THE CLUB MOSSES 107 



small plant with both prostrate and upright 

 stems. The leaves are very tiny, and owing 

 to their semi-transparent nature the whole 

 plant is of a pale green colour. Some of the 

 upright stems are barren, but a certain propor- 

 tion bear the spore capsules in the axils of 

 the small leaves. In the upper part of the 

 cone occur the capsules containing the micro - 

 spores, whilst in the lower portion are to be 

 found the sporangia, each of which produces 

 three or four megaspores. 



The Lesser Alpine Club Moss is probably 

 more common than is generally supposed, 

 especially in the North of England. It grows 

 in damp situations and is often very much 

 mixed up with other herbage, so that it is 

 easily overlooked. It is now necessary to 

 describe the two or three curious little plants 

 which are closely related to the Ferns and 

 Club Mosses. 



Isoetes lacustris. In this case the generic 

 name originates in two Greek words isos, 

 " equal," and etos, " a year." This has refer- 

 ence to the fact that the plant keeps its leaves 

 all through the year and does not alter in 

 appearance. The specific name lacustris is 

 derived from the Latin word laciis, a lake, and 

 is an allusion to the fact that the plant grows 

 in such a situation. The Quillwort. 



This is an interesting little plant which is 

 entirely aquatic in its habits. The Quillwort 

 has a tuberous root-stock, and from this arise a 

 large number of dark green leaves, somewhat 

 resembling quills in shape. These are about 

 three or four inches in length, and when the 

 plant is growing in quantity in some pool, it 

 is often taken for a kind of grass. At the 

 base of the leaves, partly protected by the 



