102 EH^ARY STUDIES IN BOTANY 



Lycopodiales were conspicuous members of the forests. At 

 present, however, they are all small and mostly prostrate 

 plants that send up vertical branches bearing the sporangia. 



(2) Horsetails (Equisetales). These plants are sometimes 

 called " scouring rushes," and are so peculiar in appearance 

 that they can never be mistaken. The stems are green and 

 jointed, and often the joints can be pulled apart easily (Fig. 

 81). At each joint there is a circle of minute leaves forming 



PIG. 83. Young fern leaves arising from the subterranean stem (rootstock), and show- 

 ing the rolled tip. 



a toothed sheath, but they are not foliage leaves, for they do 

 not display green tissue. As a consequence, the stem looks 

 bare, which is especially noticeable when it does not branch. 

 When branching occurs, it may be very profuse, so that the 

 plant looks like a miniature bush (Fig. 82). Since there are 

 no foliage leaves, all the work of food manufacture must be 

 done by the green tissue of the stem. 



The Equisetums (which seems to be a better name to use 



