MOSSES WITH A HAND-LENS 



163 



FIGURE 



Pellia epi- 



for small things. Besides the ordinary elaters, which are so small 

 as to be scarcely recognized, there are a large number of con- 

 spicuous " fixed elaters " that remain attached to the center of 

 the open capsule, appearing like a tuft 

 of brownish hairs. The dark or pur- 

 plish-green thalli frequently cover the 

 ground for several inches. The thallus 

 may reach an inch in legnth by l /2 



inch in width at apex, but is usually phylia.'" Thallus natural 



., T . . , ,. , , size showing involucre and 



smaller. It is simple or dichotomously position of capsule as it ap- 



branched, with margins sinuate to P ears in Au s ust - 

 irregularly lobed and is nearly always notched at the end. In 

 summer if one looks just back of this notch he will see a little 

 flap covering a little hole into the thallus. In August the young 

 capsule will be found in this hole as a 

 little round dark globule, although the 

 spores are not ripe until the next 

 spring. This little flap is the involucre. 

 There is no perianth, but the calyptra 

 is so large when mature that it might 

 be mistaken for one. Along the center 

 of the thallus may be seen little pim- 

 ples which are the places where the 

 antheridia are produced. These are 

 well illustrated in Fig. 90. 



P. ENDIVIAEFOUA (Dicks.) Dum. and 

 P. NEESIANA (Gottsche) . Limpr. are 

 found within our range. Both are 



FIGURE 90. Pellia epi 

 phylia (After Hooker) plant 



yrvj/uu/ \Aii*,^A 0-J.wrv^A / j^Juiti., J.L/L111V.I W1LI1111 ^Lll IdilgV-. JJ^lll CM ^ 



calyptra with lower part of ,. . , , r , . . 



pedicel; an elater; two dlOlCOUS and have none OI the pimple- 

 spores;' and two antheridia. Hke anthe ridial dots on the plants bear- 

 ing involucres. In both, the involucres are tubular as shown in 

 Fig. 91. In P. Neesiana the involucres are about ^V inch in 

 height and in P. endiviae folia about twice as long. In fruit P. 

 endiviaefolia is distinguished by the fluffy mass of fixed elaters 

 remaining at the bottom of the capsule; they are nearly i inch 

 long, two or three times as long as in the other two species. 



RICCARDIA (Aneura Dumort). 



RICCARDIA (ANEURA Dumort) differs from other members of 

 the family in its pinnate or palmate branching. There is almost 

 no apparent costa, the root hairs are comparatively few, and the 



