256 Bower . — Imperfect Sporangia in certain 
conditions between sporangiophores and teeth of the sheath. 
Ridley 1 and Gluck 2 also have figured cases for E. Telmateja. 
I have a specimen of this species showing a number of isolated 
small sporangia on the annulus. Such examples at the base 
of the strobilus have probably a similar bearing to those 
incomplete sporangia at the base of the Lycopod strobilus. 
A further point for comparison is found in those frequent 
examples of continuation of the apex of the strobilus into 
a vegetative shoot 3 . This may be put in relation with the 
fossil Phyllotheca , which Solms describes as ‘ having its fertile 
spikes repeatedly interrupted by ordinary vegetative whorls 4 .’ 
Such facts tend to show that in the Equisetineae also the 
strobilus is not absolutely marked off from the vegetative 
region, while the proliferous Equiseta remind us of the Selago 
condition of Lycopodium. The facts are, however, not suf- 
ficiently distinctive to bear any considerable weight of argu- 
ment, and some of the examples are plainly abnormalities. 
Ophioglossaceae. 
In Ophioglossum vulgatum a rudimentary spike is often 
to be seen as a small peg-like growth in the place where 
a normal spike would be inserted. It is represented in 
Rabenhorst’s Kryptogamen-Flora, iii, p. 537, Fig. 175 A. 
Similar abortive spikes have been seen in O. reticidatum and 
pendulum. Such cases show that leaves ostensibly sterile are 
potentially fertile. In Botrychium Lunaria extraordinarily 
• small plants are found to bear fertile leaves, with the fertile 
segment proportional to the sterile. But in some cases of 
small weak plants the fertile segment appears to be entirely 
absent. Here again the case is similar to that in Lycopodium ; 
and it can hardly be doubted that frequently the leaves when 
apparently sterile were in their first steps potentially fertile ; 
1 Journal of Linn. Soc., vol. xx, p. 47. 
2 Gluck, Sporophyllmetamorphose : Flora, 1895, PI. V, Figs. 4-6, Text, p. 364. 
8 For most of the species a ‘ forma prolifera ’ has been described. See Milde, 
loc. cit. ; also Rabenhorst, Krypt.-Flora, iii ; see also Ridley, loc. cit. 
4 Fossil Botany, English Ed., Oxford, p. 181, Fig. 17. 
