The Quartette Moss 



I Spore- 



U Pfidicel, 



the summit of Ingles- 

 borough, Yorkshire, 

 and also on an old hat 

 on Mt. St. Bernard, 

 Switzerland. The 

 stems are branching 

 and bear root-like 

 filaments. The leaves 

 are lance -shaped or 

 oval-oblong, and are 

 prolonged into an 

 awl-like point. 



Veil. 



T. mnioides. 





T. mnioides. 



T. mnioides 



The spore-cases are small and erect 

 with conical-convex, obtuse lids. They 

 are borne on pedicels which are enlarged 

 just under the spore-case to form a club- 

 shaped apophysis. The apophysis is of 

 importance as an assimilating and trans- 

 piring organ and is the only part of the 

 moss which bears pores (stomata}. 



The peristome is single with sixteen 

 dark-purple double teeth 

 r e fl e x e d when dry. 

 These are at first in 

 groups of four, and af- 

 terward in pairs, a character which 

 has suggested the generic name 

 Tetraplodon from the Greek 

 rerpaTrXoo?, four-fold, and oSou?, 

 oSoVro?, a tooth. 



Nine species are known in 

 all, four being found in North 

 America. 



^ Tetraplodon mnioides, Bruch 

 & Schimp. 



Habit and habitat. Growing in 

 dense tufts on decaying animal 

 matter in mountainous regions. 

 The specimen illustrated was 

 'Leaf, found on porcupine bones in 



203 



T. mnioides. Plant 

 stripped of leaves to 

 show ( i ) male and 

 (?) female flower- 

 clusters. 



