SELAGINELLA.
(Selaginellaceae)
This plant family - of which there is but one species listed as
native to Mount Rainier National Park - bears a superficial resemblance
to the Club Mosses (see above) and the two groups are often confused by
the average person. In this area, however, the Club Mosses are much
more abundant than is Selaginella - the latter being only occasionally
noted.
Like the Club Moss, Selaginella is a perennial evergreen with
prostrate stems that are covered with numerous, small moss-like leaves.
The sporangia are borne in the axils of the leaves, these spore-bearing
leaves being closely crowded and overlapping upon the terminal portion
of the stem to form characteristic spikes or cone-like structures.
Unlike the Club Mosses, Selaginella bears two kinds of spores and
is thus quite distinct from the group with which it is often confused.
(See field key, page 11).
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THE QUILLWORTS.
(Isoetes spp.)
One must seek these plants about small lakes or ponds or in the boggy
soils of marshes. Both of the two species listed are native to Mount
Rainier National Park (see check list on page 9) prefer a habitat of
shallow water bordering small ponds or the very moist soils that border
such locations.
These are small plants with tufted, grass-like or quill-like angled
leaves arising from a short, fleshy onion-like stem. The leaves overlap
at their base near their junction with the stem. The spores, of which
there are two kinds, are borne in sporangia that are somewhat sunken
upon the underside of the leaf base.
Specific distinction between the two local species may be made by use
of the field key on page 11.
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