LIFE STORY OF FERNS yn ae 
two generations in their lives. It is only in the ferns, 
however, and their near relatives that the two genera- 

Fic. 257. The bracken fern in company with the “sturdy ” oak 
(after Macmillan). 
tions can exist independently. In the flowering plants 
the prothallium generation is dependent, and hidden 
away in the embryo case. 

