THE BRYOLOGIST 
Vol. XXII 
May, 1919 
No. 3 
COLLECTING IN OKLAHOMA 
Rachel L. Lowe 
Unlike Arkansas, Oklahoma seemed bare of mosses. I had been in Ada a 
week before I saw any and then it was not in Ada, but in the neighboring town 
of Frances that I found a rocky knoll in the woods rich in different species of 
moss. After that I found many such places and came to the conclusion that 
Oklahoma furnished fully as good hunting as Arkansas. 
Grimmia leucophea and Ptychomitrium incurvum were often growing on 
the same rocks. The Grimmia with its hoary tips was a perfect match for the 
gray rocks and at a little distance was almost indistinguishable. I shall never 
forget riding through the granite country between Tishomingo and Ravia where 
the rocks were almost entirely covered with it. The slanting rays of the late 
afternoon sun turned it to silver and we rode past miles of shining silver rocks 
and ledges. 
The Polytrichum juniperinum I would never have recognized at first sight, 
it was such a short, thick growth. Tortella tortuosa was flourishing on a dry, 
barren hillside in big patches, but separated into individual plants as soon as 
gathered. Thelia Lescurii was everywhere underfoot on a sandy hill-top. 
The most interesting moss I found was Amblystegium irriguum var. spini- 
folium. This was, and without doubt still is, growing in the Ada water-supply 
near Byrd’s Mill. The pool is fed by bubbling springs and is enclosed by a stone 
wall. Evidently there is keen competition for the possession of said pool be- 
tween Ada and the Amblystegium , for there are piles of dry moss all around the 
outside and the implement is there handy for raking it out; but, in spite of the 
quantities taken out, there is still a luxuriant growth all over the rocky bottom, 
and I must say that it is a great addition to the looks of the pool. On exam- 
ining the moss that had been thrown out, I found that where it was not so old and 
dry as to be faded, the lower portion of the plants was of a decided orange color 
in marked contrast to the dark green of the upper. It grew six to eight inches 
tall and was exceedingly brittle when dr} 7 . Outside the walls, where a growth 
of it occurred on rocks and logs not submerged, it seemed to be the type form 
rather than the variety and fruited freely. 
The March number of The Bryologist was published April 30, 1919, 
