20 



OBSERVATIONS ON LYCOPODIUM 

 By Francis E. Lloyd 



In the summer of 1901, during a visit to Europe, I had the 

 opportunity to observe several species of Lyco podium as they 

 grow in parts of the Old World. 



Lvcopodium complanatum L. — A lot of sterile material of this 

 plant was collected by Dr. Dunzinger of the Botanical Institute, 

 University of Munchen, in the Isarthal near Munchen, on July 

 25, 1 90 1, and was put at my disposal. Examination showed 

 that the rhizome was blanched as a result of its growth in the 

 mossy mats which clothe the ground in its habitat. The further 

 fact of interest was noted that in this region Lycopodium 

 complanatum innovates annually as L. tristacliyum Pursh is known 

 to do in North America. This behavior is probably a response 

 to the much moister climate of Bavaria. L. tristacliyum is ap- 

 parently not to be found in the same locality. I have, however, 

 seen material found growing in the vicinity of Bonn, answering 

 to the North American L. tristacliyum in every particular. 



Lycopodium alpinum L. — This plant was found fairly abundant 

 in the Austrian Tyrol on the flanks of the mountains at the 

 Brenner Pass, and on the mountains behind Steinbach, which 

 stands in the region in which Anton Kerner von Marilaun made 

 his studies of the alpine vegetation. The time — July — was too 

 early for the strobiles to have reached full development. The 

 densely crowded tufts of foliage are often so tightly woven in wi^h 

 the neighboring plants, forming with them the dense carpet of the 

 " alpine pastures," that it is at first quite difficult to recognize. 



The striking fact about this plant is that a remarkable amount 

 of dorsiventrality is developed in the branchlets, in spite of their 

 generally vertical position. I have made the statement elsewhere * 

 that this plant is the most strongly dorsiventral of all the plants 

 in the group to which it belongs. Goebel.f however, takes the 

 position that L. complanatum has that distinction. 



* Lloyd, F. E., and Underwood, L. M. Bull. Torrey Club, 27: 147. 1900. 

 t Organography (translation), 105. 



