Home › Volumes › Mosses and Lichens › Herbarium

Herbarium — Part 15

The spore-cases are more or less pendulous, on long and slender, often clustered pedicels. They are oblong-cylindrical or oval, never pear-shaped. The lids are convex, long-beaked, taper-pointed, or tipped with a tiny blunt point. The annulus is usually conspicuous, rolling back as the lid falls.

The peristome is double, the outer teeth being long and narrow or lance-shaped, closely cross-barred below, with the bars evident on the inner surface; the inner membrane is keeled and reaches to the middle of the outer teeth, where it divides into large segments alternating with two or three thread-like segments (cilia). Sometimes the cilia have spurs attached at intervals to the margins.

There are ninety-nine species in all, thirty-three in North America. Of the fifteen species which appear in the Eastern States, five will be found with entire borders to the leaves, five with a single row of teeth, and five with a double row.

The Pointed Mnium, Mnium cuspidatum, Hedw.

Habit and habitat.--The Pointed Mnium (Mnium cuspidatum) is one of the pretties of the genus and is to be found in shaded places on the ground in almost every state and territory in the Union.

Name.--J. G. Hedwig, a German botanist, named this species from the Latin cuspidatum, a point, on account of the apex of the leaves.

Plants (gametophyte).--Simple, the young shoots bright palegreen, the older stems dark-green, the sterile shoots prostrate or somewhat erect.

Leaves.--All with a short sharp point at the apex, vein extending beyond the apex to form the point. Stem-leaves with the base growing downward on the stem (decurrent) oval-oblong or obovate-spatulate; branch-leaves smaller, rounded-oval; all much crisped when dry; margin with 3 to 5 rows of yellow cells, and a single row of spiny teeth in the upper half.

Leaves at the base of the pedicel (perichoetial leaves).--Spatulate.

Habit of flowering.--Male and female flowers in the same cluster (synoicous).

Veil (calyptra).--Split up one side.

Spore-case.--Solitary, somewhat pendulous, oval-oblong.

Pedicel.--Solitary, pale.

Lid (operculum).--Conical, obtuse.

Teeth (peristome).--The outer yellow, the inner orange, solid, the segments open on the keel, thread-like and sharp-pointed at the apex; cilia usually three between each tooth.

Spores.--Mature in spring.

Distribution.--In almost every state of the Union, also in Europe.

Mnium affine, Bland.

Habit and habitat.--Common on shaded banks and roots of trees. Bright, pale-green, loosely tufted with long sterile shoots arched or prostrate.

Name.--The specific name, affine, from the Latin affinis, related, refers to the resemblance of this species to Mnium cuspidatum with which it has often been confused.

Plant (gametophyte).--One to two inches high with brown filaments at the base.

Leaves.--Spreading, recurved and crisped on the borders when dry; the lower stem-leaves round egg-shaped with the narrow end next to the stem; the middle stem-leaves oblong egg-shaped, growing more or less down the stem; the upper stem-leaves inverted egg-shaped and long spatulate crowded into a rosette; margins acutely toothed all round; vein extending beyond the apex to form a sharp point.

Habit of flowering.--Male and female flowers on separate plants (dioicous); male plants terminating in disks.

Veil (calyptra).--Split up one side.

Spore-case.--Clustered, 1 to 3, rarely 5 to 6; pendent, oblong; green until fully ripe, then yellow-brown.

Pedicel (seta).--Slender, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long.

Lid (operculum).--Convex, short, sharp-pointed.

Teeth(peristome).--As in the genus. The outer yellow, the inner orange.

Annulus.--Narrow, rolling back as the lid falls.

Spores.--Mature in spring.

Distribution.--Universal.

Mnium hornum, Linn.

Habit and habitat.--Robust in dense tufts, on damp earth in woods, about the roots of trees, and on rocks.

Name.--The specific name, hornum, probably refers to the horny border.

Plant (gametophyte).--The young plants are bright-green the older are dark-green; stems, 1 to 2 inches high, simple erect; sterile shoots, erect from the base.

Leaves.--The lowest minute, the upper gradually increasing in size, the terminal forming a rosette, all oblong-lance-shaped, apex more or less acute with a sharp little point; base growing slightly down the stem; margin with a strong red border, spiny toothed from below the middle, the teeth in a double row; vein 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, 1 to 1 1/2 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.