2 8o B O T 
the feeds under their covers. The general ffrudture 
of the fructification in this order is the following. The 
calyx is a fcale, fpringing out of the inferior fur face’ of 
the leaf, opening on one fide. Under this fcale, commonly 
fupported upon little foot-llalks, • are globules connected to¬ 
gether in a round duller ; thefe burff when ripe, and flat¬ 
ter a powder, which is found to be the feed. This cu¬ 
rious rriecbanifni niay be obferved by the affifiance of a 
good (ingle microfcope, with a reflecting fpectdum, during 
the months of September and Oftober, in the Polypodiums, 
Pteris aquilina, or common brakes, and in Afplenium fco- 
lopendrium, or hart’s-tongue. The 1 powder which is 
ciifperfed in this operation is fo minute as hardly to be vi- 
fiible to the naked eye. That it is the feed, has been proved 
by actually railing plants from that of the hart’s-tongue, 
by Morifon ; and lately in the molt fatisfaitory manner 
by Mr. John Lindfay, furgeon in Jamaica, from Polypo¬ 
dium lycop'odioides. Hedwig thinks that he has detected 
male flowers, or antherae, either feflile, or elfe on a very 
fliort filament, fcattered over the back of the frond, of .an 
ovate or (ubglobular form. From this Angularity of the 
fructification being on the back or lower fide of the leaf, 
the older botaniffs narited the order in which they ranged 
the ferns, EpiphyUbfpermae, and Dorfiferae. 
The plants arranged under this order by Linnaeus, are 
as follow : Cycas, todda paiia ; Zamia ; Equifetum, horfe- 
tail; Onoclea, fenlible fern; Ophioglolfum, adder’s-tongue; 
Ofmunda, flowering-fern ; Acrottichum, forked fern ; 
Pteris, brakes, or female fern ; Blechnum ; Hemionitis, 
mule’s fern ; Afplenium, fpleenwort ; Lonchitis, rough 
fpleenwort; Polypodium, polypody ; Adianthum, mai¬ 
denhair; Trichomanes, Tunbridge maidenhair; Marfilea; 
Pilularia, pepper-grafs; and Ifoetes, quill-wort. 
Example for Investigation. 
The fubject we have chofen for the elucidation of the 
genera in this order, is the fpecies of fern called Polypo¬ 
dium aculeatum, or prickly polypody, found in woods and 
fhady places. The firfl appearance of this plant is a curled 
leaf or tuft ilfuing out of the ground, and proceeding up¬ 
ward, until it forms the branch reprelented in the Bota¬ 
nical Plate XV. fig. i, which is called a frond. The Bern 
or footfhdk is called Jlipcs, covered with chaffy lanceolate 
fcales and bridles. The frond bipinnate, or doubly winged, 
(when the leafits of a pinnate leaf are pinnate ;) the pinna; 
or little leafits of the wings are moflly alternate, feflile, 
acute, fomewhat prickly, ferrate, and ciliate ; the lowed 
ierratufe extended into a lobe. Fig. 2, reprefents a por¬ 
tion of the fteni or flipes of the frond dilfeded ofF, with 
the bafe of one of the pinnae or fide-leaves, and its lower- 
mod leafits, confiderably magnified, to diew' the parts of 
fructification, which are little round globules of a milky 
colour, adhering to each fide of the midrib, fuppofed to 
be monoecious. Calyx, fig. 3; a little round fcale, greatly 
magnified; called the clypcus, or fltield, membranaceous, 
orbiculate, peltate, covering the fructifications, which 
conlirt of a number of minute particles delineated at fig. 4. 
Corolla, none. Stamina: faid by Hedwig to have 
antherae, diflinguifhing the male flowers, fupported on 
very fmall filaments, ovate. Pistili.um, a globule fup¬ 
ported on a pedicle ; at the time of flowering orbiculate, 
tied with a circular fibre, deciduous. After flowering the 
fibre lacerates, and the membrane recedes into the form of 
a cup, as (hewn at fig. 5, covering the capfule, which is 
an alfemblage of globules fafciculated, or tied together on 
(lender footlfalks. A little bunch of thefe globules, taken 
from fig. 5, is fhewn at fig. 6, with their footftalks, as they 
appear under a very ftrong magnifier. Pericarpium, 
fig. 7 ; one of thefe caplulaf globules, matured, having 
fmall tubercles or wrinkles on the apex, where it opens. 
Seeds: many, extremely minute, globular; reprelented 
at fig. 8, which fhews the conceptacle of the feeds. 
Since the difcoveries made by Hedwig and others, the 
genera, Equifetum, Marfilea, Pilularia, and Ifoetes, which 
(food among the Ferns; together with Lycopodium and 
A N Y. 
Porella, which were placed in the order of Mufcl by Lin¬ 
naeus, have been united to form a new' order, called Mrs- 
Cei.lanete, which now flandsfirfl of the elafs Cryptogamia; 
in Linnaeus’s Genera Plantarum, as publilhed by Schreber. 
The ufes of the ferns are as yet but little known. Few 
of them are elculent. They have a difagreeable heavy 
fmell. In large doles they deftroy worms; and fomeof them 
are purgative. T he allies produced by a (low incineration of 
the green plants, contain a conliderable portion of vege¬ 
table alkali, and are generally fold under the name °of 
alh-balls, to make lye for vvafning lineu. The leaves, if 
cut down when fully grown, and dried, make a thatch 
much more durable than flraw. South America and the 
Well India iHands furnilli abundance of fpecies, many of 
which grow to a great fize, and others are very ornamen¬ 
tal plantsjn hot-houfes, where they become evergreens. 
For particulars concerning the genera and fpecies of this 
order, fee under their refpeftive names in this work. 
Order II. MUSCI, or MOSSES. 
The tribe of Modes were formerly confidered as mere 
excrefcencels, produced from old walls, trees, earth, &c. 
but they are now found to be plants, no lefs perfect than 
thole of greater magnitude. They are ranged by Linnaeus 
into three divifions, viz. 1. Thofe yvhofe fructifications 
are without any calyptra or veil ; of which there are three 
genera: Lycopodium, club-mofs ; Sphagnum, bog-mofs; 
and Porelhu 2. Thofe which are veiled, or covered with 
a calyptra, diclinous, or having the males and females Je- 
parate ; as Splachnum, bottle-mofs ; Polytrichum, golden 
maiden-hair; and Mniurn. 3. Thofe which are calyptred 
or veiled, but monoclinous, having the males and females 
on the fame plant: as Phafcum ; Bryum; Hypnum ; Fon- 
tinalis, water-mofs; and Buxbaumia. 
According to Hedwig, modes are vegetables in which 
the female parts of fructification are furnilhed with a veil¬ 
like petal, bearing a fiyle. He.divides them into two orders. 
1. Frondosi : Capftde entire, lidded, and opening 
tranfverfely. 
2. Hepatici : Capfule with four valves, opening length¬ 
ways. . 
The latter are not ranged with tire Mufci, but with the 
Algae, by Linnams. Till fie definitions of Hedwig exclude 
the Lycopodium from the order Mufci. The proper Modes 
according to Schreber, may bediftinguiflied by the following 
Natural Character. 
Male Flowers .— Calyx: common, of many leaves : leaf¬ 
its in ftrudture refembling thofe of the plant, but gene¬ 
rally broader, fometimes coloured, open and expanding like 
the rays of a liar, or the petals of a full-blown role, or 
elfe clofing and approaching like a bud. Some few have 
no appearance of a calyx. 
Corolla : none. 
Stamina : numerous, within the common calyx, mofl¬ 
ly feparated by fucculent .threads or chaff-like fubflances: 
fometimes uniting fo as to form a little knob, or placed in 
the axils of the upper branches. Filaments fliort, filiform. 
Antherae fometimes cordate or ovate, but moflly cylin¬ 
drical, one-celled, opening at the top and difeharging gra¬ 
nulated pollen. 
Female Flowers, on the fame or a different plant, fome¬ 
times intermixed with the males. Calyx ; a perianthium 
many-leaved ; leafits various, generally incloling fevei;al 
piftils intermixed with fucculent threads. 
Corolla: a veil, cylindrical or conical, invefling the 
germen, and fixed to its top, united at the bafe to the 
(heath of the peduncle, but not elfewhere attached. 
Pistillum : the germen cylindrical or conical; flyle 
(lender, (landing on the veil; fligma truncate. 
Perianthium : a capfule on a peduncle (heathed at 
the bafe, when unripe crowned by the veil, which (eparates 
at its bafe, adhering to the point of the capfule ; but fall¬ 
ing off when that becomes ripe. The capfule then opens 
horizontally, the operculum or lid feparating. Lid with 
or 
