78 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



leaves ' of the plant will bring us to the genus Pteris. 

 We then turn to the Cyclopedia under Pteris and 

 there we find a key on the same plan in use tor the 

 seed plants by means of which we can trace the plant 

 in hand to its proper species. In the key the groups 

 of the true feru iPolupodlacew) are separated by a 

 head line into tribes so that by considering each sec- 

 tion by itself we can tind what plants are related to 

 each other and thus gain some idea of the natural 

 arrangement and affinities of ferns for each other. 

 There are still some defects in the system (or we 

 have not yet attained a completely natural systepi 

 of classification.] 



BUYOrllYTA. 



Spore-producing plants consisting of soft cellular 

 tissues without flbrovascular bundles. Sexual organs 

 present in the form of antherids and archegones. 

 From the fertilisation of the egg-cell a sporophyte 

 arises consisting normally of a capsule which con- 

 tains the asexually formed spores, and a stalk or 

 Beta. 



I. RicciACE.E. riant body a simple thallus : cap- 

 sules imbedded in the thallus : spores not mixed 

 with elaters. Contains three genera of which the 

 largest is i. Uicci.i. 



II. M.iRCHANTiAOE.T:. Plant body a thalloid shoot 

 with a more or less differentiated axis of growth : 

 capsules pendent from the under surface of a special 

 receptacle borne at the end of a modified erect 

 branch of the thalloid shoot. Contains numerous 

 genera of which the following are most common. 



Antheridial disc stellate on an upright branch : 

 vegetative propagation by means of gemmae 

 i. Makchantia. 



Antheridial disc oval, sessile on the thalloid shoot : 

 no gemmsB ii. Conocephahjm. 



III. Sphagnace.e. Leafy stemmed plants growing 

 in masses in bogs. Leaf-cells complex, of two sorts, 

 hygroscopic : Capsules nearly sessile formed on the 

 apex of a stalk (pseudo-podium) tliat appears like 

 a seta. Contains the single genus i. Sphagnum. 



PTERIDOniYTA. 



Spore-producing plants containing a well marked 

 fibro-vascular system, and manifesting two distinct 

 phases in their life history: (1) A sporophyte differ- 

 entiated into stem and leaves and producing spores, 

 and (2) A gametophyte developed from the germi- 

 nation of the spore in the form of a thallus {prothal- 

 lium) and producing sexual organs (archegonia) con- 

 taining the egg and antheridia from which the spei-ms 

 (antheroids) are produced. From the fertilized egg 

 the sporophyte arises. 



SVXOP.SIS OF FAMILIES. 



1. Fern-like plants with normal expanded foliage- 



leaves 2. 



Moss-like plants with subulate or scale-like 

 leaves 11. 



Rush-like plants with Jointed stems and rudi- 

 mentary leaves XV. Equi.setace.e. 



2. Spores uniform, minute 3. 



Spores of two sorts ; large macrospores and 



minute microspores 10. 



3. Sporangia rising from tissues beneath the epi- 



dermis (eusporangiate) either in spikes or pani- 

 cles or grouped in boat-shaped synangia 4. 



Sporangia borne on the back or margin of a 

 leaf or rarely in panicles 5. 



4. Sporangia borne in spikes or panicles 



IV. Ophioglossace.b. 



Sporangia borne in boat-shaped synangia on the 

 under surface of the leaf V. Marattiacbje. 



5. Sporangia sessile, borne on a thread-like recepta- 



cle formed of a continuation of the veins : tex- 

 ture filmy VI. Hymenophyllace.e. 



Sporangia borne on the back or margin of the 

 leaf, or rarely in panicles 6. 



6. Plants terrestrial 7. 



Plants aquatic, with fioating sterile leaves and 



pod-like sporophylls ; sporangia sessile with 

 broad ring or none ...IX. Ceratopteridace.e. 



7. Ring of sporangia obsolete ; sporangia in panicles 



VII. OSMUND.iCE.E. 



Ring of sporangia apical : sporangia ovate, ses- 

 sile VIII. Schiz.eace.e. 



Ring of sporangia vertical 8. 



8. Sporangia mostly long-stalked : Ivs. pinnate or 



palmate x. Poltpodiace/B. 



Sporangia mostly sessile or very short-stalked. .9. 



9. Sporangia in sori of 2-8 : radiating in a single 



plane ; branching dichotomous. . . .XI. Gleiche- 



.Sporangia numerous in the globose sori ; mostly 

 arboresnent XII. Ci-ATHEACE.E. 



10. Plants floating: microspores and macrospores in 



separate sporocarps XIII. Salviniace.e. 



Plants rooting in mud : microspores and macros- 

 pores in the same sporocarp.XIV MARSILEACE.E. 



11. Spores uniform. min\ite XVI. Lvcopodiace^. 



Spores of two sorts, lars-er macrospores and 



minute microspores. .. .XVII. Selaginellace.h. 



The above families constitute six orders : the 

 Ophioglossaceae and Marattiaceae each form a dis- 

 tinct order; the families Vl-XII constitute the 

 Filicale.s ; families XIII and XIV constitute the 

 Salviniales : the Equisetacea; form an order and 

 the last two families together with the Psilotace.b 

 form th^ order of Lycopodiales. [The I.soetace.e 

 form the order of Isoetales.] 



IV. Ophioglo.ssace.h. Sporangia originating 

 from the interior tissues of the leaf, devoid of a ring, 

 variously spiked or panicled, opening by a transverse 

 slit into two equal valves: spores sulphur yellow: 

 Prothallium devoid of chlorophyll, subterranean. 

 Contains 6 genera. 



Sporangia coherent in 2 ranks forming spikes : veins 



anastomosing i. Ophioglo.ssum. 



Sporangia free in compound spikes or panicles : 

 veins free: Ivs. mostly compound. . ii. BoTRYCHitTM. 



V. Maeattiace.e. Sporangia arranged in circular 

 or boat-shaped receptacles (synangia) which are 

 attached to the under surface of the leaf. Coarse 

 plants with mostly thick compound Ivs. prothallium 

 green. Contains 5 genera. 



1. Sori in two ranked lines along the veins not 

 united to each other i. Angioptehis. 



Sori united in synangia 2. 



2. Synangia oval, opening by a fissure.. ii. Marattia. 

 Sporangia elongate, each compartment opening by 



a terminal pore iii. Dan.ea. 



VI. IlYME.NopHYLLACE.-E. Sporangia sessile on a 

 thread-like receptacle which is surrounded at the 

 base by a cup-shaped or 2-valved involucre, lenticu- 

 lar, provided with a more or less horizontal ring 

 and opening transversely. Foliage normally filmy 

 and translucent. Contains about 8 or 9 genera. 



Involucre 2-valved i. IlYMENOPHVLLnM. 



Involucre tubular or funnel-shaped, ii. Tricho- 



MANES. 



VH. OSiMUNDACE.E. Sporangia with a rudimentary 

 ring, opening longitudinally, eitlier borne in pani- 

 cles or loosely attached to the under surface of the 

 leaf. The family contains 3 genera. 



1. Sporangia borne in panicles formed either on cer- 



tain pinnre or on entire leaves.... i. Osmdnda. 

 Sporangia borne on the under surface of foliage. 2. 



2. Coarse ferns with broad segments ii. TODEA. 



Finely cut membranous ferns iii. Leptopteris. 



VIII. ScHiz.EACE.E. Sporangia with a rudimen- 

 tary form, sessile, with an apical ring and opening 

 longitudinally, either attached singly on the under sur- 

 face of a leaf or arranged in panicles. Contains 

 about 10 genera. 



1. Sporangia borne on the under side of normal or 



altered leaves 2. 



Sporangia borne in panicles formed on the elon- 

 gate lowermost pinnae i. Anemia.* 



2. Stems twining: Ifts. palmate or pinnate: sporangia 



borne singly under scales ii. Lygodidm. 



Stems not twining 3. 



3. Sporangia in sori on the under surface, iii. Moiiria. 

 Sporangia in 2 ranks forming sedge-like spikes. 

 iv. Schiz.i:a. 



IX. Ceratopteridace.f-. Sporangia irregularly 

 scattered, sessile, provided with a broad ring or de- 

 void of one altogether : Ivs dimorphous, tbe sterile 

 floating, foliaceous, the sporophylls pod-like, erect, 



* The free-veined species of the genus should be 

 separated in the genus v. Or.nithopteris. 



