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How a Spore-case Is Formed

Upon the leafy part which is known as the moss-plant there soon appear little organs which together are to produce the sporophyte, spore-case, pedicel and foot.

One organ contains an egg-cell and is known as the archegonium; the other organ contains the fertilising cells (sperm-cells) and is known as the antheridium.

The archegonia and antheridia of the Hairy-caps are on different plants (dioicous, two households). This plan is common to many species of mosses, while other species have the antheridia and archegonia on the same plant (monoicous, one household).

The sperm-cells which develop in the antheridia are tailed and swim in water to an archegonium which contains an egg-cell.

The sperm-cells pass down the necks of the archegonia, unite with the egg-cells, and after the union, each egg-cell begins to divide, forming new cells until a sporogonium is completed.

As the sporogonium, still within the archegonium wall, grows upward, the wall of the archegonium is torn away at the base and is carried up as a veil on the growing sporogonium, thus the veil of the spore-case is the old archegonium wall.