224 HISTORY OF BRITISH FERNS. 



reduced, and a small portion only remains over to produce 

 new foliage the following season. The direction of the 

 older portions may often be traced by means of a black 

 line, caused by the decayed matter left on the surface of 

 the soil where the stem has perished. 



The spike of fructification, which is produced towards 

 autumn, is seated at the top of an erect branch-like peduncle, 

 clothed throughout with leaves of the same shape as those 

 on the horizontal stems ; the peduncle and spike are nearly 

 of equal thickness throughout, the spike about an inch 

 long, the peduncle rather more. The spike is green, and 

 is formed of narrow linear-lanceolate bracts, rather dilated 

 at the base, and sometimes having one or two shallow teeth 

 on each side. The spore-cases are in the axils of these 

 bracts, and are nearly spherical, of a pale yellowish-green, 

 containing numerous minute pale-yellow spores. 



lycopodium alpinum, Linnwus. 



Satin-leaved Club-moss. 



This Club-moss gets its trivial name from the resemblance 

 between its branches clothed with the closely-pressed leaves, 

 and those of the Savin, Juniperiis Sabi?ia. It is a pretty 

 little evergreen plant, forming thick wide-spreading patches 



