MUSC1; AN extensive, natural, and well-defined family of plants, belonging to the class Cryptogamia of Lin imus's artificial system, and to the division Acotyledones of Jussieu's method.
The essential character of this family, as we choose to term it provisionally, though there can be little doubt, that in the final arrangemcnt of the Acotyledones, it will form a distinct class,—is derived from the fruit ; which is a capsule of one cell, covered with a free membrane, termed Calyptra, which, when the plant is in flower, in vests the style, and forms a great part of the stigma.
The natural character of this family is, to have the flowers monoecious or dioccious, rarely polygamous or united ; in some species they are unknown.
Calyx rnonophyllous, tetraphyllous, or polyphyllous, sometimes absent.
Corolla, none ; but the Calyptra, which is properly an exterior covering of the Pistil, is usually so termed by authors.
Stamina, generally numerous in the same flower, sometimes solitary. Anther, on a filament, sessile, or embedded ; spherical, ovate, or cylindrical ; opening elastically by the separation of a lid, or by an irregular aperture. Pollen, either a viscid fluid, clear, or milky ;— or farinaceous, very abundant, forming a dense cloud when it escapes; varying in colour in different species.
Pistilla, generally numerous. Ovarium sessile. Style cylindrical or flattened; stigma rounded at first, after wards flat, or cup-shaped.
Pericarp, a capsule, generally raised on a fruitstalk, produced after the flower ; sometimes sessile.
Seeds, in general numerous, more or less spherical or oval ; surface smooth, rough, or echinated ; substance peculiar ; after the evolution of the plutnula and radicle, jointed, branched, conferva-like shoots, arise front dif ferent parts of the seed.
Receptacle, generally proper. When the male flow ers Ir-. 'VINT form powdery heads, it seems to be common. In the female flowers, no instance of a common receptacle is known, except in the genus AIarchantia.
In the plants of this family, the structure is cellulose ; the stem leafy or frondose ; rarely leafless; leaves sim ple and quite entire, or serrated, or ciliated ; in other in stances laciniate, more or less deeply ; in several in stances two-lobed; the lobes in general unequal in size ; sometimes furnished with stipules. AIinute plants ;
never shrubby ; of annual, biennial, or perennial dura tion ; varying in size from a line or little more, to three or four feet, growing on trees, rocks, dry or moist earth, in bogs, in running or in stagnant water..
ilffinity in the flowers and fruit.—With the dicotyle doneous genus Calyptranthes, on account of its calyp traeform corolla—With Ferns, on account of the pecu liar structure of the seed—In the -vegetation, on account of resemblance in g-eneral aspect, with various cotyledo neous plants, some of which have the resemblance noted in their specific name. Such are, Saxifraga muscoides, hypnoides, bryoides ; Tillaea muscosa ; INIoehringia mu s cosa ; Forstera muscifolia ; Lithophila tnuscoides ; An dromeda hypnoides.
With Lycopodineae, the affinity is so considerable, that the whole of this tribe was placed by Linnoeus in his or der AIusci, notwithstanding the very great discrepancy in the fruit, and in the internal structure of the stem. A recently discovered member of this family, Lycopodiurn hypnoides, has the exact aspect of Hypnum aduncum ; another, Lycopodium scorpioides, no less exactly, that of Hypnum scnrpioides. In Dufourea trifaria of Bory St. Vincent and Willdenow, there is the fructification of Lycopodinea, with the habit of Fontinalis squamosa.
Of Filices, a considerable number cowie in minute ness and delicacy of aspect, pretty near to the Mosses; such as Acrostichum muscesurn, Polvpodium muse:, sum, Tiichomsnes muscoides, aiid various other spe cies ;—indeed, a considerable proportion of the minute Ferns in general.
With the Foliaceous Lichens, thc INIusci of the ge nskra Targionia Riccia, Marchantia, Anthoceros, and the frondosc species of Jungermanniac, have considerable affinity.