Mosses and Lichens 



vanishing below the apex, spiny above at the back ; cells thick- 

 walled. 



Habit of flowering. Male and female flowers on separate 

 plants (dioicous). Male flowers surrounded with a rosette of 

 leaves. 



Veil (calyptra). Split up one side. 



Spore-case. Narrowly oval with a narrow tapering neck 

 somewhat pendulous, finally horizontal, somewhat inflated when 

 empty, pale-yellow with a red rim. 



Pedicel (seta). Solitary, I to i inches long, arched above. 

 Lid (operculum). Conical, tipped with a short, sharp point. 

 Annulus. Narrow. 

 Teeth (peristome). As in the genus. 

 Spores. Mature in spring. 



Distribution. Europe, Africa, and North America. 

 The Dotted Mnium, Mnium punctatum, Hedw. 

 Habit and habitat. The Dotted Mnium may be looked for 

 about cold springs and along the borders of mountain brooks. 



It grows in loose dark or yellowish 

 green tufts, each plant standing stiff and 

 erect with rusty-brown hairs. 



The leaves are large, not very close 

 together on the stem and of a delicate 

 translucent green. A hand lens will 

 show them to have a hard, brown, entire 

 margin notched at the rounded apex, 

 and a tiny little point in the notch. 

 The fruits are not often found, but when present are oval, green 

 cylinders with sharp-pointed lids, hori- 

 zontal or inclined on slender pedicels. 



Name. The specific name, the Latin 

 punctatum, dotted, was given by J. G. 

 Hedwig, on account of the cell structure. 

 Plant (gametophyte). Tall, robust, j 

 to 6 inches high, the dark-green sterile 

 shoots erect; all covered the whole length 

 with brown filaments. 



Leaves. Remote on branches and 

 stems, open, turned back from the stem, 

 large, the lower round, oval, inserted onl 



232 



M.hornum. Spore-case with 

 lid and with a bract on the 

 pedicel. 



M . hornum. Apex of leaf 

 to show spiny margin. 



