Hairy-cap Mosses 



Spores. Rust colour, ripe in summer. 

 Distribution. North Carolina to Prince 

 Edward's Island, and west to Minnesota and 

 British Columbia. Also in Norway and Sweden. 

 The Awned Hairy-cap, Polytricbum pili- 

 ferum, Schreb. 



Habit and babitat. Found in sandy fields, on 

 rocks or on old roofs, conspicuous on account of the white 



hair-like tips and the bluish- 

 white bloom of the leaves; 

 the plants in clusters but not 

 matted together. The male 

 flower-clusters surrounded with 

 red bracts. The specific name 

 piliferum is compounded of two 

 Greek words, mXc?, hair, and 

 <e/3&), to bear, referring to the 

 numerous white hairs of the 

 leaves. 



Plants (gametopbyte) . Short, 

 I to i finches high, simple from 

 subterranean creeping shoots, 

 wiry and naked below, densely 

 leafy above. 



Leaves. The upper long 

 lance-shaped, the lower oval, 

 appressed to the stem when dry, 

 spreading when moist ; apex 

 smooth on the back, prolonged 

 iectylifr into a rough, hair-like awn; 

 margin entire, inflexed upon the 

 upper surface of the leaf-blade; 

 vein red, becoming suddenly 



I YoUnj Shoot' transparent at the apex; lamella 



about 30, 4 to 7 cells deep, the 

 upper cell pointed in section. 



Leaves at the base of the seta 

 (pericbcetial leaves). Narrowly 

 tongue-shaped, erect, concave, 



253 



P. piltferum. Plant with sporophyte and 

 with creeping shoots at the base. 



