92 HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



moist woods. The fruit is frequent and matures in 

 August or September. 



Range, Canada and the United States; Europe; Asia. 



Often large clumps of this species occur not bearing 

 fruit; then again the plants will be well fruited. The 

 stems are sometimes very long, up to 4 inches, as they 

 continue growth at the tips, dying down below. The 

 older parts are thickly covered with brown radicles. 

 The leaves are often more than % inch long, usually 

 slightly curved and turned to one side, but sometimes 

 shorter and equally spreading, little changed when 

 dry; yellowish-green. It is the Dicranum most fre- 

 quently collected, but varies so in size and general ap- 

 pearance that puzzling forms are often found. The 

 usual large size of the plants, the long leaves more or less 

 turned to one side, not much changed when dry, are typi- 

 cal characteristics. 



There are two other Dicranums, D. Bergeri Bland. 

 {D. Schraderi Web. & Mohr), and D. Bonjeani De Not., 

 that grow in sub-alpine bogs and marshes and closely 

 resemble certain forms of D. scoparium, but they are 

 not so common and are too difficult for the beginner to 

 identify as species, although the generic characters are 

 easily recognized in leaves and capsule. The leaves are 

 shorter with broader tips and are more erect than the 

 typical leaves of D. scoparium. 



See D. fulvum (p. 89) and D. fuscescens (the follow- 

 ing species). 



