422 Farmer and Freeman. — On the Structure and 
Helminthostachys approximates more to Botrychium than to 
Ophioglossum. It is true that Holle 1 believed that he had 
discovered in both these genera, a regular relationship 
between the roots and leaves ; but though this perhaps may 
hold for Ophioglossum , it has been already questioned by 
others for Botrychium^ and indeed Holle’s own figure does not 
give much support to his views. Thus Botrychium , in this 
respect, would occupy a position intermediate between 
Ophioglossum and Helminthostachys. The roots are, at any 
rate in the latter Fern, more numerous than the leaves, and 
are fleshy brittle structures like those so characteristic of 
the other Ophioglossaceae. They branch freely and mono- 
podially, but the branches in the great majority of cases are 
either short-lived or rudimentary, and their vestiges form 
mere warty swellings on the surface of the parent root, which 
thus appears, on superficial examination, to be unbranched. 
In this branching of the roots another indication of affinity 
with Botrychium may perhaps be traced. 
As in the family generally, root-hairs are absent, although 
in one or two instances slight outgrowths of the external cells 
seemed to indicate their possible formation under more 
favourable conditions. In any case, however, the amount of 
root-surface available for them is very limited owing to the 
early cuticularisation of the subjacent cortical layer and the 
consequent exfoliation of the outermost cells. The roots 
persist for a considerable number of years, and their bulky 
cortex serves without doubt to increase the storage-room for 
the starch which is contained so abundantly by the plant. 
No adventitious buds were seen on any roots, although 
when collecting the plants, these were specially looked for ; 
it would appear therefore that this form of vegetative repro- 
duction which is not uncommon in the other members of the 
family is absent from, or at least rare in, Helminthostachys. 
The creeping rhizome forms a normally unbranched struc- 
ture, and persists for a great number of years, as is shown 
1 Holle, Ueb. Ban u. Entwickl. d. Vegetationsorgane d. Ophioglosseen, Bot. 
Zeit., 1875. 
