138 OUR NATIVE FERNS AND THEIR ALLIES. 



shorter and more rigid, pointed leaves are var. pungens Desv. 

 (L. reclinatum Michx.) New England and New Jersey to Wash- 

 ington (State) and northward to Alaska and Greenland. 

 * 7- L - obscurum L. (GROUND-PINE.) Steins erect, 6' 9' 

 high, from a subterranean creeping rootstock, appearing flat 

 from the leaves of upper side being appressed ; leaves lanceolate- 

 linear, acute, entire; spikes 4 10 on each plant ; bracts many- 

 rowed. (Lepidotis dendroidea Beauv.) Forms with the stems 

 more tree-like, with spreading branches and leaves 4 6- ranked, 

 are the var. dendroideum (L. dendroideum Michx.). Mountains 

 of North Carolina to Canada, and northwestward to Indiana, 

 Michigan, and Western North America. 



^to 8. L. alpinum L. Stems elongate, creeping, with ascend- 

 ing densely clustered branches ; leaves 4- ranked, erect, imbri- 

 cated, adnate-decurrent, of two forms ; those of the lateral rows 

 lanceolate, falcate, acute, carinate, concave within ; those of the 

 intermediate rows scarcely one third smaller, lance-awl-shaped, 

 the upper and lower rows not different. (Possibly a form of 

 L. complanatum L.) Lake Superior to Rocky Mountains; Mt. 

 Peddo, Washington (Sufcsdorf), and Unalaska. 

 ttt Spikes erect, short-peduncled. 



9. L. sabinsefolium Willd. (GROUND-FIR.) Stems elon- 

 gate, creeping, usually underground; branches erect, short, di- 

 chotomous, clustered ; leaves 4-rowed, small, appressed, lanceo- 

 late, mucronate, entire, apparently terete ; spikes cylindric, soli- 

 tary, with cordate acuminate bracts. {L. alpinum Michx., L. 

 armatum Desv.) New Jersey, New York, New England, and 

 northwestward. This is sometimes united with L. complaiiatum. 



**Fertile branches with minute leaves, so that the spikes ap- 

 pear long-peduncled. 



t Leaves uniform, many-ranked; stems terete. 



- 10. L. clavatum L. (RUNNING-PINE.) Stems extensive- 

 ly creeping; branches similar, ascending, short and leafy, the 

 fertile terminated by a slender peduncle bearing I 4 linear, 

 cylindric spikes ; leaves much-crowded, linear-awl-shaped, tipped 

 like the bracts with a fine bristle. (L. officinale Neck., L vul- 

 gare Vaill., L. injlexum Swz., L. serpens Presl, Lepidotis inflexa 



