Flowerless plants; ferns, mushrooms, mosses, lichens, and seaweeds

FERNS
THE SENSITIVE FERN
August is a good time to wander through the fields
in search of ferns. Along the banks of the streams
one may find large, coarse-looking plants that grow
in dense clumps. These are sensitive ferns. Go
nearer and examine them carefully. Hidden away at
the bottom of the mass of fronds are some tiny coiled
crosiers for next year's leaves. Here and there are
stems that look exactly like the lower part of the
stipe, but they end in a point. They have no leaves
and are never more than two or three inches long.
The rootstock is about as large as a pencil and
creeps along under the ground, sending out many
branches. The fronds come up from these at differ-
ent times during the summer. See how broad these
coarse leaves are. They are triangular in shape, and
the edges are very deeply cut.
Does it not seem strange that the name " sensi-
tive' ' should be given to a plant with such large,
coarse fronds? It was probably called by that name
because the early frosts so quickly kill it. Or it may
have been because it withers so soon after being cut.
Look now at the clusters of spore cases. These
are fronds of another kind. They are shorter than
the others. If you examine them carefully you will
see that they are made up of leaflets just as the large
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