LESKEACEAE 197 



Plants growing in crevices of moist rocks, especially lime- 

 stone, in mountainous and hilly woods; often mixed with 

 other mosses or forming only small patches; light bluish- 

 green; not common; fruit rare. 



Stems very slender, cylindrical, irregularly branched ; 

 branches straight, up to ^a inch long. 



Leaves straight, very small; closely folded ^ 



or sometimes spreading ; rarely large 

 enough to be seen; light or bluish-green. 



Seta about yi inch long; reddish. Myurdia gracUis 



Capsule small, erect, cylindrical; yel- 

 lowish-brown; mature in spring or summer. 



Operculum cone-shaped. 



Range, Canada and the northern United States; Europe; 

 Asia. 



Myurella gracilis (Weinm.) Lindb. (M. careyana 

 Sull.) is the species most frequently collected. The 

 leaves are spreading and somewhat separated, and, 

 although so very small, can sometimes be seen when 

 the plants are held to the light. 



Myurella julacea (Vill.) Bryol. Eur. is a rare 

 species. The leaves fold so closely that they cannot 

 be seen without a lens. The stems and branches are 

 very slender and smoothly cylindrical. 



Large specimens of Myurella are rarely found, as it 

 more often grows mixed with other limestone-loving 

 mosses or in very small patches. It can usually be dis- 

 tinguished by the pale bhiish-grccn color and the -ocry 

 slender stems and branches. 



