234 



HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



The stems are usually irregular in branching; when 

 pinnate, the branching does not continue to the ends of 



the stems, as in Pti- 

 lium {p.2^o). For com- 

 parison see under that 

 genus. S. imponens 

 resembles Ctenidium 

 in color and general 

 growth, but the plants 

 lack the soft, feathery 

 appearance character- 

 See p. 222; also the next species. 



Siereodon imponens 

 Portion of branch enlarged 



istic of Ctenidium. 



Stereodon curvifolius (Hedw.) Brid. (Hypnum 

 curmfolimn Hedw.) is the most robust species. It oc- 

 curs chiefly on decaying logs in moist woods, growing 

 in loose mats. The leaves are light or yellowish-green. 

 The fruit is occasionally found. The capsules are large, 

 short-cylindrical, and curved. The stems are usually 

 quite regularly pinnate, with rather stout branches, 

 and the leaves distinctly show the parting and curling 

 so characteristic of this group. The plants are larger 

 than S. imponens, with thicker, more regularly pinnate 

 branches, more closely resembling the flatter forms of 

 Ptilium (p. 230), but in Stereodon the stems are more 

 prostrate and the branches less crowded. 



Range, Arctic America and Canada, south to Florida and 

 Colorado; Asia. 



