12 PHARMACEUTICAL BOTANY 
necessary, at this point, to make some general introductory com- 
ment on the larger groups of plants. 
Groups oF PLants.—There are four great divisions in the 
Plant Kingdom, the thallophyta, bryophyta, pteridophyta and 
spermatophyta. Each of these divisions is further divided into 
subdivisions, classes, orders, families, genera and species. ‘The species 
are made up of individuals. 
ky Nee sy Qh 
ye N GS 
es wk 
Fic, 6.—A mold, Mucor mucedo, showing the branched filaments or hyphe 
which collectively constitute the mycelium of this fungus and the erect spore bearing 
hyphz or sporangiophores. (Palladin.) 
The lowest of these in scale of organization and the most 
ancient is the THALLopHyTA or Thallophytes [Gk. thallos, a 
young branch; phyton, plant]. ‘They have been so named because 
their bodies, each of which is called a thallus, show no differentia- 
tion into roots, stems and leaves. To this division belong two 
large groups commonly known as the Acar and Funai. The 
Algae possess chlorophyll, a complex mixture of green and yellow 
pigments, while the Fungi are chlorophyllless. The ALGAE 
include the green and blue-green scums which occur in stagnant 
pools, ditches and in running streams, the diatoms and the green, 
brown and red seaweeds. The Funct include the bacteria or 
