10 



PLOWESLESS PLANTS OP THE 

 UNITED STATES 



CEYPTOGAMOUS or flowerless plants, 

 never bearing- true flowers with stamens 

 or pistils, are reproduced by minute 

 homogenous bodies, called spores, in 

 which there is nothing of the nature of 

 an embryo. Botanists divide them into 

 two classes, Acrogens and Thallogens. 

 ACROQENOUS PLANTS are those grow- 

 ing from the apex of a distinct axis, 

 mostly with distinct leaves. 

 THALLOGENS are distinguished by 

 having a growth chiefly peripherical and 

 horizontal, without definite axis, mostly 

 without leaves, and composed wholly of 

 cellular tissue: the spores not develop- 

 ing a prothallus. The Thallogens in- 

 clude the three large orders, Lichenes, 

 Fungi, and Algae, characterized from 

 each other as follows: 



LICHENES. Not parasite, on exposed 

 surfaces, prostrate and crustaceous or 

 frondose, or erect, containing chloro- 

 phylose granules. Reproductive organs 

 of two kinds, apothecia and spermo- 

 gonia. 



PUNGI. Parasitic, wholly without chlor- 

 ophyll, the organs of vegetation (myce- 

 lium) mostly subterranean or concealed, 

 the reproductive very various in form 

 and structure. 



ALGAE. Aquatic, mostly submerged, not 

 parasitic, always containing chlorophyll 

 and usually highly colored. Reproduc- 

 tive organs very various. 

 ACROGENS are divided into two sub- 

 classes : 



PTESXDOFHYTA, cr T.". 1CULAB AC- 

 SIO&E^S. Plants with both woody and 

 cellular tissue: reproductive organs of 

 one or both sexes produced upon a pro- 

 thallus developed from the spore. 

 CELLULAR ACROGENS. Plants with 

 cellular tissue only: reproductive or- 

 gans borne upon the stem or branches. 

 These are commonly divided into four 

 large orders, characterized as follows: 

 *Capsules mostly opening by a lid. con- 

 taining num spores without spiral fibres. 

 MUSCI. Branches not regularly fascicled 

 along the stem. Tissue of the leaves 

 homogeneous Spores of one kind. 

 SPHAGNACEAE. Branches regularly 

 fascicled. Tissue formed of colorless 

 cells and intermediate green linear 

 ducts. Spores of two kinds. Pale 

 flaccid bog plants. 



**Capsule not opening by a lid: spores 

 mixed with spiral fibres (elaters). 

 KEPATICAE. Steins procumbent, leafy 

 with alt or distichous lvs, or thalloid. 

 ***Sporangium consisting of a single 

 spore surrounded by spirally arranged 

 tubes. 



CHAR ACE AE . Submerged aquatics, with 

 whorled branches, consisting of tubular 

 cells placed end to end. 

 FTERID OPHYT A Cohn. Vascular Acro- 

 gens. 



These are placed in two divisions. 



I. — ISAPOROUS VASCULAR ACRO- 

 GENS. Spores only of one kind, the pro- 

 thallus bearing organs of both sexes. 

 This group comprises the following or- 

 ders: 



EQVISETACEAE. Cylindric jointed hol- 

 low-stemmed plants, with toothed 

 sheaths. Fructification in a terminal 

 spike. 



OPHIOGLOSSACEAE. Fronds often 

 fern-like, erect in vernation. Sporangia 

 globose, coriaceous, in special spikes or 

 panicles. 



PILICES. Ferns, with fronds circinate 

 in vernation, bearing the fructification 

 on the under surface or beneath the 

 margin. 



LYCOF ©DIACE AE . Club-Moss or 

 Ground-Pine. Moss-like, terrestrial 

 plants with small lanceolate or subulate, 

 sometimes oblong or roundish, simple 

 lvs, arranged in 2 to many ranks on 

 trailing or sometimes erect, usually 

 branching stems. 



II — HETEROSPOROU3 VASCULAR 

 ACROGENS. Spores of two kinds, one 

 producing a prothallus with archegonia, 

 the other smaller and containing anther- 

 izoicls. This group contains the follow- 

 ing orders: 



SELAGIKELLEAE, The two kinds of 

 spores borne separately upon the upper 

 side of the base of linear grass-like 

 radical lvs or in the axils small lvs ar- 

 ranged in 4 ranks upon a stem. 

 MARSILIACEAE. Spores of both kinds 

 together in peduncled capsules borne 

 upon a rhizome. Lvs filiform or pedate- 

 ly quadrifoliate. 



SALVINIACEAE. Small floating plants, 

 the spores borne in separate capsules at 

 the base of the frond. 



ISOETACEAE. Lvs awl-shaped, tubular, 

 containing the sporangia in their axils. 



Order OPHIOGLOSSACEAE Lindley. 

 SOfRYCHIUM Swz. Grape-fern. 



Sporangia in pinnate or compound 

 spikes or panicles. Veins free. Spores 

 copious, sulphur-yellow. 

 Section EUBOTRYOHIUM Bud enclosed 

 in the base of the stalk. 

 *Vernation wholly straight. 

 B: SIMPLEX E. Hitchcock. 



Plant 2-7' hi, fleshy; sterile seg stalk- 

 ed, varying in insertion from near the 

 rtstalk to two-thirds the night of st. 

 ovate, obovate or oblong, entire, incised, 

 or pinnately parted into 1-3 pairs of 

 roundish or semi-lunate lobes; fertile 

 spike long-stalked, simple or y 2 -pinnate ; 

 spores largest of genus, closely covered 

 with small points; bud smooth; apex of 

 both sterile and fertile seg erect. 

 New England. NY, northward. 

 Variety COMPOSITUM Lasch. 



Sterile seg composed of 2 or 3 pin- 

 nately incised divisions. Wyo; Cal. 

 ** Vernation partly inclined in one or 

 both portions. I — Buds smooth; sterile 

 seg sessile or short-stalked; plant small, 

 fr'ng in early summer. 

 B: L UN ARIA Swz. 



Moonwort. Plant 5-8' hi, fleshy; sterile 

 seg nearly sessile, borne near the mid- 

 dle of stalk, oblong, simply pinnate with 

 5-15 lunate or fan-shaped lobes which 

 are crenate, incised, or entire, close and 

 overlapping, or distant; fertile seg bi- 

 tri-pinnate, panicled, about the hight of 

 the sterile. Apex only of sterile seg 

 bent over and outside of the nearly 

 straight fertile seg in vernation; divis- 



