Ditrichum Pallidum Moss
Ditrichum pallidum, Leptotrichum pallidum, Hampe, l. c.Habit and habitat.-Common in loose tufts, pale or yellowgreen, on bare sandy or clay-soil, in fields or by roadsides.
Name.-The specific name pallidum, pale, refers to the colour.
Plant (gametophyte).-Slender, erect.
Leaves.-Open, erect, spreading or curved to one side, lanceshaped at base and prolonged to an awl-shaped apex ; vein extending beyond the apex and distinctly toothed.
Habit of flowering.-Male and female flowers on the same plant (monoicous); the male flower-clusters bud-like at the apex of the stem.
Veil (calyptra).-Split up one side.
Spore-case.-Long, egg-shaped, brown.
Pedicel.-Bright yellow, 1 to 2 inches long.
Lid (operculum).-Conical, short-beaked.
Teeth (peristome).-Dark-red, each tooth divided into two unequal forks, free or united by the cross-bars.
Annulus.-Double.
Spores.-Very small, smooth, mature in early spring.
Distribution.-Nearly universal, but not found in Great Britain.