156 THE CREEPING SELAGiNELLA GROUP. 



fern allies. Owing to its small size, creeping habits, 

 and general resemblance to the mosses and hepatics, it is 

 very difficult to find for the first time; but when once 

 its characteristic haunts are known, the collector finds it 

 again with ease. 



The stems are from two to four inches long and lie 

 close to the earth, to which they are attached by numer- 

 ous slender forking roots emitted from all parts of the 



CREEPING SELAGINELLA. Selaginella Apus. 



plant. From the main stems, scattered, alternate, pros- 

 trate branches are given off, the longest reaching a 

 length of two inches or more and again branching. The 

 leaves are borne on all parts of the stem and branches, 

 and are remarkable not only for being of two sizes, but 

 for being borne in two different planes. The larger 

 leaves are scarcely an eighth of an inch long, ovate, 

 acutish or obtuse, unequal-sided, with the broadest side 

 toward the tip of the stem. They are very thin, with 

 serrulate margins and distinct mid-ribs, and are arranged 

 alternately on the stem, from which they spread at 



