BRYACEAE 127 



Range, throughout North America; South America; 

 Europe; Asia; Tasmania; New Zealand. 



Leptohryum is especially conspicuous when fruited, 

 as the long setae and capsules shine lilvC burnished cop- 

 per. The combination of long hair-like leaves and pear- 

 shaped capsules with the orange-brown setae easily dis- 

 tinguish Leptohryum from other mosses which have 

 only one of these characteristics. Fimaria, the precede 

 ing genus, and the two following genera, Pohlia and 

 Bryum^ have capsules similar to those of Leptohryum, 

 though usually not so small or with the neck so dis- 

 tinct, and the leaves are not hair-like. Other mosses 

 with spreading, hair-like leaves have a yellowish seta 

 and cylindrical capsule. See Trematodon (p. 77) and 

 Ditrichum pallidum (p. 80). 



It is not uncommon to find Leptohryum not fruited, 

 but with unfertilized flowers appearing like tiny dark 

 dots at the tips of the stems surrounded by the long 

 hair-like leaves. These barren plants are also often 

 mixed with the fruited ones. 



27. POHLIA Hedw. (Pohl-i-a) 



A genus of world-wide distribution containing many 

 species. Named after Pohl, a professor of botany in 

 Dresden, Germany. 



Pohlia nutans (Schreb.) Lindb. {Weber a nutans 

 Hedw.) is very common, and found almost everywhere, 

 often fruiting abundantly. 



