FERNS. 129 
SUBORDER 2.—HYMENOPHYLLE. 
Fruitmasses marginal. Sporecases mostly sessile, placed 
along an elongated axis ; ring diagonal or transversal or almost 
longitudinal, complete ; dehiscence longitudinal or almost trans- 
versal. 
SUBORDER 3.—GLEICHENIACE. 
Fruitmasses dorsal. Sporecases sessile ; ring transversal, com- 
plete ; dehiscence longitudinal. 
SUBORDER 4.—OsSMUNDACEA. 
Fruitmasses terminal or dorsal. Sporecases stalked; ring 
very incomplete, transversal ; dehiscence vertical or longitudinal. 
SuBORDER 5.—ScHIZHACER, 
Fruitmasses terminal or marginal. Sporecases sessile, basi- 
or dorsi-fixed ; ring terminal, lidlike ; dehiscence longitudinal. 
SUBORDER 6.—OPHIOGLOSSEA. 
Fruitmasses terminal. Sporecases sessile, without a ring ; 
dehiscence longitudinal or by lateral position of the sporecases 
apparently transversal. 
Lycopodiacee (the Clubmoss-tribe). Sporecases axillary or 
spicate, terminal, 2—-4-valved, 1-3-celled ; when of two forms the 
larger containing only one or few spores. 
Lycopodiacez are not Ferns in the strict sense of the word ; in 
foliage they rather approach Mosses ; in fruit they differ from 
either, with a nearer alliance however to Ferns. Among acotyled- 
onous plants (Cryptogamz) they form with true Ferns, with 
Mosses (Musci) and Lichenasters (Hepatice) and with the small 
orders of Marsiliacee and Characee (EKquisetaces not being 
represented here) a class or primary division, called Acrogene, 
because their axis of growth is usually definite, and its increment 
upwards; whereas in the remaining orders of Acotyledonex, 
namely : Lichenes, Fungi and Alge usually no definite (stem- or 
branch-like) axis exists, while the growth of these plants in most 
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