78 HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



Leaves tang and hair-like , erect or somewhat spreading; 

 light green or brownish. 



Seta greenish-yellow ; shining; /^-i>^ inches long; con- 

 spicuous. 



Capsule inclined, cylindrical, with a long neck, giving the 

 appearance of a very long slender fruit; reddish-brown; 

 mature in summer. 



Operculufn long-beaked. 



Range, Canada and the northern United States; Europe. 



The long slender fruit of Trematodon and the shining, 

 yellow fruit-stalks first attract the eye and are the im- 

 portant characteristics for determination. The moss 

 is not conspicuous when not fruited. 



Two other mosses with short stems and hair-like 

 leaves are Ditrichum pallidum (p. 80), and Leptobryum 

 (p. 126), but the capsules are very different, and as 

 none of these plants are likely to be collected except 

 when fruited, there is no danger of confusing them. 



2. DITRICHUM Timm (Di-tri-chum) 



A cosmopolitan genus of many species, three of 

 which are common. Name derived from the Greek 

 for ** two," and '^ hair," referring to the divided teeth 

 of the peristome. 



Plants crowded together, growing on the ground, rarely 

 on rocks; bright or yellowish-green; fruiting abundantly; 

 not conspicuous unless in fruit ; common. 



Stems erect, short, usually less than }^ inch long. 



