HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



The name ''moss " is commonly applied to a number 

 of plants that do not belong to the true mosses. Only a 

 few of these plants, especially some of the hepatics, 

 resemble the mosses in general appearance; the others 

 are very different in structure, growth, or color; and 

 two belong to the flowering plants. 



Lichens are often called mosses by those unfamiliar 

 with the lower forms of plant-life; but the absence of 



Reindeer Moss 

 Cladonia rangijerina 



Red-tipped Moss 

 Cladonia cristatella 



LICHENS 



Beard Moss 

 Usnea barbata 



anything like leaves arranged around a stem, and of 

 the bright green of foHage or grass, at once separates 

 them from the mosses and other higher plants. A 

 lichen is composed of an alga and a fungus living to- 

 gether in a state of mutual benefit. Although the alga 

 supplies a little chlorophyll, or green matter, the gen- 

 eral color of lichens, especially when dry, is usually 

 some shade of gray or very pale green, or, if green 

 when moist, becoming gray when dry. Some species 

 are orange or brown. The plant-body is called a thai- 



