39° 



NATURE-STUDY 



(Equisetum). Early in the spring there arise from a creep- 

 ing rootstalli flesh-colored stalks with cone-shaped struct- 

 ures on top. The stalk is jointed and at the joints are circles 

 of scale-like leaves. The cone at the end bears the spores. 

 These can be shaken out when ripe. There is another kind 



of stalk sent up 

 later in the sea- 

 son when the 

 spore-bearing 

 stalk is dead. 

 This is green, is 

 also jointed, and 

 in the common 

 field horsetail is 

 much branched 

 at the joints. 

 The stem and 

 the branches 

 bear small scale- 

 like leaves which, 

 however, are not 

 adapted to form starch, as they are not green. The stem 

 is green, and it makes the starch which is stored in the 

 rootstalk and in the new buds or shoots of the spore-bearing 

 stalks. One species of Equisetum has unbranched stems, 

 which are jointed and grooved and have a very gritty feel- 

 ing due to silica in the tissues. On account of this gritti- 

 ness the plant was formerly used for sandpaper, and was 

 called the scouring rush. 



The mosses constitute another great class of flowerless 

 plants. Gather with the children mosses of different kinds. 



Fig. i66. a Moss-covered Boulder. 



