CHARACTERISTICS OF SPORE-PLANTS 213 



and whether or no they branch. Make a habit sketch to show all that 

 you can of the general appearance of the plant. AVith the h.p. note 

 the exact form and mode of connection of the cells of which the fila- 

 ments are composed, and the size and shape of the chlorophyll bodies. 

 In the group to which Cladophora belongs these are often band-shaped, 

 star-shaped, or tabular and comparatively large. Make a careful draw- 

 ing to show these points. Plants of this group are more complex than 

 Pleuroeoccus J- but their nutrition is not of a higher character. 



267. Examination of a Moss-Plant. — Study any convenient leafy 

 moss-plant (best in a fresh condition) with the magnifying glass. 

 Note the root-like fibers, the stem, and leaves. How are the leaves 

 arranged ? Examine a leaf in water with m.p. and note whether it 

 consists of one or more layers of cells. Describe the chlorophyll 

 bodies. Examine the stem for woody fibers. State several respects 

 in which the moss-plant seems more highly organized than any of 

 the spore-plants discussed in Sects. 264-266. Its leaves are well 

 adapted for photosynthesis. 



268. Examination of a Fern.^ — Note the division of the fern into 

 underground portion (rootstock and roots) and aerial portion (leaves, 

 with or vrithout a stem). Describe the leaves and note how their vein- 

 ing differs from that of seed-plants. Look on the under surface of 

 the leaves for spore-bearing regions, usually brown in color (Fig. 204). 

 If any are found, describe exactly their location. Strip off a bit of 

 the lower epidermis of a leaf, mount, and examine it with m.p. for 

 stomata. Look for woody fibers in the stem. The fern is nearly 

 as well equipped for photosynthesis and for transmission of water 

 through the stem as are mopt seed-plants. 



269. Summary. — The student has made a hasty exam- 

 ination of five types of spore-plants not including the 

 very lowest nor the very highest. Discussion of their 

 modes of reproduction has purposely been omitted, as the 

 object of these simple studies has been merely to obtain 

 some idea of the shape and structure of a few spore-plants 

 in their vegetative condition. 



1 Any kind oi terrestrial fern except the genus chosen for study in Sects. 

 362-364. 



