genus a ene by, Prof. ALEXANDER nase, “of Curteenhe; 
Germany ; translated from the author's Putauscript, and = 
some additions, by Grorce Enertmann, 
a. pion eee eR. oA xi — aa 
Be nes Cie 
‘My early friend and indefatigable correspondent, Prof. Alex. ‘ ‘ 
_ Braun, having placed in my hands.a manuscript monography of - ; 
, © the genus Equisetum, full of ‘original views, and offering a very™ 
; - Jucid exposition of this interesting genus, I believe Iam render-& \ a 
~. ing a service to the lovers of botany in this country by translating dp 
and publishing this paper; to which I add a few remarks of my . 
own, chiefly relating to the two new Fi ares of the Western dai 
a ted States. Gu Bak 
7 
; : Tae we come to. the deseipton of the different species, it <s 
will®be necessary to explain the structure of the stems of the = 
Equiseta, which afford much nore characteristic distinetions ee 
than their fructification. , 
ss 
um 
a rh: ‘ 
Pa 
7 
The Equiseta have simple or. ‘verticillataly branched stems, 
_ which are all grooved (amongst the American s i, only H. 
eburneum makes an exception, a as far as foe the stem, wee oe 
in abmeibaes their points bly. being Sine and 
ed the toaits of the sheaths. The carine, 0 
_ which separate the grooves (vallectile) are ” 
| limosum, E. levigatum, ete, Or rough from: Z 
(EB. robustum, E. hyemale; etc.): they are simple, (E. 
‘EB. robustum,) or divided a furrow (sulews) along oe she, : 
‘so as to form two more or‘ less distinet ridges (EH. hyemale, E, 
variegatum, branches of E. eburneum). In one species (F’. scir=— 
poides,) the furrows dividing the carinze become as large and deep 
as the grooves themselves, so that the apparent ee of the 
carinz is double that of the leaves. 
In all the Lquiseta with green stems, (but not in ‘the discolor- 
ed fertile ones of E. arvense and B. eburneum, or the white ster- 
ile ones of the latter,). the epidermis of the grooves or vallecula: 
is perforated by stomata. In the first division, these stomata are - 
itregularly distributed over pate surface of the grooves (therefore. : 
tes xvi, No, 1,—Oct. Dec, 1843 a Yo 
wos 
, MISSOURT ~ 
BOTANICAK! 
GARDEN. 
