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L Y C O P O D I U M clavatum.
Common Club-mofs.
J J
C R Y P T O G AMI J Mfcellanea.
G en. Char. Capfuies axillary, folitary, naked, kidney-
(liaped, of two elaftic valves and one cell. Seeds
numerous, minute.
Spec. Char. Leaves fcattered, terminating in threads.
Spikes cylindrical, on footftalks, about two together.
S yn. Lycopodium clavatum. Linn. Sp. PI. 1564.
Httdf. Ft. An. 4 62. With Bot. slrr. v . 3. 68. Re'ih.
Cant. 393. Sibth. Oxon. 265.
Lycopodium. Rail Syn. 107.
L . vulgare pilofum, amfragofum et repens. Bill.
Mufc. 4 41. t. 5 8 . / . 1.
C oM M O N on mountainous heaths, efpecially in the
north. The branched ftem creeps clofe to the ground to a
great extent, throwing out a ftrong branched white perennial
root at the diftance of every two or three inches. The leaves are
crowded thick together, entirely covering the ftem, all curved
upwards from the ground, lanceolate, finely ferrated, tipped
with a white filament. Flowering branches erect, folitary*
leafy at the bottom, then bearing a few fcattered, entire, pale-
green fcales only, and terminating in one, two, or three cylindrical
fpikes, thickly clothed with the fame kind of fcales, but
broader, in the axilla of each of which is a fmall yellowilh kid-
ney-fhaped capfule, called by Linnaeus anthera, full of very
minute feeds. The fructification is produced about the middle
of Summer. The whole plant is of a harlh, dry, and lafting
nature, but its colour foon fades. The feeds are highly inflammable,
and explode like gunpowder, as all authors mention.
This genus has been reckoned among the mofles, till Dr.
Hedwig obferved that tribe more accurately. We adopt for the
prefent only Profeflor Schreber’s order of Mifcellanea, becaufe
we really do not know what elfe to do, but the term is unfci*
entific, and the order too vague. Ophioglofliim and Ofmunda
have much analogy in fructification with Lycopodium.