622 HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



Plants growing in soft, closely interwoven mats on moist 

 rocks and earth in mountainous and hilly woods; yellowish- 

 green or olive ; not common ; fruit occasional. 



Stems prostrate or ascending; variable 

 in length, up to 3 inches long; pinnately 

 branched. 



Leaves fine, hut large enough to be 

 seen; curved or straight, wide-spreading, 

 Ctenidium moiiuscum somewhat Separated; yellowish-green or 

 olive. 

 Seta less than i inch long; reddish-brown. 

 Capsule short-cylindrical, inclmed; mature in summer. 

 Operculum cone-shaped. 



Raftge, Newfoundland to Georgia, west to the Rocky 

 Mountains; Europe; Asia; Africa. 



Ctenidium moUuscum (Hedw.) Mitt. {Eypnum 

 moiiuscum Hedw.) has a soft, feathery appearance due 

 to the pinnate branches and the slender leaves, some- 

 what curved, wide-spreading, and a little separated. 

 The general growth resembles Stereodon imponens 

 (p. 233) and Ptilium (p. 230), but both of these mosses 

 have strongly curved leaves and closer branches. 

 Mosses with pinnate branches and straight leaves, 

 growing in similar places, have leaves more erect and 

 more closely folded when dry, as in Helodium (p. 205) 

 and Hypnum (p. 229), or much coarser leaves, as in 

 Rhytidiadelphus (p. 223). Acrocladium (p. 217) grows 

 in more swampy places. 



