1. Equisbtum.] 10. EQUISETACE^. 



1-5-4" long. Leaf teeth -07- -12" long, subulate-acuminate, black 

 with scarious margin, very variable in number from 8-9 to many- 

 more on luxuriant plants. Cone or spike -3- -7" long, sessile in the 

 funnel-shaped tip of the branch until mature then very shortly stalked; 

 tip rounded or apiculate. Peltate sporophylls orbicular or oblong 

 about -05" diam. pale with a black centre. Sporangia oblong yellow. 



Along shady streams. Singbhimi, not uncommon ! Manbhum, Camp. ! Ranchi, 

 ascending to 3000 ft. at Neterhat ! Fr. Sept.-Oct. 



2. E. diffusum, Don. 



Erect, 1-2 ft. high and easily distinguished by above characters. Found in 

 the Jalpaiguri district and possibly occius in Purneah. 



LYCOPODIALES. 



FAM. 11. LYCOPODIACEJE. 



Stems usually rigid prostrate and creeping, more rarely erect, some- 

 times from a creeping rootstock or corm, roots usually arising singly 

 along the creeping stems or in erect ones sometimes growing down 

 through the fundamental tissue and emerging at a lower point in a 

 tuft, branching mostly dichotomous. Leaves very numerous small 

 simple with a simple vascular bundle or nerveless, closely clothing 

 stems and branches, verticillate or spiral, more or less imbricate. 

 Sporangia formed singly at the base of the leaves or of the more or 

 less leaf-like scales of a terminal or axillary cone, usually transversely 

 elongate and reniform, originating in a group of superficial cells, 

 finally 2-valved. Spores of one kind with three radiating lines and 

 opening by three valves. 



Prothallium (where kno\\Ti) usually very well developed and exhibiting various 

 types, sometimes tuberous. That of some tropical species (including L. phleg- 

 inaria) is exceedingly interesting. It is more or less ribband-shaped, irregularly 

 monopodially branched with radiating tuberosities, living dming the wet season 

 as a saprophyte in the bark of trees and forming bulbils which persist over the 

 dry season. The inner tissues abound in oil and starch and also harbour an endo- 

 phytic fungus. The sexual organs are developed on short thick branchlets, arche- 

 gonia and comparatively numerous antheridia on the same prothallium. 



1. LYCOPODIUM, L. Club-moss. 



Characters of the family. (There is only one other genus of the 

 family native of Australia and New Zealand to which the above 

 characters do not altogether apply. Psilotum is now included in 

 a separate family and does not occur in our area.) 



I. Epiphytic. Branching entirely 2-chotomous with few forks. 

 Stems densely clothed with leaves to the base :— 



A. Sporophylls not forming a distinct flower or club, or if 



club evident (some sqiiarrosa), then sporophylls closely 



resembUng the leaves :— 

 L. oblong obtuse. Sporophylls resembling them . . 1. Hamiltonii. 

 L. lanceolate subulate. Sporophylls smaller . . .2. squarrosum. 



B. Sporophylls forming distinct slender flowers in [double 



pairs, usually 3-4" long but only '05" diam. . . .3. phlegniaria. 

 II. Terrestrial. Branching primarily monopodial. Sporophylls 

 strongly differentiated from the leaves :— 

 Flowers or clubs short and broad sporophylls toothed . 4. cernuum, 



1220 



