I. Selaginella.] 12. SELAGINELLACEuE. 



forked at the base, copiously pinnately branched with simple or only 

 slightly compound oblique branches. Leaves membranous, rather 

 distant except below tips of branches, ventral spreading ovate acute 

 •07- -08" long, pale green, unequal-sided, cihate, with cordate base 

 and much imbricated over the stem on the upper side at the base ; 

 dorsal about half as long, cordate-ovate, acute and with a hair-tip 

 (not cuspidate. Baker). Flowers •25-- 75" long with sporophylls in 

 two planes as the leaves, but twisted so that the larger sporophylls 

 are in the plane of the smaller leaves, larger dorsal erecto-patent 

 much imbricated oblong-lanceolate, nearly equalling the ventral 

 leaves, ventral paler, pointing more forward, shorter, ovate, cuspidate, 

 strongly ciliate. 



Very common ou wet banks, rocks, etc., in the forests, sometimes forming a mat 

 over which the S. caulescens grows like a fairy forest ! Fl. Xov. and disappears 

 in the dry season, 



II. S. tenera, Spring. 



Stems -5-1" long, erect from the base or decumbent below and ascen- 

 ding, copiously pinnate with the flaccid erecto-patent branches much 

 compound. Ventral leaves ascending and nearly contiguous on the 

 branchlets, lax and squarrose on main stem, oblong-rhomboid, sub- 

 acute, 08-12" long, very membranous, unequal-sided, broadly 

 rounded and a little imbricate over the stem on the upper side at the 

 base, serrulate ; dorsal leaves very small, lanceolate, cuspidate. 

 Flowers short with the position of the sporophylls reversed as in proni- 

 flora, larger lanceolate rhomboid or upper ovate, smaller ovate 

 cuspidate. 



Barkuda Island (Chilka Lake), C. ct .V. 



1226 



