86 HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



7. ONCOPHORUS Brid. (On-c6-pho-rus) 



A genus of several species widely distributed, one of 

 which occurs in certain parts of our range. Name 

 derived from the Greek for " something puffed out/' 

 referring to the swelling at the base of the capsule. 



Oncophorus Wahlenbergii Brid. {Cynodontium vi- 

 rens var. Wahlenbergii S chimp.) grows on the ground, 

 on rocks, and on decaying logs, in moun- 

 ^ tainous and hilly woods ; not common ; fruit 

 occasional. 



Plants growing close together forming small 



bright- green tufts, dark below. 



Stems erect, up to i/^ inches long; some- 



Oncophorus times forked. 



a en ergtt Leaves long, hair-like; spreading when moist ; 



XrgeV"' loosely curled when dry, giving the plants a 



woolly appearance; bright green. 

 Seta %- 1 inch high; yellowish or pale reddish. 

 Capsule cylindrical, much curved and inclined; orange- 

 yellow in spring, with a tiny red swollen spot at the base 

 and the peristome showing like a red band around the 

 mouth; when past maturity, darker and about the same 

 color throughout; mature in spring. 

 Operculum long-beaked. 



Range, Canada and the northern United States; Europe; 

 Asia. 



One needs to collect Oncophorus in the spring to see 

 the leaves and capsules in their best color. By fall, the 



