80 



ELEMENTARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



of our experience with Mosses is their occurrence in sheets 

 and beds. 



48. The sex-organs. It is evident that the prostrate 

 filamentous body of a moss with its leafy gametophore branch 

 is the gametophyte generation. The antheridia and arche- 



C 



FIG. 63. Sex-organs of a moss: A, an antheridium discharging sperms, one of which 

 is shown (c) ; B, section of a group of archegonia invested by leaves : C, an arche- 

 gonium, with its long neck, and its venter containing an egg. After SACHS. 



gonia have the same general structure as do those of Liver- 

 worts (Fig. 63), and are borne in clusters at the tips of branches 

 or of the main axis (Fig. 62). The leaves about these ter- 

 minal clusters often become close set, forming a rosette, and 

 they may differ in appearance (size or color) from the other 



