96 HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



Seta usually i inch long or less, dark brown. 



Capsule cylindrical, curved, inclined; dark brown; mature 

 in autumn. 



Operculum long-beaked. 



Range, Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains; south to 

 Florida and Louisiana; Europe; Asia; Africa. 



The pale-green cushions of Leucohryum are familiar 

 to nearly every one who frequents the woods. Some- 

 times only the surface of the cushions protrudes above 

 the ground, and sometimes the stems seem quite, if not 

 wholly, unattached, and the rounded tufts are lying on 

 the top of the ground. On account of its characteristic 

 color, Leucohryum will not be confused with any other 

 moss except Sphagnum (p. 73). The two plants re- 

 semble each other in color and erect growth, but the 

 manner of branching and the leaves are very different. 

 The branches of Sphagnum are very numerous, ar- 

 ranged in a close head at the tip of the stem, but long, 

 clustered, and drooping below; the leaves vary some- 

 what in size, and are erect and closely folded or some- 

 times spreading. The stiff, erect leaves of Leucohryum 

 might be mistaken for the short branches that form the 

 heads of Sphagnum, but by separating a few of the 

 plants and comparing the illustrations no mistake will 

 be made. 



