Pear Shaped Thread Moss
The Pear-shaped Thread-moss, Leptobryum pyriforme, Schimp.Habit and habitat.-In dense silky green patches on shady rocks and walls, and sandy or turfy soil, also on burnt and decaying trees. Common.
Name.-The specific name pyriforme is from the Latin pyrum, a pear, and forma, form, referring to the spore-case.
Plant (gametophyte).-Slender, simple, stem short. Onehalf to one inch high.
Leaves.-The lower distant, narrowly lance-shaped, the upper tufted and longer; apex awl-like, flexuose, serrate; cells above, narrow and long, below, broader. Vein dilated at the base, extending below the apex.
Habit of flowering.-Male and female flowers together, (synoicous).
Spore-case.-Pear-shaped or oval, yellow-brown, glossy, symmetrical, neck long.
Pedicel. Red, slender, 1 to 2 inches long.
Lid (operculum).--Convex, with a tiny nipple.
Teeth (peristome).-Pale yellow, lance-shaped, segments of the inner membrane keeled and perforated; the threadlike segments bearing little knots on the edges.
Annulus. - Broad, rolling back as the lid falls.
Spores. - Mature in May and June.
Distribution. -Universal.