Family

Diapensiacae.

Colour

White or pink.

Odour

Scentless.

Range

New Jersey southward.

Time of Bloom

March-May.

Flowers: small; sessile on delicate branches. Calyx: of five sepals. Corolla: of five petals. Stamens: five. Pistil: one; stigma, three-lobed. Anthers: opening like the lid of a little box. Leaves: lanceolate; pointed; scale-like; pubescent. Stem: prostrate; creeping.

Little can be imagined that is more truly sweet and dainty than the flowering moss which begins to creep through the pine woods just as the spring is opening. When handled it is found to possess quite an amount of vigour; and the anthers under a microscope are a revelation. Each one is a tiny box and opens by a lid. From this fact is the significance of its generic name.