ON THE NATURAL ORDER LYCOPODIACEtE. 
103 
latter description may be noticed Isoetes lacustris, one of our 
own native plants. They are all included among those which 
are termed flowerless plants—a name which has been applied to 
these and other cellular plants, in consequence of the non-deve- 
lopement of the floral organs, as in the majority of plants. 
Hence it arises that both the structure and the manner in which 
the organs of these plants perform their functions is very im¬ 
perfectly understood ; on the latter point, nothing is at all posi¬ 
tively known. Their organs of reproduction are described to 
be, axillary sessile thecae, or capsules without a ring, and 
bursting by distinct valves; in some cases they are indehiscent. 
They contain either a minute powdery substance, which some 
have supposed to be pollen, or larger bodies, which have been 
supposed to be the seeds or sporules, and which are marked at 
their apex by three minute radiating elevated ridges. Their 
leaves and stems have the same kind of structure with the larger 
mosses, and in their vernation, that is, the manner in which the 
undeveloped plants are folded, they are circinate. 
The plants included in Lycopodiaceae are distinctly charac¬ 
terised by their reproductive organs, which, as just noticed, are 
considered to be of two distinct kinds; both of these are, how¬ 
ever, axillary and sessile, and have from one to three regularly 
dehiscing valves. Those persons who hold the opinion that 
plants of all kinds have sexes, maintain that those capsules which 
contain the minute powdery matter are analogous with the an¬ 
thers of flowering or phcenogamous plants, and that the larger 
bodies are pistilla. Such an opinion is, however, conjectural, 
and appears to be founded on no direct evidence : all that is 
really known respecting them is, that the larger bodies have 
been seen to germinate ; and Willdenow asserts, that he has 
observed the powdery particles to grow also. The opinion of 
Dr. Lindley is, that the larger bodies are the true sporules or 
reproductive atoms, whilst the others are the same in an abortive 
condition—an opinion which is strongly confirmed by the obser¬ 
vations of Willdenow just referred to. We are told by Salis¬ 
bury, that he has seen Lycopodium denticulatum , in the process 
of germination, evolve two cotyledons, thus exhibiting a dicoty¬ 
ledonous developement; but others suppose it to be more probable 
that the two little scales then evolved are primordial leaves 
rather than analogous to cotyledons, and that the mode of 
