule in a fingle or 
double, rarely in a triple, feries. Thefe fubftances con- 
ftitute the periftoma, or fringe. The ufe of this fringe 
feems to be, to defend the feeds in wet weather. In dry 
weather it expands and leaves the mouth of the capfule 
open, but upon the leaft moifture, even that of the breath, 
it clofes again. 
The feeds of moffes are fpherical, generally fmooth, 
fometimes dotted, as in Bryum extindlorium ; fometimes 
prickly, as in Bryum pyriforme and heteromallum. They 
are brown, yellowifli, or greenifh. 
Example for Investigation. 
To illuftrate more fully the frudlification of the moffes, 
we fhall here delineate the parts of the Bryum fcoparium; 
the antherae and the piftillum of the Bryum extindlo- 
rium, having been already exhibited in Plate X. fig. 24. 
The parts in this diminutive tribe are fo extremely fmall, 
that it is impoflible to obferve them without the aid of a 
good microfcope; the figures in this delineation are there¬ 
fore very ftrongly magnified. Fig. 9, fliews a bunch or tuft 
of this fpecies of mofs of itsnatura) fize, in blofTom. Fig. 10, 
a fingle plant taken from the tuft, and magnified ; a, the 
male floret; b, the female floret. Calyx : termed a peri¬ 
chaetium, marked cc; the leaflets eredf, feffile, lanceolate, 
acuminate. After impregnation of the female floret, the 
4 C piftillum 
