Classification of Plants 



227 



the egg divides rapidly and forms a sporogonium, consisting 

 of a sporangium borne on a short stalk which is attached by 

 means of a foot to the umbrella from which it derives its 

 nourishment. When ripe, the sporangium bursts and dis- 

 charges a golden dust of spores. These are scattered by wind 

 and grow to form new plants like those formed by the gemmae, 

 the gametophytic or sex- bearing stage. 



S 



Fig. 200. — Transverse section through the middle portion of thallus of 

 Pellia epiphylla. R, rhizoids ; S, S, sheath ; St, stalk of antheridium ; A, 

 capsule or head of antheridium (magnified). (From Evans' '* Intermediate Text 

 Book of Botany ".) 



Mosses, like liverworts, usually grow best in moist, shady 

 places. We can find mosses on the ground under the shade 

 of bushes and trees, or on the trunks of trees, but they grow 

 best in moist woods or ravines. If no woods are near, look on 

 thatched roofs, which are often beautifully green with moss on 

 the shaded southern slope. 



Mosses have leafy stems, and by examining the tips of 

 these stems in early spring, sharp eyes, with a hand lens, can 



15* 



