THE NATURAL -rSTEM. 



117 



Now viewing this as one grand whole, we want to divide it 

 into two subldngdoms. How shall we do it ? 



250. Every attentive observer has noticed that some of 

 these plants produce no flowers ; as, e. g., the Ferns -and 

 Mosses. Let us then take all such plants and consider them 

 as forming one sub-kingdom, viz., the Floweeless Plants. 

 All other plants will of course constitute the other sub-king- 

 dom, viz., the Floweeing Plants. Botanists call the latter 

 the Phsenogamia, and the former, the Cryptogamia (Greek 

 words- of the same import). 



251.. Now these two sub-kingdoms have other 

 distinctions he&idiQQ flowering and notrflowering. 

 See the fruit-dots growing on the back of Fern 

 leaves. The microscope shows them to be clusters 

 of hollow cases, and each case filled with a fine 

 ' yellow dust. , But this dust is not' seeds, with 

 embryo, radicle, &g. (Less. .24), but little sacs, 

 containing a fluid, similar to the pollen grains 

 (Less. 15). We call tliem Spores. See, also, the 

 Mushrooms having no leaves, and the Lichens 



355 856, S5T 853 



Some of the Cryptogams. — Fig. 355. A Fern, showing the fruit- dots.' Figs. 356, 857 

 358, are Lichens, some appearing to have stems, and some with no appearance of any. 



250. Please distinguish th^two subkingdoms. The meaning of Crypto- 

 gamia ? Phsenogamia ? 251. What about the Spores of Ferns, &c. 1 



