. Our native ferns and their allies : with synoptical descriptions of the American Pteridophyta north of Mexico. Ferns. 44 Our Native Ferns C. THE CLUB-MOSSES. 103. General Characters.—The club-mosses are chiefly small perennial plants usually growing in dry or moist woods or even on exposed rocks with little soil for nourishment. Most of the species are somewhat moss-like in habit as might be suspected from the popu- lar names given to these plants, the genus Lycopo- dium taking the name of club-moss and Selaginella that of rock-moss. Various species of Lycopodium are also known as ground-pin
. Our native ferns and their allies : with synoptical descriptions of the American Pteridophyta north of Mexico. Ferns. 44 Our Native Ferns C. THE CLUB-MOSSES. 103. General Characters.—The club-mosses are chiefly small perennial plants usually growing in dry or moist woods or even on exposed rocks with little soil for nourishment. Most of the species are somewhat moss-like in habit as might be suspected from the popu- lar names given to these plants, the genus Lycopo- dium taking the name of club-moss and Selaginella that of rock-moss. Various species of Lycopodium are also known as ground-pine, ground-fir, ground-cedar, running-pine, etc. from more or less marked resemblan- ces. (Fig. 33). In the cu- rious Selaginella lepidophylla from Arizona the branches of the closely coiled central j,^^ 33 p^^ion of Lyco^odmm clavatum, L. stem roll up when dry into 1^ natural size. (After Prantl.) a nest-like ball and when moistened expand so as to appear flat or saucer-shaped. As the plant retains this power indefinitely it has sometimes been called "the ; 104. The stems are usually creeping yet in some species show a tendency to become erect, and most species send up erect branches which bear the fruit. Most species bear roots at irregular intervals along the under side of the creeping stems, but our soli- tary species of Psilotum is rootless bearing only underground shoots which perform the functions of roots. The leaves are small and unbranched, in some instances resembling appressed scales, in others resembling the acicular leaves of Conifers, and are arranged in four, eight or many ranks. In some species the leaves are of one kind while in others two or even more forms may occur on the same plant. In Psilotum the leaves are all rudimentary. 105. Fructification.—The fructification of the club-mosses is chiefly borne in solitary or clustered (2-5) spikes which are formed of numerous scales or scale-like leaves each bearing a single large. Pl
Size: 1376px × 1816px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorunderwoo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookyear1881
