MOSSES 



40s 



green leaves and the delicate stems. 

 A moss leaf has very simple struc- 

 ture, far more simple than a Hver- 

 wort thallus. The leaves of many 

 mosses are but one cell thick ; they 

 are so delicate that the light shines 

 through them. (See Figure 200.) 

 In spite of their delicate leaves, 

 mosses are able to live in dry 

 places. Clumps of moss hold water 

 even better than a sponge. Even 

 if mosses do become dried out, 

 they are usually able to recuperate 

 when they become moist again. 

 The dead brown parts of moss 



Fig. 200. — Cells from a moss 

 leaf which is but one cell 

 in thickness. 



Fig. 201 . — A young moss 

 plant showing the rhizoids 

 at the base. 



clumps absorb water as well as the 

 live parts. Young moss plants have 

 filamentous growths at the base called 

 rhizoids. (The word means root-like.) 

 The rhizoids serve as holdfasts, and 

 probably absorb moisture. (See Fig- 

 ure 201.) 



A . Reproduction. — Perhaps you 

 have seen what is sometimes called 

 moss fruit. It grows up from the 

 top of the leafy stems. (See Figure 

 202.) Sometimes all the moss plants 

 in a clump appear to be bearing these 

 structures at the same time. In one 

 common kind of moss these structures 

 are called pigeon wheat. 



