30 ACOTYLEDONE^E. 



The whole division Acotyledonece is no less remark- 

 able in habitat than obscure in the manner of repro- 

 duction. The plants included in it are in duration, 

 ephemeral, annual, or perennial ; in form filaceous or 

 foliaceous ; in consistence, carnose, coriaceous, mem- 

 branaceous, crustaceous, fibrous, or gelatinous ; in 

 station they are found rooted in earth, adhering to 

 rocks and stones, or as parasites on other plants ; 

 existing chiefly in cold humid regions either in the 

 open air, floating on, or constantly submerged in 

 water ; from the motion of which they are, like 

 aquatic animals, defended by a mucus, acting instead 

 of a cuticle, covering their whole exterior. But of 

 whatever form or magnitude they may be, their 

 elementary structure, with but few exceptions, is cel- 

 lular. The most simple of this division is, perhaps, 

 the Tremella ; it being only a formless body of jelly, 

 bearing, even in its most mature state, very slight 

 marks of organisation. The most complicated and 

 perfect plants are contained in the class Foliacece, viz. 

 the Equisitacece^ and the Filices: some of the latter 

 arrive at a considerable and tree-like size, and are 

 most elegant in their forms, and curious in their 

 evolution. 



Many of the ferns have tuberous stems which are 

 perennial, and reptant either beneath or on the sur- 

 face of the ground. The fine powder discharged from 

 the fronds, if not seed, is certainly a vital essence ; 

 as plants are easily raised by sowing it on a proper 

 soil and in a favourable situation. And of its tena- 





