The Quartette Moss 



Veil. 



T. mnioides. 



7*. mnioides 



the summit of Ingles- 

 borough, Yorkshire, 

 and also on an old hat 

 on Mt. St. Bernard, 

 Switzerland. The 

 stems are branching 

 and bear root-like 

 filaments. The leaves 

 are lance -shaped or 

 oval-oblong, and are 

 prolonged into an 

 awl-like point. 



The spore-cases are small and erect 

 with conical-convex, obtuse lids. They 

 are borne on pedicels which are enlarged 

 just under the spore-case to form a club- 

 shaped apophysis. The apophysis is of 

 importance as an assimilating and trans- 

 piring organ and is the only part of the 

 moss which bears pores (siomata). 



The peristome is single with sixteen 

 dark-purple double teeth 

 r e fl e x e d when dry. 

 These are at first in 

 T. mnioides. groups of four, and af- 



terward in pairs, a character which 

 has suggested the generic name 

 Tetraplodon from the Greek 

 T6T/3a7rXo'o9, four-fold, and oSovs, 

 oSoVro?, a tooth. 



Nine species are known in 

 all, four being found in North 

 America. 



Tetraplodon mnioides, Bruch 

 & Schimp. 



Habit and habitat. Growing in 

 dense tufts on decaying animal 

 matter in mountainous regions. 

 The specimen illustrated was 

 Le a f. found on porcupine bones in 

 203 



T. mnioides. Plant 

 stripped of leaves to 

 show ( t ) male and 

 (?) female flower- 

 clusters. 



