EQUISETUM. 281 



Ferns ; or, in the case of some of the aquatic species, to 

 sink the pots just beneath the surface of a tank of water. 



There are, it should be remarked, two sets of Equise- 

 tiims, which may be called the evergreen and the deciduous 

 groups ; and this is a distinction of some importance in re- 

 ference to their cultivation. Under the head of evergreen 

 should be classed the "rough" group, consisting of E. 

 liyemale, Mackayi, and variegatum. All the remaining 

 species come under the head of deciduous, by which is 

 meant that the fronds die down annually in autumn, and 

 are renewed from the underground stems in spring. 



The evergreen species are desirable plants for damp, 

 shady rockwork, requiring no peculiar care or culture ; and 

 though they cannot lay claim to any considerable elegance 

 of growth or habit, yet, from their peculiar form and 

 character, they must be looked upon as interesting plants, 

 no less for their own sakes, than for the mere pictorial 

 effect which their distinct appearance may help to bring 

 out in such situations. 



Of the deciduous kinds most desirable for a similar 

 purpose, we should select E. sykaticum and E. wnbj-osum ; 

 these being among the most elegant of the race, and of 

 moderate size. Both of them would require shade, but 



