260 



ACOTYLE DONOUS PLANTS. 



PILULARIA. 



No Pistilla. — No antheridia, Product at first similar, cap- 

 sules, sporules by abortion dissimilar. 



3. Hence the Cryptogamia of Linnaeus appear divisible 

 into Pistilligerous, Gymnospermous, and Cryptogamous. 



To the first belong Musci, Hepaticae." 



To the second, Azollinae, Salvinidas, and Charidae. 



To the third. Filices, Lycopodidae, Isoetidae, Marsilidae, 

 AnthocerotidaB, and Equisetidse. 



Uniform Musci, Hepaticae, Anthocerotidae, Equise- 



tidfe, Filices, and Charidae. 



Difform Azollinae, Salvinida?,, Lycopodeae, Isoetidae, 



and Marsiledae. 



Can the curious development of the spores of Azolla, be 

 made analogous to the polyembryonism of Gymnospermous 

 Exogens, in as much as the body, usually single, is composed of 

 several ?. And, if they germinate from as many points as there 

 are groups of spores, which is not improbable, the analogy is 

 a sound one.* Is it analogous to Loranthus ? 



Chara is the only genus in which the process ends with the 

 development only of one spore : it is that in which the great- 

 est degree of representation of the organs of vegetation is 

 kept up in the female and male. 



The obvious action of something analogous to fecundation, 

 followed by the developmeut of the pedicellate bodies, is an 

 argument in favour of fecuudation in Ferns, the development 

 of their capsules being so similar to that of these bodies in 

 Azolla. 



The development of the Pistilla of Musci, is not without 

 a parallel in Balanophoreae ; and that of the ovulum of Azolla 9 

 is much the same as that of the Pistillum of Naias, the exa- 

 mination of which is again required. 



* It is also curious that in Gymnosperras, the Pollen is at its raaxi. 

 mum development, so also in Azolla. 



