Fern Allies . 
133 
will not readily perceive these distinctions, but look at a 
fresh branch of Selaginella with the aid of a lens, and 
you will see that between the evident leaves which 
stand right and left there are smaller tooth-like leaves 
arranged in the manner of bracts; such leaves as these 
you will never find in a true lycopodium. The distinc¬ 
tions that depend upon fructification are more subtle, 
and to describe them would render these pages weari¬ 
some. Better is it to quit this part of the subject at 
once and consider the several families named above as 
subjects for cultivation. 
Lycopodiums. —-The British Lycopodiums are scarcely 
worth cultivating, for the simple reason that the best 
endeavours have invariably failed. They are not 
without beauty; indeed, when we meet with a large 
patch of L . clavatum , forming a green mat two or three 
yards over on a tract of heath, we are compelled to 
admire, and can scarcely fail to be tempted by the wish 
to grow the plant to a similar state of perfection in our 
own gardens. So, again, L. annotinum , the most dis¬ 
tinct of all; and L. alpinum , a charming evergreen tuft 
that may be mistaken for a savin, are well worthy of 
further attempts at their domestication. I must con¬ 
fess that I have tried them all and failed with all except 
L . inundatum , which I have had no trouble with, for it 
grows freely with me in the simple way I manage it, 
which is to bring home with me some of the soil from 
the bog I find the plant growing in, and having potted 
it in this, I keep the pot always standing in a pan of 
water. Plenty of fresh air it must have, or it will not 
last. 
