178 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH MOSSES. 



On the naked soil, especially where burnt. Extremely 

 common, and found in most parts of the world. Bearing fruit 

 through the summer months till* winter. 



Monoicous; gregarious; forming wide patches. Lower leaves 

 distant, upper connivent, very concave, entire; lid plano-con- 

 vex; the cells arranged spirally, the spiral lines meeting in 

 the centre like the lines in a rose-engined watch-case ; border 

 consisting of a single row of straight cells ; ring externally 

 yellow, internally red; teeth disposed spirally, red below, 

 nearly white at the tips, with transverse processes which, 

 together with the tips, unite to form a network ; inner peri- 

 stome yellow, divided into sixteen teeth, opposite to those 

 of the outer peristome, between each pair of which there 

 is a little red, elongated, triangular spot ; spores small, nearly 

 even. 



Male flower discoid. Paraphyses moniliform ; upper joints 

 swollen, with distinct grains of chlorophyll. 



There is a variety with a slender branched stem, and spread- 

 ing terminal leaves, and another with a straighter fruitstalk. 



ORDER XVI. HEESIEI, Br. & Schimp. 



Sporangium irregularly obovate or obconic, suberect, taper- 

 ing below into a very long fruitstalk, gibbous at the back ; 

 peristome double, not hygroscopic. Mosses inhabiting marshes, 

 with very long fruitstalks. 



48. AMBLYODON, P. Beauv. 



Sporangium clavate or subpyriform, incurved, suberect; 

 mouth small and oblique; veil at first conico-mitriform, at 

 length split on one side; peristome double, outer of sixteen 

 short teeth, inner longer, deeply divided into sixteen keeled 

 teeth, without intermediate cilia. 



