Stone Loving Andraea Moss
The Stone-loving Andrea (Andreaea petrophila), Ehrh.Habit and habitat.-Found in small olive or dark brown tufts on wet rocks of high mountains.
Name.-From the greek; a rock. and; to love, referring to its choice of habitat.
Plants (gametophyte).-Stems slender, 1/3 to 1 inch long, leafless below.
Leaves.-Spreading or turned to one side, lance-shaped, rough on the back with projecting points; apex sometimes oblique, transparent; vein none, margin incurved, entire.
Habit of flowering.-Male and female flowers on one plant (monoicous).
Veil (calyptra).-Thin, closely fitting the spore-case.
Spore-case.-Egg-shaped, immersed in the leaves at its base
until maturity and then protruded by the elongation of the cel
lular sheath (vaginule) surrounding its base.
Pedicel (seta). None.
Lid (operculum).-None.
Teeth (peristome).-None.
Spores.-Small, mature in June-August.
Distribution.-Widely distributed in cooler regions.