The absence of deformity in its leaves, aside from other and less obvious characters, at once distinguishes this species from the preceding, the vernal form of which it much resembles.
F. Lescurii is separated from F. squamosa (which has not yet been found in this country, and the place of which it seems here to supply) by its reddish stems, and bright green, fulvous, glossy leaves, of a larger size and softer, as well as thinner texture; smaller, cylindrical, thin-walled capsule; imperfect inner peristome ; and longer perichætial leaves.
F. Dalecarlica, compared with this species, is usually a lustre-less, dark-green plant, having stems much more divided, branches and branchlets longer, more slender, and subjulaceous; leaves rigid, smaller, and more crowded; capsule shorter and very thick-walled; operculum depressed-conic; teeth of peristome lacunose along the axis between the fewer (15–16) articulations; and larger spores, about 1900 (those of F. Lescurii being only about 11300 of an inch in diameter.
The spores of all the other American species yet found in fruit are, like the spores of the European F. squamosa, of the same size as those of F. Lescurii, except in the case of F. antipyretica, where they are smaller, having a diameter of only about 11500 of an inch.
TAB. 61.—F. Lescurii.
1. Planta feminea.
2. Pars pi. masc. nat. mag.
3. 4. Folia caulina.
5, 6. Rete apicis et baseos.
7, 8. Capsular in perichætiis.
9. Capsula operculata.
10. Eadem deoperculata.
11. Folium perichsetii.
12. Particula peristomii.
13. Flos masc. ct perigoniale.
14. Antherid. et paraphysis.
TAB. 62.—F. Lescurii, var. β.
1. Planta feminea.
2. Planta masc. nat. mag.
3. Folium eaulinum.
4. 5. Rete ejusdem.
6. Sectio transversalis folii.
7, 8. Capsular in perichætiis.
9. Capsula operculata.
10. Folium perichætii.
11, 12. Partes peristomii.
18. Calyptra.
14, 15. Genitalia mascula.
