Summary 



This plant is known to botanists as Pilula globulifera. 

 Both generic and specific names refer to the small pill- 

 like or globular-shaped spore capsules. Pilula is a 

 Latin word meaning " a little pill." Globulifera is also 

 a Latin word, formed from globus, " a globe or ball," 

 andfero, " I carry." The common names, Pillwort and 

 Pepperwort, also refer to the spore capsules which have 

 been compared to pills and peppercorns, the latter being 

 the fruit of the pepper plant. 



To sum up : 



1. Clubmosses are closely allied to ferns. The 

 relationship lies in the similarity of their reproductive 

 processes. In outward appearance they resemble the 

 true mosses. Only five species of clubmosses are 

 found in Britain to-day. 



2. The Selaginellas are represented by one native 

 species only. This group of plants is distinguished 

 from the clubmosses by the production of two sets of 

 spores, smaller and larger, giving rise to male and 

 female elements respectively. 



3. The Quillwort is a near relative of the Selaginellas. 

 It, too, possesses spores of two kinds producing the 

 male and female organs. It is aquatic in habit, and 

 is to be found in the deeper parts of lakes. 



4. The only native Waterfern is the Pillwort. It 

 also is closely related to the Selaginellas, possessing the 

 same two types of spores. Both types are to be found, 

 in the case of the Pillwort, in the one capsule. 



B.F. 73 I0 



