CHAPTER III 



RELATIVES OF THE FERNS 



Whilst there is no doubt that the homely 

 names of many plants are the nicest, it is to 

 be feared that quite often they are misleading. 

 Of this there is perhaps no better instance than 

 the case of the so-called " club mosses," which, 

 of course, are not true mosses at all. Indeed, 

 in their general manner of growth these plants 

 are quite closely allied to the fern tribe, albeit 

 a number of the species bear a superficial resem- 

 blance to the mosses. It is interesting, in view 

 of a certain amount of confusion, to indicate in 

 a brief manner the habits of the typical club 

 mosses, so that the observer will be able to 

 decide in a few moments the nature of the 

 plant which has come under his notice. How- 

 ever moss-like these plants may seem at the 

 first glance, a small examination will reveal 

 several distinctive features. 



The Common Club Moss {Lycopodium 



clavatum) is sometimes abundant on the moister 



46 



