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point that the leaves appear to have their origin. Some
botanists have held the opinion that it continues to die at
the circumference while it grows in the interior, and the
appearances presented by the exterior and interior of the
tuber seem rather to confirm this view. From these tubers
are produced the long semipellucid tubular roots, which are
either simple or forked near their extremity, and naturally
strike downwards almost perpendicularly. Mr. New'man
describes the taste of the tubers as being earthy, but not
otherwise remarkable.
The leaves spring from the crown of the tuber, and grow
erect to the height of four or six inches, or more. They
are persistent, and of an olive-green colour, and their general
form is awl-shaped. The basal portion is dilated and
furnished with membranous margins; above this dilated
base they are nearly round, or, more exactly, bluntly quadrangular,
being formed of four parallel hollow tubes, which
tubes are subdivided at irregular distances by transverse
partitions: towards the apex they taper off and terminate
in a sharp point. The transverse partitions above mentioned,
being visible through 'the texture of the leaf, give
it a jointed appearance. Owing to their brittleness, they
not unfrequently break off at one of these joint-like points,
their basal parts and the decaying remains of the older
leaves continuing to encircle the base of the young vigorous
leaves springing from the centre.
The fructification is contained within the dilated bases of
the leaves, and consists of roundish, hard, membranous spore-
cases. Some of these spore-cases contain roundish bodies
or spores, marked with a triangular suture on the top, and
a transverse annular one in addition; these spores separate
at the sutures into three triangular valves, exposing an
interior subglobose semi-gelatinous substance; externally
they are opake, whitish, and rough wdth minute prominent
points. The other set of spore-cases—usually said to occur
at the base of the inner leaves, whüe the former occupy the
bases of the outer ones, but, according to Mr. Newman, not
following any law in their relative position— contain minute
angular sporules, which are very numerous, and of a pale
yellow colour. These different kinds of spores have been
sometimes called anthers and ovules, as have the similar
bodies in the Club-mosses; but it is rather to be considered
that the smaller grains are the imperfect representatives of
the larger ones, since as yet we possess no good evidence of
the sexuality of this race of plants.
Two distinct-looking forms of the Quillwort have been
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