THE SELAGINELLA RUPESTRIS GROUP. 143 



range is given as " New England and Ontario southward 

 to Alabama and westward to California and British 

 Columbia," - this latter probably being nearly correct 

 for .our part of the world. It shows, however, how 

 greatly the idea concerning this species has changed 

 within ten years. 



Selaginella rupestris is usually found on dry rocks, and, 

 ,in the Eastern States at least, appears to have a pref- 

 ference for granite, gneiss, and mica schist. It is exceed- 

 ingly irregular in distribution, being abundant in some 

 sections of it's range and extremely rare in others. In 

 the vicinity of New York it is a common species and 

 may be found in the public parks as well as on a large 

 number of the rocky outcrops in the surrounding country. 

 It is likeliest to be found in thin soil on the tops of the 

 ledges, and, being an evergreen species, is most easily 

 found in early spring. This species is sometimes called 

 " S re y 



Selaginella W^atsoni. 



The plant recently named Selaginella Watsoni may be 

 recognised at once by the fact that it looks like a 

 luxuriant form of Selaginella rupestris. The leaves 

 are rather larger and thicker than in Selaginella rupes- 

 tris, with few or no cilia, and end in a short, pale 

 green awn. Owing to the colour of the awn and 

 the scarcity of cilia, the plant has a tinge of deeper 

 green than is found in the common plant of the East. 



The main stems are from four to six inches long, 

 nearly prostrate, and produce strong roots throughout 

 their length. The fertile spikes are an inch or more 

 long and sharply four-angled. This species is a plant of 



