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having joined together so as to produce 

 only one fruit. 



Tomatos are much more commonly used 

 for food in the south of Europe and other 

 parts of the continent than they are in 

 this country. Near Rome and Naples whole 

 fields are covered with it, the fruit being 

 one of the most common articles used in 

 Italian cookery. Now that their agreeable 

 qualities are better known, they are begin- 

 ning to be more generally appreciated with 

 us, and, in addition to those grown in this 

 country, considerable quantities are im- 

 ported from the continent. Although 

 they belong to a family usually looked 

 upon with suspicion, on account of the 

 narcotic poisonous properties of so many 

 plants belonging to it, they, in common 

 with the fruits of many Solanums, are per- 

 fectly wholesome, and may be freely eaten. 

 In a green state, Tomatos form an excellent 

 pickle, and when ripe, various delicious 

 sauces and ketchups are made of them ; 

 besides which they are largely eaten either 

 raw, or when cooked in various ways. 

 Used as an article of diet, they are con- 

 sidered beneficial in affections of the liver, 

 indigestion, diarrhcea, and other com- 

 plaints. The word Tomato is derived from 

 the Spanish-American name Tamate ; and 

 the other common English name, Love 

 Apple, has arisen from their supposed 

 power of exciting tender feelings. [A. S.] 



LYCOPODE. Vegetable brimstone, the 

 highly inflammable powder contained in 

 the spore-cases of Lycopodium clavatum 

 and L. Selago. 



LYCOPODIACE^E. A natural order of 

 Acrcgens, consisting of two very distinct 

 groups, one of which contains numerous 

 species with the habit of the larger mosses 

 I or conifers, and the other of aquatics 

 | which have a more or less herbaceous 

 ] aspect. Phylloglossum, consisting of a sin- 

 . gle species, is, however, nearly interme- 

 diate. They are distinguished from ferns 

 by the absence of a ring to the capsules, 

 which are either bi-tri-valved or altogether 

 | anomalous (see Isoetes) ;by their different 

 mode of germination ; and, as far as is 

 known, by the very different character of 

 their antheridia. In Selaginella there are 

 two distinct kinds of capsules, the one 

 producing large four-sided (globoso-tetra- 

 hedric) spores, and the other smaller an- 

 theridia. The spores germinate by cell- 

 division on one side, a quantity of arche- 

 gonia being produced in the cellular 

 stratum formed during the process of ger- 

 mination; the antheridia, which at first 

 have quite the appearance of spores or 

 pollen grains, after several weeks produce 

 spiral spermatozoids from their cavity, by 

 means of which the embryo cell in each 

 archegonium is fertilized. This in due 

 time becomes further organised, acquires a 

 distinct root and axis, and finally produces 

 a dicotyledonous embryo strongly resem- 

 bling that of phamogams. In the other 

 genera whose fruit has been examined, the 

 process of reproduction is essentially the 

 same. 



In Lycopodium there is no distinct second 

 fruit, and the details of germination are at 

 present unknown. It is conjectured that 

 the cellular stratum produced during ger- 

 mination, or in other words the prothallus, 

 produces antheridia together with the ar- 

 chegonia as in ferns. This is, however, i 

 very uncertain. The stem, when well de- j 

 veloped, consists of a mass of thick-walled 

 often dotted cells, enclosing one or many 

 bundles of scalariform tissue, which send 

 off branches to every leaf and bud. This 

 is occasionally accompanied by distinctly 

 reticulated cells. There is, however, no 

 crossing of bundles as in Endogens, and 

 there are no medullary rays. In many re- 

 spects the structure is that of ferns. 



a. Sclafjindla spinulosa. 



b. Lycopodium clavatum. 



Lycopodiacece occur in all parts of the 

 world, but far the finest species and the 

 most abundant occur in the tropics or in 

 countries where there are no very striking 

 distinctions of temperature. The finest 

 modern lycopods, however, cannot bear 

 comparison with the Sigillariee and Lepido- 

 dendra of ancient strata, which vie with 

 tree-ferns in their stem, and with conifers in 

 theirfruit. In essentials their stems agree 

 in structure with modern lycopods, that 

 of Lepidodendron consisting of a central 

 mass made up principally of large scalari- 

 form vessels which send off branches to 

 the leaves through the surrounding thick- 

 walled cells. Sigillaria, however, takes a 

 step towards phsenogams, having, instead 

 of a nearly uniform central mass, wedges 

 of vessels interrupted by rays from the 

 surrounding celiular tissue. [M. J. B.] 



LYCOPODIUM. One of the two great 

 genera of lycopods, known more espe- 

 cially by the name of Clubmosses. They are 

 distinguished from Selaginella by the coni- 

 ferous habit, and single form of capsules. 

 The species vary greatly in size, and while 

 some are quite prostrate, others are erect, 



