Fig. 816.—Diatoma vulgaris.
Fig. 817.—Club-moss.
These plants are extremely lowly in the score of creation, and also in stature. Very few mosses attain any elevation, only the “sporangia” shoot up, and the plants are very delicately formed, the leaves being all of the same pattern. They are common in damp situations, and thrive in woods, streams, and banks. The Fontinalis is a river moss, while the Hypnum is found in hedges. The Lycopodiaceæ or the club-moss family is intermediate between ferns and mosses. They are found in warm, moist climates, and contain a sort of brimstone. They grow well with ferns under glass.
The Musci or moss-family proper are useful in various ways. We have also the liverworts, which bear some resemblance to lichens. They grow between stones near water, or in damp situations. There are two distinct families, both beautiful when examined, and are named Marchantiaceæ, and Jungeramanniaceæ, or scale moss.
Fig. 818.—Scale-moss.
Fig. 819.—Various diatomaceæ.