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THE
BULLETIN

Vol 1 1973 No 1

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

A new publication appears in our midst to take over from the Newsletter which over

the past few years established itself as our second journal and has now served its purpose.
It began as a development of our annual foolscap news-sheet, commencing with No 5 of
the same number sequence, in an attempt to silence the many criticisms addressed to the
Secretary by members who found little in the Gazette to satisfy their needs. We are very
gratified with the success it has achieved during the six years of its life, but with the issue
of No 10 in 1972 which seemed a reasonable point at which to end the first volume, the
question arose whether to carry on with a second volume of a flimsily bound journal
with the rather unsuitable title of ‘““Newsletter”, or to start afresh with a better named
one in a more permanent format which would be more in keeping with the position it
has achieved in the Society.

We accordingly present to you Volume 1 No 1 of the British Pteridological Society
Bulletin which will continue the objects of the Newsletter to serve chiefly the non-
scientific membership, and to supply all information of interest to our members. As with
the Newsletter its success will depend on the supply to Jimmy Dyce of suitable papers —
he has been well-supported in the past and | hope this happy state of affairs will

continue. Henry Schollick.

SECRETARIAL NOTES

On the Agenda for the AGM this year appeared an item concerning the change in the
name of the Society to the British Fern Society. For many years some members have
desired this change which they feel can do nothing but good for our image. They con-
sider the name ‘’Pteridological” creates only amusement in many people’s minds, it

is not linked with ferns by the layman and has a deterrent effect on our membership
increase, On the other hand many members have a nostalgic affection for the old name
which they contend covers more accurately our wider field of interest — “Fern” is
more restrictive and does not include the fern allies. These points of view were aired at
great length at the AGM, along with the important one that as few of our widely
scattered members can attend an AGM, any decision reached would possibly not reflect
the majority opinion. It was decided, therefore, to have a postal vote and a voting paper
is enclosed with this Bulletin. We request earnestly a// members, particularly those with
strong views either for or against the change, to complete the form and return it to the
Secretary — as soon as possible, please, while the matter is still fresh in your mind. The
result of the postal vote will be taken as the final decision and submitted to the 1974
AGM for confirmation.

SUBSCRIPTIONS became due on 1st July — have you paid yours, OR — have you

sent the wrong amount? The subscription rate was raised this year to £2.00 for members,
£1.50 for student members and £3.00 for subscribers, but many members would appear
to have taken no notice of, or overlooked, the circular we sent out, and amounts of
£1.25 continue to arrive. Some members have sent me £3.00, seemingly under the
impression that because they are not active in the life of the Society they are regarded

as subscribers; this is not so — all individuals are members, and universities, institutions
and other corporate bodies constitute our subscribing membership.

SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPTS will not be issued in future unless specifically asked for.
This is an economy measure.

MEETINGS CARDS 1974 are enclosed with this Bulletin to all inland members. Overseas
members, visiting Britain, can obtain them on application to the Meetings Secretary,

AJ Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambridgeshire.

READING CIRCLE — For the information of our newer members we have a Reading
Circle which circulates the American Fern Journal among those interested. This is issued
quarterly and contains much valuable information for those seriously interested in ferns.
Please apply to the Secretary who will add your name to the list.

THE CAPEL MANOR FERN COLLECTION — The Society is helping to build up a
collection of British hardy ferns and their varieties at Capel Manor Horticultural Centre,
Waltham Cross, Herts, and at our autumn meeting held there this year we were able to
see that the work of building up the Collection is proceeding well, but more plants are
needed. Gifts of ferns will be gratefully accepted and members wishing to help should
contact David Russell, 20 York Avenue, Stanmore, Middlesex.

COFFEE EVENING — AR Busby, Fhe University of Aston in Birmingham, Gosta
Green, Birmingham, B4 7ET, would like to hold a Coffee Evening at his University for
members living in the West Midlands — and elsewhere; all are welcome — so that they
can get to know each other and discuss their fern problems. This is an excellent idea
which we hope other areas will copy and it could lead to a new development in the life
of the Society of regional meetings which would help to bring our scattered membership
into closer contact. If you are interested please write to A R (Matt) Busby direct, and
we very much hope he will get an encouraging response.

SECRETARIAL ASSISTANCE — The Society needs a treasurer and an assistant—
secretary. Over the past few years the work of running our affairs has increased greatly
and is now more than the Secretary can cope with alone. Members living not too far
distant from him would be preferred so that personal contact could be maintained —

@ constant need for correspondence with assistants would defeat the object the Secretary
is striving for, more time to devote to other interests at present badly neglected, and —
since he is not quite so young as he used to be ! — more leisure.

Income
1971/72

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AS AT 30 JUNE 1973

1972
30 June To

Expenditure

1972
June 30
1973
June 30

By Payment

To

ORDINARY ACCOUNT

£
Balance
Subscriptions
Donations
Sales
aseitee and spn ha 132.45
Victorian Fern Cra 26.70
Students Guide 9.30
Profit on Books 20.00
Sundry 3.82
Interest on Deposit Account
a
Metloc A/C Newsletter No 10
Gilchrist Bros Leeds ae no
Neill & Co Ltd
A/C plates illustrations Gazette Vol ae pt "
Subscription
Royal foci aes) Society 5.00
Council for Nature 5.05

Printing and Stationery

Charges on Current Account
Secretarial and Editorial Postage
Meetings Expenses

Advertisement in Garden News
Transfer to Publications Account
ESTIMATED cost Gazette Vol 10 pt 6
Balance in hand — ESTIMATED

PUBLICATIONS ACCOUNT

Balance

Transfer from Ordinary Account

Balance in hand

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING — 6 OCTOBER 1973

The 70th Annual General Meeting was held at the Capel Manor Horticultural Centre,
Waltham Cross, Herts, and was attended by 28 members. A good year was reported,
with the membership now standing at 451, a large increase in spite of several resignations
due to the subscription rise, lapsed memberships and deaths. The work of the Society is
growing fast and the Secretary appealed for help — a treasurer and an assistant-secretary
are badly needed to remove some of the routine work from his shoulders. The meetings
were very successful although attended by fewer members and all of them were blessed
with very good weather. A big event of the year was, of course, the raising of the
subscription rate and it is gratifying that the members, with a few exceptions, have
accepted a very large increase and continue to support us.

The Meeting was held in conjunction with the autumn meeting and members were able
to see the progress made in the establishment of the collection of British hardy ferns
and varieties at Capel. Manor. In the discussion it was brought out by the President how
uncertain the survival of collections in private hands can be, depending very much on
the disposal arrangements made by owners, but in public ownership they have a very
much better chance of living on indefinitely. We are fortunate, therefore, to have behind
us a place like Capel Manor to which collections in danger can be removed.

Henry Schollick was elected to the Presidency for a second term of Office, and our five
Vice-Presidents remain unchanged, as do all the officers. The two members to retire from
the Committee were Dr Anne Sleep and Dr F M Jarrett and we thank them for their
services to the Society while in office. They are replaced by J A Crabbe and a newer
member, A R Busby, who takes a very active interest in our affairs.

The most important subject for discussion was the proposed change from ‘Pteridological’
to ‘Fern’ in the name of the Society. This engendered quite a lot of strong feeling, both
for and against, and the final decision was to place it before the membership as a whole
and have a postal vote, the results of which will be put to the 1974 AGM for confirmation.

Our finances are healthy and with reasonable care can continue so for some years, due to
the increased subscription rate which will bring in much more revenue, and our change
to offset-litho printing for the Gazette which has brought down the cost appreciably
while still giving us an excellently produced journal. This year the Newsletter finishes its
life and is replaced by the Bulletin, with similar contents, but in a more permanent
format, the same size as the Gazette and also produced in offset-litho. We are assured

by the printers that the cost will not put an excessive strain on our resources and will

be much less than we anticipated.

The Financial Statement shows a good increase in subscription revenue, but a big drop
in sales of literature. The cost of the Newsletter rose as did the expenses of running the
Society and the new postal rates which came into force this autumn are not going to
help. We had hoped to hold the Gazette cost down to the estimated figure of £350 as
we did with the previous issue, but at the last moment after the Financial Statement
was printed, we received the bill which shows an increase of £80 on the estimate. The
final balance shown has therefore to be reduced by this amount, making it £78.35.

MEETINGS 1973

The spring indoor meeting was held at the British Museum (Natural History) on

10 February. A very good attendance of 37 members listened to a very interesting talk
by Dr Chris Page on the Equisetums, not the non-exciting plants many of us imagine
them to be. After the buffet meal members slides on the theme “Alpine Pteridophytes”
were shown.

The autumn meeting held in conjunction with the AGM at Capel Manor Horticultural
Centre, Waltham Cross, Herts, began with a look round the Gardens and an inspection
of the fern collection being established there. We had an attendance of only 28, not so
good since the AGM was part of the meeting. This was rather lengthy and put back our
timetable so that after an enjoyable buffet meal many members had to leave before
Jimmy Dyce gave a talk on “Fern Variation”, followed by a show of members slides
taken at meetings during the year. Not many members contributed slides and we hope
this will become a stronger feature in future years. Professor Husnu Demiriz, a member
from Turkey who was on a short visit to this country, received a warm welcome and we
were delighted to enrol a new member from the United States, Mrs Miriam Wagner, who
is staying over here for a year.

We had the usual large attendance on the annual Visit to the Fern Houses at Kew, and
Professor Holttum and John Woodhams conducted the party round the Houses. Later
we went to see the Fern Propagating House and John gave a talk on propagation from
spores which contained much valuable information for those of us interested in growing
our own varieties and increasing our collections in this way.

DAY MEETINGS

Savill Garden, Windsor — 14 July. We had an attendance of 12 at this meeting led by
Jack Healey. There were many interesting plants to see in the Garden and plenty of
colour. Ferns grow in many places, chiefly near the ponds of which there are many, and
we particularly noticed how abundant the Royal Fern was. One large grass slope was
covered with young self-sown sporelings. Later in the day we visited the Valley Gardens
near Virginia Water. Very few ferns were seen here but the large collection of pines
provided plenty of interest for most of us.

Essex/Suffolk — 12 August. Once again we enjoyed a day in North Essex under the
leadership of Vivien Green who had prepared her usual interesting itinerary for the
seven members present. We visited Wormingford Churchyard to see the vigorous colony
of Asplenium scolopendrium among the gravestones and then continued over the
Suffolk border to Arger Fen, on high ground and very overgrown. Not many ferns grow
here but we did see a large colony of Equisetum telmateia, In the afternoon we travelled
south again to the Nature Reserve at Fingringhoe, and as well as seeing the Lycopodium
clavatum which grows there we were able to add a new fern to the Reserve records —
Osmunda regalis. We finished with a short visit to Tiptree Heath but the young O. regalis
seen here last year have been destroyed in a heath fire, and other ferns seen have been
lost under the strong growth of the vegetation.

WEEKEND MEETINGS

The New Forest — 1/3 June. It is several years since we last hunted in the New Forest
and the Secretary was the only one of the 12 members present who attended the
Previous meeting. The long prevailing dry conditions enabled us to penetrate to places
which in the ordinary way would have been much too boggy, particularly Dibden
Bottom, wet moorland and alder woods which were explored with the utmost difficulty
by making long detours round treacherous quagmires, but we were rewarded with the
discovery of a good colony of O, regalis and abundant Thelypteris palustris growing
luxuriantly in a habitat very much to its liking. Other places visited were Millyford
Bridge, Boldre, Crockford Bridge, Holmsley and Hatchett Pond. A total of 19 ferns
and 5 allies was seen, which included in addition to those already mentioned,
Dryopteris carthusiana, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Oreopteris limbosperma, Pilularia
Globulifera and Lycopodium inundatum.

Yorkshire — 15/17 June. A good attendance of 12 members and friends gathered for
this meeting centred at Kettlewell, but we were sorry to be without our leaders, James
and Margaret Merryweather, as James had only a week earlier undergone an operation
for appendicitis, On Saturday the steep woods on the west side of the River Wharfe
at Starbotton were explored and found to be very full of ferns. There were large colonies
of Phegopteris connectilis, quite a \ot of Polystichum aculeatum, and abundant
Dryopteris filix-mas, but D. pseudomas was very scarce. On the limestone scars above

the wood, aspleniums and Cystopteris fragilis were common. Higher up the valley at
Crook Gill, a very ferny steep ravine with a series of waterfalls, we enjoyed a good

ble but did not find any species we had not already seen earlier. Of particular

interest was a vigorous colony of moss draping a perpendicular cliff and being fossilised
as it grew by the limey water seeping through it; the green growing points kept just
shead of the build-up of lime on the stems and lumps collected have a light open coral
appearance,

We were very pleased to welcome Anne Sleep who joined us on the Sunday. The Blue
Scar above Arncliffe was visited, following up an old record for P. /onchitis. We did not
find it but some P. acu/eatum in crevices, dwarfed and looking very much like the rare
species, was seen and may have been responsible for the report of its appearance here.
A magnificent crested A. viride was found but well tucked away in a very narrow
Crevice in the limestone which made it impossible to remove. It was too early to collect
spores and this must be done sometime during a visit later in the season. An excellent
A. scolopendrium ‘Crispum’ was collected near the same place and this may prove to be
as good as any in cultivation. Limestone ferns were abundant in the grikes, including
Gymnocarpium robertianum and A. viride. Again a quick visit to our popular railway
Cutting near Ribbleshead ended the meeting, and two new additions, D. pseudomas
and Equisetum arvense, increase to 18 the number of species seen here.

Borrowdale — 29 June/1 July. Ten members gathered in Borrowdale and had a very
enjoyable weekend with our leader, Fred Jackson, who knows the area so well. On
Saturday we climbed up a ravine leading to Watendlath Tarn and then swung south
beneath Yew Crag and down to Stonethwaite. We recorded 23 species, including good

colonies of G. dryopteris and Phegopteris connectilis and some P. aculeatum.

Hymenophyllum wilsonii was common and one single plant of A. scofopendrium was
een. On Sunday Launchy Gill and Dob Gill on the west banks of Thirlmere were

explored. The former is a very narrow steep ravine but fortunately the volume of water

was low and we clambered up it for the best part of a mile, finding it full of ferns.

A. viride, Cystopteris fragilis, G. dryopteris, P. connectilis and H. wilsonii were all

common and we also noted a few plants of Cryptogramma crispa in this rather =e

habitat for the species. The ferns of Dob Gill were very similar but not so abunda

and high up in Harrop Tarn we found some colonies of the horsetail Equisetum ae

Wye Valley — 17/19 August. Our leaders were the Merryweathers, and James was now
fully recovered from his appendicitis operation and led our party of 11 members on a
strenuous scramble along the steep wooded slopes of the river valley to the south from
our centre at Symonds Yat, a most beautiful spot. Both banks of the river were explored
and one of our chief quests was for Po/ypodium australe which was noted frequently.
We were also shown two plants of the hybrid Polystichum X bicknellii. On Sunday we
worked to the north on both sides of the river, finding much the same ferns as on the
previous day. The dominant fern everywhere was A. scolopendrium but we looked in
vain for good varieties, finding only the occasional nondescript crested one. A very fine
colony of A. ceterach was admired on a farm wall, and in a damp wood some D.
carthusiana was seen. A visit to Philip Coke’s garden at Stinchcombe rounded off the
weekend and we congratulated him on his many successes from spore sowings — one is
an athyrium which ranks in quality with the well-known Druery varieties.

Poriock, Somerset — 28/30 September. This meeting centred at the Ship Inn, Porlock
Weir, was the best attended of the year with 17 members and friends present.

Loraine who lives locally made excellent arrangements and on Saturday we first followed
up a record for Asplenium billotii near Allerford but found only the more common

A. adiantum-nigrum. We then moved on to Ley Hill to follow up an old record for A.
septentrionale, but the habitat, quite accurately described, could not be found and it is
thought the wall concerned must have been pulled down. Another record, this time for
Phegopteris connectilis near the head-waters of the River Exe was our next objective,
and we found it in abundance in two places. We were also successful in our quest for
Cryptogramma crispa, exceedingly rare in the West Country, and found six plants. The
only other record for this corner of the country is a single plant growing on Dartmoor.
On Sunday we explored Yearnor Wood, sloping steeply down to the sea to the west of
Poriock. It was a hurried hunt and a leisurely search for varieties in this very ferny
place would probably be successful. Dryopteris aemula was growing strongly in one
part of the wood and below, on the cliffs, A. marinum was seen, Sunday afternoon was
devoted to a visit to Joan Loraine’s garden after she and her mother had provided us
with a very enjoyable buffet lunch. A near-by garden, rich in fern varieties, was visited
later in the day before the meeting ended.

WEEK MEETINGS

Killin, Perthshire — 21/28 July. We had a very poor attendance of only six members,
ivor Ambrose, Joan Clark, Jimmy Dyce, Michael Gibby, and Chris and Mary Potts, at
this meeting centred on the Morenish Lodge Hotel on the north bank of Loch Tay, a
few miles from Killin. We were blessed with excellent weather, too hot for energetic
work during the latter half of the week.

We began on Sunday with an appetiser — a visit to our known colony of Woodsia alpina
on cliffs near Lochan na Lairige. To some of the party this fern was a new one and they
were delighted to see it flourishing on the bluff of rock which has become so familiar
over the years. | had a report last year that the colony had been sadly reduced in
numbers because of the very dry summer but we noted that it appeared to be up to full
strength again this year — and it would seem that only the fronds and not the rootstocks
had suffered. It is remarkable that only on one small section of the cliff does the fern
grow and we searched for it further afield, in vain, as we have done on previous visits.
Another area about a mile distant, not before hunted, but a likely-looking habitat for
it, occupied our attention during the afternoon and we were very pleased to find one
plant at the bottom of the cliff and it seems certain that there must be more of it higher
up out of reach. In the Lochan na Lairige terrain we recorded 13 ferns and 8 allies.

_ Polystichum lonchitis was abundant, large plants, little plants and sporelings, but only
one plant of P. acu/eatum was noted, Asplenium viride and Cystopteris fragilis were
common, Phegopteris connectilis and Polypodium interjectum grew among the rocks
below the cliffs, along with Equisetum sylvaticum and even E. pratense. On the slopes
were Lycopodium alpinum, L. clavatum and L. selago, Oreopteris limbosperma and
Dryopteris species. In Woodsia habitats a common trap for the unwary is very small—
growing C. fragilis growing on similar rock. Superficially these plants are very like the
rare fern and have to be looked at closely but when the “’real thing” is seen and studied
its morphology is so distinct that no further difficulty is experienced.

Sunday’s weather was cool with some light showers, and as the forecast for Monday was
not too good we postponed our climb up Ben Lawers and instead travelled north to the
Kinloch Rannoch district, and incidentally had a warm sunny day, to visit one of
Scotland's few limestone pavements where grows Gymnocarpium robertianum in one

of the only two recorded Scottish habitats. It is only a few years ago since the fern was
discovered here by A W Punter, one of our members living near Ipswich and his record
was at first treated rather sceptically in certain quarters. In 1970 | visited the locality
and after much searching found the colony which is a very small one, so small indeed
that again this year a long search was necessary to locate it. In two very small crevices

it grows strongly and yet does not spread to other crevices in the pavement, neither by
stolon nor spore, one of those distribution mysteries which always intrigue us. In this
area, in the shadow of Schiehallion’s conical peak, we recorded 14 ferns and 8 allies.

The common ferns on the limestone were A. trichomanes, A. viride and C. fragilis, but
that familiar fern in similar English habitats, A. scolopendrium, was absent. On sheltered
rocky banks higher up the hillside we noted G. dryopteris, P. connectilis, O. limbosperma
and some P. interjectum, as well as the three Male Ferns, D. abbreviata, D. filix-mas and
D. pseudomas, along with Blechnum spicant. Four Clubmosses were found, L. alpinum,
L annotinum, L clavatum and L. selago. | was Particularly pleased when, on lifting up

8

a large clump of heather in search of the Lesser Twayblade orchid which loves to hide
itself away in such habitats, | uncovered a plant of L. annotinum, my first introduction
to it in the wild in this country. It is found only rarely outside the Scottish Highlands.
E. sylvaticum grew strongly among the heather on a wet part of the hillside and ina
nearby lochan we noted €. fluviatile. Exploring along the south banks of Loch Rannoch
later in the day we admired a magnificent colony of very strong and tall-growing

D. pseudomas. An enjoyable scramble up the steep narrow corrie down which the Allt
Camghouran, fortunately for us low in water like most of the streams, descends in a
series of cascades, provided a good finish for our day. Here great sheets of the Oak and
Beech Ferns draped the rock walls, but we searched in vain for Hymenophy/lum
wilsonii in what seemed a very suitable habitat for this small fern.

Next morning the low ground over Loch Tay was enveloped in thick mist which
gradually lifted as we sat at breakfast looking out over the water. This was obviously
the forerunner to a fine day so our plans were quickly made to climb Ben Lawers,

not to achieve the summit but to penetrate up to the far end of the Lochan nan Cat
corrie in search of the rare ferns which have their homes on the cliffs. All the south
side of the mountain belongs to the National Trust for Scotland, and a main aim, in
conjunction with the Nature Conservancy, is to ensure the preservation of the alpine
flora, one of the richest in Britain with many rare plants including the ferns Athyrium
distentifolium, C. montana, P. lonchitis and W. alpina, all of which we hoped to see.
On previous visits lack of time had prevented me from reaching the arc of cliffs at the
far end of the Lochan and the only one | had found was P. /onchitis.

We made a good start from Lawers and climbed by way of the Lawers Burn, with no
hunting en route to give us the maximum amount of time on the cliffs. On the way up
we were joined by Peter Jepson from Darwen who was botanising with his camera and
knows his ferns well. He it was who found the first plant of W. a/pina growing in a most
unlikely spot on a large boulder resting on the slopes below the cliffs. In all we found
12 plants, scattered singly along about half a mile of rock face, one of them an excellent
specimen about 4 inches through and 4 inches high poised on the rock about 12 feet
above us. By standing on the shoulders of our tall member, Chris Potts, photographic
enthusiasts were able to get close-up shots of the plant. On rock screes further round
D. assimilis was a dominant plant, looking very typical, and with it was the occasional
A. distentifolium, clearly identifiable by its large round sori. Looking across the screes
to the next line of cliff, a vigorous colony of largish ferns looking like athyriums was
noted in a deep crevice about 20 feet up and they also proved to be the Alpine Lady
Fern. While investigating them a cry from Mary Potts announced the discovery of the
fern we most of all wanted to find, C. montana, growing in a steep wet gully, in a few
scattered drifts, some on the rock and some, quite dwarf, creeping through boggy
turf. This find in the late afternoon crowned a successful day and we plodded home-
wards feeling well satisfied with ourselves. We recorded on the mountain 18 ferns and
5 allies. The other rare fern, P. /onchitis, was of course far from rare in this, one of its
chief centres in Britain. Common ferns were A. viride and C. fragilis but only a few
Plants of A. trichomanes were seen. G. dryopteris was at home rambling in the screes,
along with a few plants of D. abbreviata, and on the slopes there was plenty of

O. linbosperma, D. austriaca and D. pseudomas, also the allies L. clavatum, L. selago

and Selaginella selaginoides. On a rock ledge a solitary Botrychium /unaria was growing,
and the other ferns noted were B. spicant, D. filix-mas, P. interjectum and, lower down
than its mountain relative, A. filix-femina. |n the Lochan E. fluviatile flourished and

E. palustre was happy in the wet places.

On Wednesday the weather became very warm and sunny. We are so accustomed to

cold rainy conditions on Society outings that we should not complain when we get the
reverse, but the fact remains that from Wednesday onwards the weather was too hot

for comfortable and energetic hunting and we slackened off accordingly, particularly
during the afternoons! After Ben Lawers an easier day was demanded, so we travelled

up Glen Lochay and stopped at the island near the Falls of Lochay. This is a fascinating
spot, only surrounded by water when the river is high, and its miniature wooded glens,
hills and cliffs are lush with ferns. The large-growing ones spread luxuriantly among the
trees, and on the rocks there are A. trichomanes, C. fragilis and P. interjectum. The
shady wet banks and rocks are covered with large drifts of G. dryopteris and P. connectilis,
and also H. Wilsonii. Further up the Glen we stopped at Duncraik and
crossed over the river to clamber up the Corrycharmaig Burn which runs

down a steep wooded corrie, in places very narrow with perpendicular

rocky sides in which ferns abounded particularly G. dryopteris, P. connectilis,

A. viride, huge plants of P. aculeatum, and some C. fragilis, but only one small colony of
H. wilsonii. We found 16 ferns and 2 allies in the corrie and open ground above it. The
larger ferns were common on the hillside where also a single plant of B. /unaria was seen;
B. spicant seemed to be notably scarce. At the head of Loch Tay on the return journey
we looked around the old pier and the overgrown banks of the Loch but found only

5 species, the dominant one being D. filix-mas which grew strongly everywhere. We

were interested to see E. fluviatile extending over the water with normal strong upright
bare stems, while in boggy areas nearby it was profuse with very tall, strong and fully
branched stems.

From our hotel we could look across Loch Tay to wooded hillsides rising from the
water’s edge and an exploration of this district promised an interesting day for Thursday.
At our first stop almost opposite the hotel at Firbush Point the roadside and the slopes
down to the Loch were full of the large woodland ferns, A. filix-femina, several
Dryopteris species, including D. carthusiana seen for the first time, O. /imbosperma,

8. spicant, also G. dryopteris and P. connectilis widespread, and the horsetail E. sy/vaticum.
Further along the Lochside road we climbed up the Allt Breaclaich, a very vigorous
stream rushing down a steep narrow corrie. Again the conditions seemed right for

H. wilsonii but we could not find it. The ferns recorded were very much the same as in
similar habitats hunted, with the Beech and Oak ferns in big drifts wherever they could
find foot-hold on the rock walls, some colonies of very large-growing P. aculeatum, A.
viride and C. fragilis. On the more open slopes A. filix-femina and Dryopteris species
were abundant, again including D. carthusiana. We moved on to Acharn where the large
Acharn Burn comes down from the hills with a high impressive waterfall about a mile

up the Glen. Below the falls the very deep ravine is inaccessible but the glimpses we

had down into it showed it to be full of ferns. Above the falls the corrie opened out

but the ferns dwindled in numbers and so did our enthusiasm after our climb up the

Glen in bright hot sunshine! In a damp wood on the hillside above, once more D.
carthusiana was found along with several colonies of small-growing ferns which were
neither D. austriaca, D. carthusiana, nor the hybrid D. X deweveri, but obviously in
the complex.

We travelled to the top of Loch Tay and decided to return home via Glen Lyon and
over the mountain road by Lochan na Lairige. A record for the Parsley Fern,
Cryptogramma crispa, in the Atlas of the British Flora for the National Grid 10km
Square in which we were, had been interesting us for a day or two, and when we saw
the screes on the north side of Glen Lyon we were sure this must be where the fern
grew. Time was short but we scrambled up to one scree not very far from the road and
within minutes stumbled on one clump of it. A hurried intensive search revealed no
more plants and we promised to return on the morrow to renew the hunt, for we were
sure we Could not have walked, by sheer good fortune, on to the one and only plant
in the area.

On Friday morning we set off for Glen Lyon over the mountain road, and on the way
we called at the Information Centre, high on the hillside, which has been established
by the National Trust for Scotland and the Nature Conservancy for the supply of
information to naturalists and climbers on the fauna, flora and geology of Ben Lawers.
Anyone visiting the area is recommended to visit the Centre which is planned with
imagination to present a wide range of extremely useful information, with exhibits,
maps, plans, specimens and pictures, as well as a book counter selling books and book-
lets relating to the mountain and its varied interests, and to natural history generally.
Flower and fern lovers should buy the booklet entitled Ben Lawers and its Alpine
Flowers.
We devoted the morning to a resumption of the hunt on the extensive screes at the
top of Ben Lyon near the Bridge of Balgie, and higher up the hillside C. crispa was
found to be fairly frequent in distribution. We noted 13 ferns on the slopes, including
very abundant G. dryopteris rambling happily among the stones. Lower down, D.
pseudomas, looking very like D. abbreviata, was common on the screes, but higher up
this suddenly ceased and the real D. abbreviata took its place equally abundant, and
in the rock crevices of a high corrie growing to a large size. Another interesting fern
noted was A. filix-femina — searching for A. distentifolium we noted a tendency in
many plants to bear sori which seemed to be halfway between those of the two species.
They were larger than on A. filix-femina and appeared to be almost round but had
very pronounced indusia. Stops were made at a few places on our way down the Glen
and at Chesthill we crossed by a footbridge to the south side of the river and climbed
for a little way up the Allt Da-ghob. Ferns were not in abundance except P. connectilis
growing profusely on the banks of the stream and in the heather. There was some
omanes, A. viride and C. fragilis on the rocks and a few plants of P. acu/eatum
in the woods.
So ended another Excursion, poor in members attending but rich in fern finds; we
listed 27 ferns and 10 allies, not a bad record collection which included some of
our rarest species, and sent us home very satisfied with our week in Perthshire.

North Wales — 8/15 September. !t is some years ago — in 1961 — since we were
last in Snowdonia for a week's meeting. This time we were centred in Beddgelert at the
Bryn Eglwys Private Hotel, with Moel Hebog dominating our view. Again our numbers
were disappointingly small, although better than in Perthshire; 11 members attended —
Marjorie Castellan, Jimmy Dyce, Alf and Ray Hoare, John Jones, Margaret Kingston,
Joan Loraine, James and Margaret Merryweather, and Martin and Hazel Rickard. The
weather was dry and sunny all the time and with the exception of Thursday which was
bitterly cold on the hills, it was really too hot for climbing — and one does plenty of
that in Snowdonia !

The obvious choice for our first day was Moel Hebog standing invitingly on our door-
step, and the habitat of many rare plants including ferns. Even that rarest of ferns,
Trichomanes speciosum, is reported to be tucked away in a watery cave somewhere in
its vicinity, and on its rocks grow the woodsias. We obtained permission from the
Forestry Commission to take cars up the forest roads to the tree-line well up on the
mountain side and this saved us a long weary walk and enabled us to start fresh on the
high slopes among the rock screes and up to the line of the cliffs. We concentrated our
searching on the Moel-yr-Ogof shoulder of the mountain and quickly logged up 18

fern species and 4 allies. | remembered from 1961 a narrow rock chimney at the top

of which 9 plants of Woodsia i/vensis grew, and after some searching we found it again.
Acclimb up the rock for about 20 feet took us to the top of the crevice and there the
woodsias still flourished and had increased in numbers to 11. Together with those from
a colony known to Martin Rickard which proved to be close by, we found in all about
16 plants. There was the usual trap of small-growing Cystopteris fragilis frequenting
similar habitats and trying to mislead us by looking very like the rare fern. An
unexpected find was Dryopteris aemula, two small plants growing in rock crevices on
the hillside. Asplenium viride was frequent on the cliffs but the more common spleen-
worts, A. ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes were very scarce. We noted a few colonies
of Phegopteris connectilis but the fronds were small and brown due to the dry weather
conditions; Polystichum aculeatum was also seen in small numbers. The common fern
seemed to be Blechnum spicant which was very abundant all over the slopes and a
notable omission was Pteridium aquilinum which is being killed off by spraying. Other
ferns seen included Hymenophylium wilsonii in patches on the rocks, Cryptogramma
crispa on the stony hillside, along with Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris species,
Polypodium vulgare and Oreopteris limbosperma. The clubmosses, Lycopodium alpinum,
L. clavatum and L. selago were all there and in the damp places Selaginella selaginoides.
Later in the day on the west side of the mountain the ferns were very similar but we
added A, adiantum-nigrum to our list. A magnificent colony of P. aculeatum was found
in the entrance to an old mine and Equisetum fluviatile in a pool below.

After our first strenuous day, an easier terrain was chosen for Monday which started
duil and cool but soon warmed up again. We decided to explore the interesting looking
wooded valley called Ceunant Llennyrch on the south side of the Vale of Ffestiniog,
and en route stopped for a short time to scramble on the rocks of Garregelldrem and
see the A, billotii which we had recorded in 1961 — it was still there, growing strongly.
in the morning we descended the steep side of the ravine valley to the Rhaeadr Du
waterfall tucked deeply away in wild surroundings. The rocks were rich in ferns and

12

14 species were found, including a fine colony of D. aemula flourishing on a wet sloping

bank above the waters. P. acu/eatum was also there with P. connectilis and patches of
H. wilsonii, Lower down the ravine before it became impassable several plants of
Osmunda regalis were seen. After lunch we penetrated the ravine from the lower end
until it again became impossible to proceed further in spite of valiant efforts by Joan
Loraine who seemed convinced that the Killarney Fern would be found round the
corner — certainly it looked like a suitable place for it. Needless to add, she was given
plenty of shouted encouragement from certain lazy members of the party, sitting
comfortably on a large rock in the middle of the torrent ! We added a few interesting
species to the morning's list, notably A. sco/opendrium, the only find during the week
of this fern which is not common in the area, H. tunbrigense as well as H. wilsonii,
one more small plant of O. regalis, and the hybrid D. X tavelii. Before returning home
we travelled further down towards the coast to a small stream near the roadside where
at one time 7. speciosum grew in a small cave behind a curtain of water. Armed with
a torch Martin Rickard struggled in through the water but all he got was a good
soaking ! Some of the party today visited Black Rock on the coast near Criccieth and
found A. billotii and A. marinum on the rocks. One good variety find, the only one of
the week, was made today by Martin Rickard at the waterfall — Blechnum spicant
‘Serratum’ with deeply incised pinnae. It is a fairly small specimen with no fertile
fronds and when fully grown should be a very good one. Very few blechnum finds of

quality have ever been made and this promises to be a very welcome addition to them.

For most of us Tuesday was a lazy day when several members wanted to take advantage
of the fact that we were so near Bodnant, the residence of Lord Aberconway, President

of the Royal Horticultural Society, to make a visit to the famous gardens there. In

the morning, en route, we stopped at Capel Curig for a time to explore Gwydyr Forest
sloping steeply to the south bank of the river. Ferns were not very plentiful but on the

rocky ground higher up we found some interesting ones, including A. viride in a
habitat which seemed quite alien for it, and P. vu/gare growing luxuriantly on some of
the trees. On damp ground the common woodland ferns flourished, along with some
P, connectilis, and on the rocks H. wilsonii was common. On the return journey from
Bodnant which had very few ferns to offer us, we visited the well-known A. septen-
trionale colony on the roadside near Llanrwst and found it in good condition in spite
of the dry summer, although plants near the top of the wall were looking very dry.

Martin Rickard and James Merryweather could not tear themselves away from the
mountains and spent the day on the high slopes of the Pass of Lianberis, intent as
usual on a search for woodsias which they hoped to find on the northern shoulder of
Snowdon in Cwm Glas Bach. They were unlucky but did find P. /onchitis as well as
17 other fern species and the 3 common lycopodiums. Both Gymnocarpium
dryopteris, a fern we did not see often during the week, and P. connectilis were there
and on the rocks A. viride, C. fragilis and H. wilsonii. A hunt on the opposite slopes
on the north side of the Pass at Craig Du was not so productive, but A. septentrionale
was there and some A. adiantum-nigrum.

An interesting valley lies on the west side of Moel Hebog, the Pennant valley, drained
by the Afon Dwyfor and on Wednesday we travelled there to explore the

of the river. On the way at Penmorfa a high wall was noted, well covered with large-
growing A. ceterach, a fern which it is always well-worth stopping to admire, and this
colony was exceptionally good. Several streams converge near the top of the valley,
some with deep ravine channels and in them we found 16 ferns, including both the
hymenophy!lums near each other, several of the small rock species, and even A.
ceterach on an old stone wall.

Last year during the weekend meeting in Snowdonia we paid a visit to the Black Ladders
valley near Bethesda. The name is given to the tiers of rock in the cirque at the far

end below the mountains Carnedd Dafydd and Craig Llugwy, and are only reached

after a long but easy climb of about 3 miles. It rained and was bitterly cold during this
first visit so we did not do particularly well with our hunting, and as the cliffs have the
reputation of being good for plants we decided to go again on Thursday under better
weather conditions. It remained dry this time but a strong cold wind was blowing
making us glad to don sweaters and anoraks. We again found the area very disappointing
fernwise, and the noticeably dominant one was C. crispa which was everywhere in great
abundance growing to a large size. Only 12 ferns were seen — not as many as last year !
On the cliffs were good colonies of P. connectilis and D. abbreviata, some G. dryopteris,
C. fragilis, P. vulgare and H. wilsonii, and in the rock screes there was D. assimilis. We
expected to see A. viride which was noted last year and hoped to find P. /onchitis but
were unlucky with both. On the slopes L. se/ago was abundant, also the small

& selaginoides and some patches of L. alpinum and L. clavatum; E. fluviatile was

seen in water at one place.

On the Friday it was much warmer again and we began the day in the Cwm y Llan up
the side of Snowdon where the Watkin Path to the summit commences. Woods and
streams seemed to offer us an interesting day but it did not prove so, even though we
recorded 18 ferns. Very few were abundant except some of the large-growing ones in

the woods and along the banks of the stream. Both the hymenophyllums were found
but were not common and some P. connectilis was growing in damp shady places. On
the open ground higher up the common spleenworts and a little A. ceterach were seen
and some D. assimilis. in the afternoon a visit to the Pass of Aberglaslyn produced

little of interest and we went on to Croesor where in 1961 we recorded A. septentrionale.
This visit ended the Excursion on a high note, for the Afon Maesgwm cascades down the
hillside in a very deep ravine in a series of large waterfalls and ferns were in great abun-
dance. During a very short stay we recorded 14 species and we regretted not visiting the
place earlier so that more time could have been devoted to it. P. connectilis was common
along with H, wilsonii, and the cliffs above supported a large colony of strong-growing
A. septentrionale. Close by in an old mine tip A. adiantum-nigrum, A trichomanes and
A. ceterach were noted in the rubble and wall crevices.

The number of ferns seen compares with the 1961 list — 34 species on each occasion but
there were some omissions and additions. This time we did not see A. X a/ternifolium,
W. alpina or Isoetes echinospora, but O. regalis, D. X tavelii and D. assimilis were additions.
The last-named one, of course, had not been recognised as a species at the time of our last
visit. Fern allies totalled 7, so we logged 41 species in all, a very good bag for a week’s
hunting. As in 1961 fern varieties were practically non-existent, and | consider we were
very lucky with our one excellent find, Blechnum spicant ‘Serratum’, which promises

to be a good one in cultivation when it grows larger.

14

RAISING FERN VARIETIES FROM SPORES Reginald Kaye

’ It may be of some interest to gardening members to hear of some experiences | have
had when raising variations of hardy ferns from spores. There is often a chance of
improved varieties cropping up, as well as a good many disappointed irregular forms
best destroyed. Those species which have been shown to be apogamous have
occasionally produced variations which also are, presumably, apogamous. Dryopteris
pseudomas ‘Cristata The King’, for instance, comes 100 per cent true from spores.
Asplenium scolopendrium ‘Laceratum Kaye’ which occurred in the nursery as a chance
sport, has produced many hundreds of youngsters from sowings over the years and |
have yet to see a departure from the original character of the sport. On the other hand,
most other varieties of the Hartstongue seldom breed quite true to the original though
often very much improved variations crop up. In the case of A.s. ‘Sagittatum Cristatum’
some truly marvellous seedlings came in sowings from a relatively simple form.

Many varieties of Po/ystichum setiferum breed quite true from spores. P.s. “‘Congestum’
and its crested form both come 100 per cent true, and P.s. ‘Divisilobum’ transfers the
divisilobe character perfectly with minor variations. Occasionally an especially handsome
form turns up and very occasionally a plumose divisilobe is produced. P.s. ‘Conspicuilobum
produces about 70 per cent true progeny, the balance being quite distinct forms with
very broad ovate pinnules. Adiantum pedatum in most forms breeds true to variety unless
of course these forms are species in their own right, but one form | have, reputed to be
from Asia, produces 50 per cent normals and 50 per cent of a new break | have called
‘Laciniatum’ which describes it perfectly. Repeated sowings from this form have behaved
in the same way. | have not come across spores on the laciniate plants but | have not
searched them thoroughly — | have had no spores shed from a bunch. of fronds taken

last year. Being somewhat stiff in the joints these days | no longer get on my knees to
examine the fronds in situ.

| find the behaviour of Athyrium filix-femina varieties quite fascinating, though
relatively few seedlings are an advance on the originals, and a good many rogues turn
up. The lunulate habit of A.f. ‘Frizelliae’ seems to be a dominant factor, for the young-
sters all have this character although occasionally diversified with cresting. The

cruciate habit also appears to be a dominant character appearing in all youngsters to
some degree. The classical cruciate, A.f.‘Victoriae’, always produces progeny of the
parental habit though very seldom in such perfection as the original. Recently a sowing
of A.f. ’Mediodeficiens Polydactylum’ behaved rather differently to previous sowings.
Previously | had used my own plants and got a very high proportion very close to the
Original, but last year | had spores from Fred Jackson’s plant and the results were about
half ‘Mediodeficiens’ and half ‘Laciniatum’ which | had not grown before. Some of
these seedlings were very interesting, with long slender fronds, the upper parts hardly an
inch wide tapering to a point, and the pinnae very reduced and laciniate. Others termi-
nated their fronds, otherwise similar, with a branching crest quite distinct and rather
pretty.

Over the years | have had many fascinating sports from the lady fern, some quite
beautiful, some extremely interesting. It always seems to me that there is a tremendous
field here for research on the reasons for these variations. It seems obvious to me that
there must be rearrangement of the constitution of the chromosomes to account for

’

these departures from the normal. My interest is from the gardeners’ point of view,
and it gives me a new interest in life looking forward to the next strange variation to
turn up.

INDOOR FERN NOTES H J Bruty

CYATHEAS. These are tree-ferns and form trunks after they are a few years old. They
differ greatly in height from the tall C. medullaris up to 40 feet to the much dwarfer
ones about 3 feet. The strength of the trunks also differs and a few species which include
C. hookeri and C. sinuata are so weak that the plants fall over and the trunks root afresh
into the soil. This happens a number of times during their lives. In cultivation, covering
the trunks with sphagnum moss held in place with netting helps, as the roots penetrate
into the moss and stiffen the trunk.

Cyatheas do better if planted into a bed of soil, provided the house is 15 feet or more in
height. When they reach the glass they can be lowered by cutting the trunks at ground
level and replanting. But first a good layer of sphagnum moss must be bound round the
base of the trunk a year before cutting to allow new roots to develop. The old root is
excavated and the tree lowered into the hole with the new root system below ground
level. After planting, more sphagnum is bound round the trunk and kept moist to
encourage more new roots and help the tree to survive until it has rooted again into

the soil. The best time for the operation is the middle of February providing the
weather is suitable. These ferns must not be allowed to get dry at any time, for if this
happens the fronds will wither and have to be cut off.

Cyatheas have to be raised from spores but there are one or two species which produce
young plants on their trunks, although they are difficult to root unless kept in a closed
frame for quite a long period. Most species produce spores all the year round and they
should be gathered a week before sowing and stored in a dry room. The best time to
sow is in February, in a temperature of 65°—70°F, which will allow time for the young
sporophytes to develop and be pricked out singly before the next winter comes.

EXTRACT FROM CORRESPONDENCE

From A W Punter — “In 1957 | planted Po/ystichum lonchitis on the bank of my

drive which is chalky boulder clay. It has flourished and now produces about 50 or
more fronds each year.”’ (Mr Punter lives near Ipswich and it is interesting to hear

how successful he has been with this fern which can be so difficult away from its native
haunts — it resolutely refuses to grow with me in Essex ! — ED.)

Referring to Reginald Kaye’s article “A Happy Experiment” in Newsletter No 10, Mr
Punter continues — “In 1965 | planted Asp/enium ceterach in the same bank but after
two years it looked to be on its last legs, so | tried to save it by planting at the foot

of the house wall where it is met by crazy paving. Since then it has never looked back
and has now a dozen fronds. In the same position A. ruta-muraria, A. adiantum-nigrum,
A. viride, and Cystopteris fragilis have all been successful. The wall faces south-west,

So gets quite a lot of sun and | am surprised that they have done so well, especially

A. viride. There was not much room to make a hole for planting so | just did what |
could and wedged them in with pieces of fairly soft chalk.”

16

BRITISH FERN VARIETIES — _ The Polypodies J W Dyce

Over the past two years | have received much good advice on how | ought to tackle the
polypodies ! It so happens that since the olden days when most of the well-known
varieties were found and named, it has been discovered that there are three separate
polypody species in this country, Po/ypodium australe, P. interjectum and P. vulgare,
all with different chromosome counts, diploid, hexaploid and tetraploid respectively.

P. interjectum originated as a sterile triploid hybrid between the other two, but
doubling of the chromosomes occurred making it into a fertile hexaploid. This is all
very interesting to the botanist, but to the grower the fern continues to be P. vulgare
and for the purpose of this article | am going to ignore its division into three species
and consider all the varieties under the old aggregate name. One fact must be
mentioned, however — P. australe does not produce its new fronds till the late summer/
autumn, P. interjectum in the summer, and P. vu/gare sensu stricto in the late spring/
summer. It is important to remember this when growing the varieties, particularly
*Cambricum’.

Polypodium like several other genera, has been generous in the giving of varieties and
Lowe lists 75, but a large number of them would not be considered worthy of a name
these days, and others are synonyms applied by different finders to the same form.
Nevertheless, a goodly number of choice ones remain and a good collection of these is
something well-worth acquiring. The fern has a thick creeping rhizome which grows on
Or just below the surface, and in nature we see it on rocks, trees and along the tops of
old walls and banks, all places which are well-drained, but its luxuriance depends on how
rich the underlying soil is. In cultivation it likes a friable leaf-mould compost and is
happy along the top of terraced walls or in pans; a cold frame on a bed of old leaf-
mould is a good place for a collection of the better ones — this gives protection from the
elements, but plenty of light and air must be given. All of them are evergreen.

Lowe's division into four groups cannot be bettered and is adopted here. The first is
PLUMOSUM which as its name implies, includes al! the feathery varieties which are by
far superior to any of the others. Py. ‘Cambricum’ is the most common of these and is
widely grown. The fronds are almost as wide as they are long and the normally plain
Pinnae are deeply cut into long lobes and so widened __ that they overlap considerably.
It belongs to australe so do not be alarmed and think the plant is dying when the over-
wintering fronds die down during the summer, but continue to see that it is well looked
after and the new fronds will grow strongly in due course. The variety is still known in
the wild in one or two places in Wales, jealously guarded, but there is absolutely no need
to gather it from its wild haunts since there is so much of it in cultivation, and it grows
and spreads well. Improvements on normal ‘Cambricum’ with more divided and over-
lapping segments are ‘Cambricum Barrowii’, ‘Cambricum Hadwinii’, ‘Cambricum
Oakeleyae’, ‘Cambricum Prestonii’ and ‘Cambricum Whilharris’, and are real treasures
but possibly difficult to come by although they can be found in most good collections.
Unfortunately, there is some uncertainty these days about which is which, although
“Hadwinii’ has a distinctive crisping which makes it easy to identify. Fortunately, their
great beauty is not affected by this uncertainty.

All the foregoing varieties are completely sterile but a somewhat similar one which is
fertile is ‘Pulcherrimum’ with strong-growing thicker-textured fronds and less acutely
pointed segments; another very good one is ‘Cornubiense’ with pinnae divided on the
same pattern, but a peculiarity of this variety is its tendency to produce the occasional
completely normal P. vu/gare frond or partly normal one. Looking at any plant one can
usually find tucked away at least one or two normal fronds or pinnae; these can be very
useful identification pointers and are seldom so conspicuous as to detract from its
beauty — if they do, remove them ! ‘Trichomanoides’ is a much smaller variety tri-
pinnately divided into very fine segments, but it proclaims its affinity to “Cornubiense’
by the same propensity to throw normal and partly normal fronds. Our member Jack
Healey has bred a variety from this fern with the frond division going even a stage
further to quadripinnate. It is an exquisite gem but slow to increase and has been named
P.v. “Trichomanoides Jean Taylor’ after his wife. A few other varieties in the section
are all much similar but difficult to obtain.

The second group is LACERUM, of a simpler structure with narrower and, on the
whole, longer fronds, and deeply cut or lacerated pinnae. ‘Omnilacerum’ has all the
pinnae divided on ‘Cambricum’ lines but the frond is narrower and the pinnae are much
more open. Several plants have been named in the past but all are rather alike and the
names have been lost with the exception of one called the ‘Oxford Variety’. Also with
many named forms at one time, ‘Semilacerum’ has the lower part of the fronds divided
while the upper pinnae remain more or less normal. Like ‘Cambricum’ at least some of
the group seem to belong to australe, for they have been observed to produce their

new fronds in late summer.

We now come to the CRISTATUM group which includes a number of forms, some
with only simple divided apices and/or pinnae, some with crested apices and/or pinnae,
and others with heavy apical crests, all of which characters we can find ‘permed’ along
with congested and ramose ones. Variation in this group can be more commonly found
in the wild than in any of the others, and many are grown under the names of ‘Bifidum’,
"Bifido-cristatum’, ‘Cristatum’, ‘Multifidum’ and ‘Ramosum’. The finest named
varieties are ‘Grandiceps Fox’ and ‘Grandiceps Forster’ with fully crested pinnae and
well-developed large cristate apices.

The fourth and last group is ANOMALUM which includes al! other kinds of variation,
none of them very exciting — ‘Acutum’, ‘Attenuatum’ and ‘Longipinnatum’, all with
lengthened pointed pinnae, ‘Dentatum’ and ‘Crenatum’ with indented or serrated
pinnae, ‘Crispum’ with twisted pinnae, ‘Imbricatum’ with overlapping pinnae, and
*‘Caudatum’ with long narrowed apices. There are many other forms of minor variation,
and most of them, particularly ‘Dentatum’ and ‘Crenatum’, are to be found frequently
in the wild. They can be collected as mementoes of an outing, but valuable space
should not be filled with them when so many other finer varieties are available for the
Purpose.

18

THE GREENHOUSE FERNS AT KEW John R Woodhams
PREFACE by R E Holttum

One hundred years ago John Smith erat el Royal —, Sageborge Kew, from 1841
to 1864) enumerated more than 900 species of ferns which he had seen in cultivation in
Britain, the great majority of them under his Own care at ohied it is unlikely that —— of
probably survive for a period only, but the record is an impressive one. After pipes phe
retirement, and an abatement of the ‘Victorian Fern Craze”, the number of species in
cultivation at Kew declined, and the second world war resulted in more casualties. The
revived interest in ferns in recent years, asa result of the interplay of new thought on
reat th with a whole range of new information on cytology, has had a stimulating
ct on the introduction of living fern plants for study, so that now once more Kew has
in a a collection comparable to that which John Smith accumulated; that
collection is now, as under John Smith, one of the most comprehensive to be found
in any cart of the world.

During recent years it has been the policy at Kew to examine the living collections with
a more critical eye and to define their function more closely in relation to the work of
the Royal Botanic Gardens as a whole. In general, a large collection such as the ferns,
consisting of some 1300 taxa, can be said to have three main uses. Firstly, it provides
an aesthetically pleasing display for the visiting public who visit Kew mainly for
relaxation and enjoyment. Secondly, as a wide-ranging collection well backed by
scientific data, it is of importance to botanists and others in research, and also for the
purposes of conservation. Thirdly, being fully representative of the variation within
each family and genus, it is of great interest and educational value for school pupils
and university students. Within the Royal Botanic Gardens themselves the collection

is used for practical instruction for both the diploma students and the permanent staff.
These various functions provide adequate justification for the expense of maintaining
the collection, which is considerable, taking into account labour, materials and heating

At Kew, as many members of the Society wil! know, there are four Houses devoted
solely to the cultivation of ferns and their allies. The main Tropica! Display House
contains many large specimens of a number of genera, among which are Angiopteris,
Cyathea, Cibotium, Diplazium and Tectaria. Most of the plants are grown in containers
to facilitate movement. To reduce the labour required in hand-watering, a capillary
bench water system has been installed. This also provides a better growing atmosphere
by creating greater humidity during the evening and night. One area of the House is set
out as a rectangular bed, where many species are planted out, including Blechnum
gibbum, B. braziliense, Stenochlaena palustris, Cyathea cooperi, C. tenera and
Pleocnemia tripinnata.

in the Temperate Display House the lay-out is similar, with capillary benching and a
planted bed area. A number of plants of the genus Pteris grow in this House. Among the
species worth special mention are P. catoptera, a plant which has a good upright habit
for display purposes but does not become obtrusive, P. podophy/ia which grows strongly
but rarely produces fertile fronds, and P. cretica cultivar ‘Childsii’, interesting because

it is sexually sterile, being reproduced entirely by vegetative means. Three species of

the interesting genus Marsilea, M. quadrifolia, M. hirsuta and M. drummondii, grow in
pots on the display bench. All produce sporocarps in cultivation, but it is not necessary
to resort to raising them from spores since it is so easy to increase them by division.

19

Planted in the central landscaped area of the Temperate House are two large and
attractive Cibotiums — C. schiedei and C. regale. A big plant of Woodwardia radicans
grows at the base of the latter, producing its young plantlets at the apex of fronds.
These readily establish themselves in the compost of the bed; one has to be ruthless

in removing them or the clump will outgrow its welcome, to the detriment of weaker
subjects. Growing very well at the end of the House is a group of species of Platycerium,
including P. bifurcatum, P. bifurcatum var. ‘Hillii’, P. stemaria, P. elephantotis and

P. vassei.

The Filmy Fern House, situated on the north-facing side of the Orangery, is a building
with a high south back wall, a double layer of glass at the roof and a cavity front wall.
Air circulates through box ventilation at the base of the front wall, up through the
cavity area between the two layers of glass, and out of another set of ventilators at the
top of the back wall. This House, constructed in 1964, has a centre ‘house within a
house’, containing the filmy ferns, and a corridor area in which are growing Dicksonia
antarctica, Cyathea australis, many Polystichum spp. and the beautiful Dryopteris
erythrosora with brilliant red indusia covering the sori. The filmy fern compartment
covers a large area and is only now beginning to mature. The front ground area is now
well furnished with several Leptopteris hymenophylloides, and the tufa rock wall is
very slowly becoming colonised by various species of Hymenophyllum and Trichomanes.
H. demissum and T. venosum are growing well as is 7. speciosum which we have
obtained from Chelsea Physic Garden. Although liking plenty of atmospheric moisture
the ‘‘filmies” seem to object to “wet feet”. Indeed they begin to grow beautifully if
they are able to scramble through the roots of other subjects. Ideal for providing this
environmental niche are plants of Dicksonia squarrosa of which there are three good
specimens in this compartment, with many smaller plants coming along as replacements
for the parents when they become too large.

The glasshouse used for propagation and housing of the rarer specimens is constructed
of aluminium and glazed with diffusing glass. It is divided into three temperature
controlled sections; at 75°F, 65°F and 55°F. For the present the 65°F section is being
used to some extent for testing new methods of culture and environmental control.
The tropical (75°F) zone contains a number of glass cases in which are held many
plants requiring a greater humidity. For these, once again, atmospheric moisture seems
essential, but a freely draining compost is necessary. Genera grown thus include
Antrophyum, Humata, the tropical ““filmies”, Lindsaea, Bolbitis and many others. We
raise numerous plants from spores here, and these are accommodated in plastic trays
on shelving under the capillary bench system, the pots being brought on to the benches
for extra light when the young sporophytes appear. The various stages of patching off
and potting are carried out in this House up to about a 5” pot, after which the plants
are generally ready to be exhibited in the Display Houses. The temperate (55°F) section
is similar, but has fewer subjects requiring the extra protection of cases. It is too cool
for the most of our spore-raising activities; but by selecting a section of this House and
allowing extra sunlight in, we have managed to increase greatly the growth of our
ilanthes spp. These plants do not flourish in poor light conditions and are happier
in a cool, airy position with a drier atmosphere.
The Kew collection of ferns contains plants obtained from many parts of the globe.
The environmental requirements of the different species are very diverse, and this

20

means that it is impossible to provide the ultimate in the needs of each and every one.
Of necessity, they have to be grouped together under the conditions we hope will most
satisfactorily match those from which they have been taken in the wild. In spite of the
compromises involved, the level of success is high, judged against the aims of maintaining
under cultivation a widely representative collection of pteridophytes, of truly scientific
worth, while giving pleasure to the visiting public.

THE NEXT BEST THING TO A WARDIAN CASE
Alison W Rutherford

The nearest we can get nowadays to a Victorian plant-case is a 19th century handlight.
There is probably no one skilful enough in metalwork to produce anything that does
not look like a clumsy home-made propagator. The handlight appears to have been in
use since the late 1830s. The word is sometimes used in gardening books of the period
to mean any small cover for protecting a single plant, and includes belljars or beliglasses,
but usually refers to a many-paned structure made of cast or wrought iron, copper, lead
or tinned sheet-metal. The only type | have come across has been square with a sloping
roof which usually lifts off and is more practical than the kind made in one piece.

In the 1845 edition of Loudon’s Encyclopaedia of Gardening there is an engraving of
two cloches (in the original sense of the word — bellshaped) faceted with framework
“composed of solid iron sash-bars”, but it is doubtful if any but the square miniature
greenhouse have survived. Old gardens are good places to start looking, but in three
instances both the owners and | thought we were looking at a pile of sound specimens.
When unstacked, only the roofs were in reasonable condition and the weeds round the
lower storeys had corroded them beyond repair. The only ones in fair order were three
Put in an attic — not later than 1900, the retired gardener said !

Whatever metal has been used it will need some preparation before it is painted.
Ferrous metals will need to have every vestige of rust and flaking removed. The old
rock-hard putty will probably be a lot stronger than the frame. Stripping tools are useful
but care should be taken till the whole surface has been explored; cast iron is far more
fragile than most people imagine and there may be cracks entirely filled with rust, while
sheet-metal can have pits of pure shale which are hidden until the tool goes through
them. Paint stripper helps to soften the putty. Rust remover (an oil-based kind) can be
used next with a fine carborundum stone or glass-paper to take off as much rust and
flaking as possible. A car-body repair kit might be used to fill in missing parts or
strengthen weak places. Copper also needs a cleaning, and even greater care needs to be
taken during the removal of the putty, as the frame will bend into a series of little
ripples with every gouge you make, and may well be rejected at the glazier’s on that
account. Copper street lamps are sometimes sold treated with a modern weather-
resistant lacquer, but | would not care to try this on the inside of a copper framed
Plantcase for fear of blooming — in its way, damp air is more destructive than submer-
sion in water or even exposure out of doors. Ferrous metal frames should be thoroughly
Coated with cold galvaniser and as this will not take well if it meets a speck of grease,
all the surfaces should be sponged with methylated spirits; some gaivanisers react also
to paint strippers and rust removers, so any cracks or rough places should be cleaned
with an old toothbrush and methylated spirits. A good quality enamel is perhaps longer
lasting than paint.

21

If you can cut glass you can do the glazing yourself, but if you cannot, make sure the
person who is cutting it understands the purpose for which the handlight is to be used,
or you may end up with a case so heavy that even with two hands it is a strain to lift
and, set at any height, it will be back-breaking and precarious to use. The putty is not
put on in the usual way — as much as possible is scraped off or the slender look of the
astragals will be lost, especially inside the top of the roof, and it should be painted very
soon after glazing, with some care, as this is where rusting often begins. A point to
remember is to make sure the triangular panes in the roof are cut really neatly as each
one may be different, and if they do not sit down well against the frame the airy effect
can be destroyed.

Making an earthbox or even finding a sheet-metal worker may be beyond most of us, and
a square plastic washing-up bowl is a good substitute. As these are not very rigid and, even
if one with the right dimensions was obtained, unlikely to support the frame other than
very precariously, a wooden box extension to the frame, the same length and width, can
be made to enclose the bow! which should be able to fit inside it comfortably. Plinths
nailed round the top of the outside of the box and raised about half-an-inch above the
top edge will make a recess in which the frame will fit and so prevent it being dislodged.
Alternatively, the box can be slightly larger to allow the frame to fit inside it and smal!
blocks nailed round the inside about half-an-inch below the top to form a rest for the
frame. The wood should be treated with a wood preservative before painting. This will
hide the unsightly plastic bow! and have a pleasing appearance. On the market are now
square plant tubs which might fit some handlights, or failing that, square plastic shallow
gravel trays can be got.

When it comes to a stand and your pocket is not bottomless, it may not be so easy.
About five years ago it was not difficult or recklessly extravagant to buy a rustic-log cast
iron tripod with or without a sewing-table or other top, but they are now as rare as
rubies. If you are reasonably good at joinery your local junk shop or saleroom may have
suitable wood or a small table of the ee height, and if the top can be made the size

of the earthbox, so much the better

NEW FERN VARIETY FINDS J W Dyce

| have not got a very large list of new finds this year, but what is lacking in quantity is
more than made up in the quality of some of the varieties.

Again the generous variety-giver, Asp/enium scolopendrium, has added its quota, one of
them a first-rater a ‘Crispum ’ no less. It was found during the Yorkshire weekend
meeting in June by Tony Worland in a grike in the limestone pavement on Blue Scar
above Arncliffe. This is the second find of this variety in the north in the past few years;
the plant is fairly young but promises to develop into a really good example of this
variation. The other ‘Scollie’ was a ‘Marginato-cristatum’ found by Mary and Chris Potts
in the West Country. | know the finders won't mind if | add that this is not a very
exciting type of deviation from the normal.

Another very excellent find was made during the Yorkshire meeting on the Blue Scar
pavement by Tessa Hill — Asp/enium viride ‘Cristatum’, one of the best of this
variation which | have seen. The plant was strong-growing with very heavy crests, all

22

very neatly shaped, but it was wedged firmly into a very narrow crack in the rock from
which it was impossible to remove it. Fronds were taken for the herbarium and a visit
must be made to it sometime to collect spores as these were not ripe at the time of
finding.

At Southport this year Bob Trippitt showed us a frond from a find made at
Windermere last year of a fully crested Dryopteris pseudomas. \t approaches closely to
‘Cristata the King’ but the pinnae crests are not quite so good. One wonders how this
plant came into being — the area was the home-ground of the founder-members of our
Society and it may well have its ancestry in a variety from one of the severa
collections which existed there at the turn of the century.

In North Wales, an area which we have not found to be very good for variation,
Martin Rickard was fortunate this year during the Excursion there to find a fine
variety of Blechnum spicant ’Serratum’ with deeply incised pinnae. The plant is
young and it was noted that the pinnae were also splayed at the tips which may mean
that simple cresting will develop as the plant grows. There were no fertile fronds on
it and we look forward eagerly to see what will happen when it becomes a mature
plant.

This completes my report on new plants, but | think this is a fitting place to mention
that in the Savill Garden this year we noted a crested Dryopteris aemula. This species
is not given to variation — it does not need to! — and it was most interesting to see
this plant which was not very big. Jack and Jean Healey who were the leaders at this
meeting, remembered that the plant came from their Bracknell nursery.

A reminder that we do not have to go out into the wild to find new good varieties was
given to us this year during the Wye Valley meeting. We finished the weekend with a
visit to Philip Coke’s garden at Stinchcombe, and there we saw some of the first-rate
varieties which he has raised and is still raising from spores. He is building up a

large and excellent collection of good things by this means, and one particularly good
one is a beautiful very finely divided lady fern in the same class as Druery’s
magnificent ‘Plumosum’. With care and devoted attention we can all do it!

PREPARING FERNS FOR EXHIBITION Reginald Kaye

It may be helpful to prospective exhibitors of ferns to run through some of the points
which arise when ferns are being judged at a flower show.

First and foremost, the show schedule must be studied very carefully, and any
regulations concerning the various classes should be closely observed. Judges are bound
to ignore any entries which are ‘not according to schedule’, no matter how magnificent
they may be. Having considered the schedule — which should be done as soon as it is
received — one should then consider which classes can be attempted. It is advisable to
have available twice as many plants as are needed for each class so that the best may be
selected when the time arrives. Too often in a class for three varieties the judges find
two excellent specimens backed up by a very indifferent third. In such a class no
individual plant would receive more than a third of the total points for that class, so

@ bad third plant might well result in a low award.

Plants selected for exhibition should be well grown, free from blemishes, sunburn or

23

damage of any kind, and should be of good colour reflecting good health. If grown in
the open — and hardy ferns should be so grown — they should be given the best
conditions available by providing a well prepared humus-rich planting medium,
adequate shading and protection from strong winds.

Crown-forming varieties should be grown on as single crowns so that the character and
grace of a particular variety is not impaired by competition from a jungle of secondary
crowns. Preference is always given to a well-grown single crown of a good variety than
to a tangled mass of interlacing fronds. Mat-forming species, such as the polypodies, are
best grown on in suitable containers from the start as it is a difficult matter arranging a
recently lifted specimen of this type in a pan just for the show without this being
obvious to the judges.

Naturally an exhibitor will wish to show the best varieties he has at his disposal. To
make the best of them, their presentation should be beyond reproach. All pots, pans

or other containers must be scrupulously clean, shining like a well-scrubbed schoolboy!
Pots should be large enough to receive the plants without cramming, and the soil surface
should be masked with layers of fresh vivid-green sheet-moss carefully fitted, or with
small stone chippings where appropriate, rather than have the ordinary soil exposed.

A layer of dark moist fine peat is better than nothing. The fronds show up so much
more attractively when the pots are so dressed. In close competition presentation may
well tip the balance between a first and a second.

Particularly in such classes as ‘Three normal native species of different genera’ it

is important to grow on the plants specially and not root up specimens from the wild
just before coming to the show. The results are too often very obvious to the judges
who may even disqualify as being too poor to judge. It may be evidence of ecological
value to show bits of grasses, buttercups and the like mixed up with the ferns but
points would be lost at a show for such indifferent staging.

in the case of ground groups at shows every effort should be made to present a neat,
well finished and natural appearance by masking all staging material, peat etc by
layers of well fitted, fresh green sheet-moss (not shaggy sphagnum or other rough
mosses), with perhaps one or two naturally faced stones, a fragment of fallen

tree trunk or perhaps a tiny pool. The idea behind the staging should be to present
an idealised section of a ferny dell, excluding other plants of course. Some ground
groups | have seen appeared to have just fallen off a lorry, or at best a collection

of plants piled in a corner awaiting staging.

When packing up the ferns for transport to the show, a wide cone of newspaper,
kept open with canes but securely tied, around each plant will prevent many
damaged fronds. Plants should be well soaked and drained before putting on the show
bench — in the correct space for their class — and the exhibitor’s ticket placed in
position, name side downwards. Any damaged fronds should be removed neatly
before leaving the tent for the judge’s arrival. it is a source of some satisfaction to
know that a good job has been done in preparing exhibits, but the judge's decision

is final.

24

SOUTHPORT FLOWER SHOW JW Dyce

Only four competitors supported the fern classes this year, but those who did show
put up, with one or two exceptions, very fine exhibits and the honours were fairly
evenly distributed among them. We are hopeful that next year there will be two
newcomers to pit their skill against the older hands and we shall indeed be pleased
to welcome them. As usual, Noel Brookfield won our Society's Silver Trophy with
his large group of hardy British ferns in Class 6 — the only other entry in the class
was very poor by comparison. The other prize-winners are listed below in order of
winning —
Class 7 ~~ N Brookfield, R Trippitt (2 entries)
8 N Brookfield (1), WH Howarth (3). No second. (2 entries)
9 N Brookfield (1), WH Howarth (3). No second. (2 entries)

10 HL Schollick, N Brookfield, R Trippitt. (3 entries)

11. +N Brookfield, R Trippitt. (2 entries)

12 ~~ R Trippitt, H L Schollick, N Brookfield. (3 entries)

13. HL Schollick, R Trippitt, N Brookfield. (3 entries)

14 N Brookfield, H L Schollick, R Trippitt. (3 entries)

15 —R Trippitt, N Brookfield. (2 entries)

16 _——-R Trippitt, H L Schollick, N Brookfield. (3 entries)

17. _—_—-N Brookfield, H L Schollick, R Trippitt. (3 entries)

18 N Brookfield. (I entry)

In some classes the standard was so even that Reginald Kaye, the judge, had great
difficulty in deciding the order of merit.

Some outstanding plants were Noel Brookfield’s huge pans of polypodies and
Adiantum venustum, Henry Schollick’s Asp/enium scolopendrium ‘Crispum
Nobile Bolton’, A.s. ‘Ramosum Merryweather’ a wild find by James Merryweather,
and Athyrium filix-femina ‘Frizelliae’ one of the best | have seen, and Robert
Trippitt’s two lady ferns, A.f. ‘Cruciato-cristatum’ and ‘Angusto-cristatum’, two
scolopendriums A.s. ‘Crispum Settle’ and ‘Ramo-cristatum Lupton’, both his own
wild finds and the latter a splendid plant very well grown, and Polystichum
setiferum ‘Angustifolium’.
The Society’s Stand had a busy time, with much better support from helpers.
Henry Schollick and | were there all the time, assisted by A R Busby for the first
two days. Bernard Hayhurst, Norman Robinson, Dick Cartwright and Bob
Trippitt also gave us much of their time. Four new members were enrolled and we
were kept busy with the many enquiries we received. A record number of members
visited us — |6 in all - and we feel that the Stand is certainly justifying its existence.
Pot ferns, vases of fronds and a spore display decorated the Stand.
| append a report by the Judge —

Owing to the absence of Mr Mackenzie, not fully recovered from a serious
operation, | had to undertake the judging of the ferns alone this year.

As in former years the 100 sq ft group was very well done by Mr Brookfield,
though perhaps with fewer varieties than in the past, but the runner-up was a poor

25

effort with little attention paid to cultural skill and arrangement in an effective
and natural manner. In view of a prize of £20 being given to a second place winner a
much greater effort should be made to create a really attractive exhibit.

The class for six hardy ferns, dissimilar, had some very good plants and judging
was a matter of keen examination of each plant. In Classes 8 and 9 the first prizes
were well deserved, but the only other exhibits in each which received third prizes,
included very badly grown plants. More exhibitors are wanted to encourage a higher
standard. Entries in Classes 10, 11 and 12 were all very good and | had to resort to
keen pointing before making a decision. The class for athyriums reminds me that |
have mentioned before that a well-grown single crown, giving a clear view of the
plant’s merits, is far preferable to a massive clump of several crowns. Class 14 had
excellent plants entered and again it was very difficult to separate the winners.

This is how the judges like it. Class 17 for one British fern variety was another very
close lot, requiring very close pointing.

It is a great pity that more exhibitors cannot make the effort to show at
Southport. The prize money is excellent and as much as £60 can be picked up,
surely enough incentive to make a real effort to support the only show in the
country which encourages the showing of ferns and offers a superb chance to interest
the gardening public in our hobby.

Reginald Kaye
(Would-be exhibitors are referred to Mr Kaye’s article on page 23 — ‘Preparing Ferns
for Exhibition’ — ED.)

FERN GARDENS

We publish annually a list of public and private gardens containing ferns, which
members can visit. Suggestions and information on other gardens to include will

be welcomed. The inclusion of any garden open to the public does not

necessarily imply that admittance can be gained at any time a member calls.

Lack of space precludes the inclusion of details here and intending visitors must

make their own enquiries. It must be understood that we have no personal knowledge
of many of these gardens in which the fern content may be negligible.

Intending visitors to private gardens must note carefully the owners’ requests to make
prior arrangements by letter or telephone.
Botanic Gardens and Gardens open to the public
Botanic Garden, University of North Wales, Bangor, Caernarvonshire
Botanic Garden, Glasgow
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey
University Botanic Garden, Cambridge
University Botanic Garden, Hull
University Botanic Garden, Leicester
University Botanic Garden, Oxford

26

Bellahouston Park, Glasgow
Branklyn Gardens, Perth
Harlow Car Gardens, (Northern Horticultural Society), Harrogate, Yorks
Inverewe Gardens, Poolewe, Achnasheen, Ross-shire
Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park, Berks
Sizergh Castle Gardens, Near Kendal, Westmorland
Wakehurst Place Gardens, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, Surrey
Wisley Gardens,(Royal Horticultural Society), Ripley, Surrey
Gardens to Visit, an annual booklet published by the Gardeners’ Sunday Organisation,
lists gardens opened to the public in aid of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent
Society and the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, which may be visited during
the year from March to October. The 1974 edition can be obtained through
W H Smith’s, Wyman’s and other bookshops for 10p, or direct from the
Organiser, Mrs K Collett, White Witches, Claygate Road, Dorking, Surrey,
for 13p post free.
Private Gardens BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT
Miss Askew, Grange, Borrowdale, Keswick, Cumberland. LETTER OR PHONE
N Brookfield, 102 Stamford Road, Birkdale, Southport, Lancs
LETTER OR PHONE — WEEKENDS PREFERRED
Dr C Catlin, The Beeches, Standon, Nr Stafford. LETTER OR PHONE
C R Fraser Jenkins, Newcastle House, Bridgend, Glamorgan. LETTER ONLY
B Hayhurst, 91 Windermere Road, Freehold, Lancaster. LETTER OR PHONE
Mr and Mrs F J Healey, Ferry Road, South Stoke, Reading, Berks. PHONE
F Jackson, Knotts View, Stonethwaite, Borrowdale, Keswick, Cumberland.
; LETTER
Miss J Loraine, Greencombe, Porlock, Somerset. LETTER OR PHONE
J Lord, Townhead, Austwick, Via Lancaster. LETTER
H L Schollick, 96 Church Way, Iffley, Oxford. LETTER OR PHONE
Mrs S B Spencer, York Gate, Back Church Lane, Adel, Leeds LS16 8DW
LETTER OR PHONE
R Trippitt, 329 Whitehall Road, Westfield, Wyke, Bradford, Yorks.
LETTER OR PHONE

Nursery

Reginald Kaye, Waithman Nurseries, Silverdale, Carnforth, Lancs.
DURING BUSINESS HOURS

Flower Show
Southport Flower Show. Held in August annually. (1974: 22—24 August)

27

FERN BOOKS

A service provided by the Secretary is the purchase of fern books from various
sources for resale to members at a small profit to help our funds. Newer members
are always eager to procure these books which are difficult to pick up elsewhere
and our ‘bookshop’ fulfills a real need. There is usually a fairly good stock in hand
and a list can be supplied on application to the Secretary who is also prepared to
keep a record of particular books wanted by members, for offer to them if and when
the books can be acquired by him.

We also hold stocks of the back issues of the British Fern Gazette from Volume |
onwards — the early volumes up to Volume 8 deal chiefly with fern hunting, and
the description and cultivation of the many varieties of British ferns, written very
largely by the two outstanding authorities in this field, C T Druery and Dr F W
Stansfield. They are a veritable encyclopaedia of fern knowledge for the

variety collector and are available either in complete sets or as separate issues, from
the Secretary. Back numbers of the Newsletter are also available from No 5
onwards.

A large stock of David Allen's Victorian Fern Craze is kept, selling at 40p or post
free 50p. This delightful small book gives a vivid picture of the ‘craze’, and contains
a lot of interesting information which can be put to good use by the grower today.
Another booklet we stock is A Beginners Guide to Fern Study, written by our
member Margaret Merryweather, giving a selection of fern literature and
suggestions for study, for the guidance of those wishing to take up the subject
seriously; it sells at 25p or post free 30p.

WANTED — FERN BOOKS & OLD GAZETTES — Anyone having no further
use for fern books lying around and considering getting rid of them, should give
the Society the opportunity to acquire them, either by sale or gift to us. This

also applies to old Gazettes which we are always very glad to have. Several
instances have come to our notice where, on the death of a member, his Gazettes
have been thrown out or burned, and fern books have shared the same fate or
been handed over to jumble sales — why not include a clause in your will to
ensure that they come to us either by sale or presentation.

ATLAS OF BRITISH PTERIDOPHYTES

As reported in Newsletter No 10 this publication is being compiled and is nearing
completion. Due to delays in translating all the Irish records in the Biological
Records Centre data bank from the BSBI grid (extrapolated from the UK National
Grid) to the Irish National Grid, printing is postponed until early 1974. Records
collected this year are therefore welcomed and can be sent to A C Jermy,
Department of Botany, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road,
London SW7 5BD, or to A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambridge
CB2 50N.

28

THE GREENFIELD FUND

When the affairs of our Grand Old Man, Percy Greenfield, were settled his daughter-in -
law, Mrs Elizabeth Greenfield, expressed the wish to donate £500 from his estate

to the Society as a memorial to him. A meeting was arranged with her, attended by
Messrs Dyce, Jermy and Schollick, to discuss the offer and plan how best it could

be utilised as a suitable memorial. The Committee asked whether the £500 might be
used as the basis of a larger fund to be called the Greenfield Fund, and to this Mrs
Greenfield consented. What the Committee had in mind was £1000 which, if

placed in a suitable investment trust allowing for annual withdrawals, would yield
the sum of £60 to £70 which might be available annually without any liability for
tax and at the same time keeping the capital sum intact. The Fund will be controlled
by three trustees, the President, Secretary and a third, appointed for a period up

to six years, to be nominated by the Committee, and recommendations for awards
to be made by them to the Committee.

Such projects as approved research work, helping with the cost of necessary
equipment, books and travel expenses, awards for meritorious achievements such as
the introduction of a new fern variety or plant, and some of the Society publicity
Projects would be considered as worthy of help from the Fund. Percy Greenfield's
fern interests leaned very much towards the non-scientific side of our activities

and we feel he would want this to be taken fully into account when decisions are
made. Workers eligible for university grants and similar support will, speaking
generally, not be eligible for help from the Fund.

Greenfield was an outstanding personality in the history of the Society and the
Greenfield Fund would be a fitting memorial to him. Very few of our present members
had the pleasure of knowing this very charming and kindly man, but are reaping the
benefits of his work for the Society in the pleasure they get through membership
with us. The Annual General Meeting approved the transfer of £250 from the
Publications Fund which has been derived from the sale of back issues of the
Gazette to augment the gift from Mrs Greenfield, and we think that many members
may wish to associate themselves with our object in increasing the Fund to £1000
or more. We invite donations to achieve this end.

TETRAD MAPPING — An Amendment AC Jermy

In the last issue of the Newsletter
(No 10 p.32; 1972) | described the
lettering of a divided 10km square.
The letter ‘I’ was omitted because
of ambiguity. It should have been
pointed out that there were two
schools of thought here and some
workers preferred to omit the ‘O’.
It is now agreed that the letter to
be omitted shall be “O’, and the
square will read as shown in the
accompanying diagram.

2 x 2km square

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29

SPORE AND PLANT EXCHANGE
ORGANISER — David Russell, 20 York Avenue, Stanmore, Middlesex.

We are sorry that, due to domestic troubles, David Russell has been unable to

devote much time to the Exchange this year, but he is now busy getting the back-

log of enquiries and requests for spores attended to and hopes to have everything
working smoothly from now on. He is now compiling this year’s list of available
spores and it will be sent out with this Bulletin. If, however, the spores you want

are not included, write to him and he may be able to get them or suggest where

they may be available. Any suggestions for improving the Exchange will be welcomed.

We would remind you that the Exchange can only function if it has spores to exchange,
so please make a point of sending spores from your good plants which you think others
would like to have, as well as collecting from wild species, but PLEASE DO NOT strip
rare ferns of their fronds for this purpose — a few pinnae from one or two fertile
fronds will provide all that is required and the plant will not suffer any damage.

The American Fern Society also runs a Spore Exchange, and lists can be obtained
from the organiser, Neill D Hall, 1225 NE 95th Street, Seattle 15, Washington, USA.
This list contains many ferns we do not have, and if you avail yourself of the
opportunity to obtain spores from this source please do not forget that the Exchange
works both ways, and Neill will be glad to have from you spores of our ferns, varieties
as well as species. see

The University of Hull Botanic Garden issues a list of seeds and spores offered for
exchange: this can be obtained from the Assistant Curator, Botanic Garden,
Department of Botany, The University, Hull HU6 7RX.

Some members like to make direct contacts in other countries for exchange purposes,
and we shall gladly add your name to the list if you will let the Secretary know. All
correspondence must be between interested parties, and not via the Secretary.

The following members are interested in the exchange of spores —

Mrs E S Bayley, Danbury Park, Postbox 21 MR, Marlborough, Salisbury, Rhodesia.

G R Halliwell, 9 The Avenue, Bellambi 2518, South Coast, New South Wales, Australia.
Jaroslav Krecmer, nam J Krautwurma 14, Plzen, Czechoslovakia.

G Kunkel, Camino Viejo 9, Tafira Alta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

Mrs Sylvia Leatherman, 2637 North Lee Avenue, South el Monte, California 91733, USA.
F H Low-Chow, 42 Lang Parade, Auchenflower, Brisbane, Australia 4066.

Mrs N M Sherlock, 590 E Kings Road, North Vancouver, B C, Canada.

Miss K H Stocker, Mapua, via Nelson, New Zealand.

Professor T M C Taylor, Millstream Road, R R 6, Victoria, B C, Canada, would like to
exchange herbarium specimens; he wants any European species and can offer North
American and Hawaiian species in exchange.

Robert Trippitt, 329 Whitehall Road, Westfield, Wyke, Bradford, Yorks, wishes to
exchange ferns with other members. He is particularly interested in the Scolopendriums
and will welcome exchanges which will enable him to obtain varieties missing from his
collection.

30

The Exchange is entitled the Spore and Plant Exchange, but we appear to do no
exchanging of plants. This, of course, is done privately between members, but it
was suggested at the AGM this year that we could do a lot more in this way by
bringing spare plants to meetings for disposal to other members at a small charge for
Society funds. Will members coming to meetings next year please keep this in mind.
A very useful function of this exchange of plants can be to ensure that good fern
varieties are spread around and so be less likely to get lost to cultivation. It will be

a good thing, therefore, to propagate from your best plants, both vegetatively and
by spore sowings, and bring some of the young plants to our meetings — it may be
that one day you will be able to regain a lost treasure from the recipient of one of

your spare plants!

WORLD FERN SOCIETIES
For the information of members who are interested in the ferns of other countries,
we give a list of fern societies known to us. If others exist, the Secretary will be
glad to have information about them.
AMERICAN FERN SOCIETY c/o Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL FERN SOCIETY Wilbur W Olson, 2423
Burritt Avenue, Redondo Beach, California 90278, USA
JAPANESE PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY c/o Dr K Iwatsuki, Dept of Botany,
Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
NIPPON FERNIST CLUB c/o Professor Satoru Kurata, Dept of Forest Botany
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 113.
NELSON NEW ZEALAND FERN SOCIETY c/o Miss K H Stocker, Mapua,
via Nelson, New Zealand

RECORDING IN WALES
The Working Group for Biological Recording in Wales was formed as an outcome of
a Biological Recording Conference held in the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff,
in May 1971, under the auspices of the Museum’s Departments of Botany and
Zoology and the Biological Records Centre, Monks Wood. The Working Group,
comprising staff from the Natural History Departments of the Museum, the Nature
Conservancy and Welsh University Colleges as well as individual members of
various national societies, undertook the following aims:
1 To discover all persons or groups at present carrying out recording in Wales, and
all local experts; prepare lists of these for general circulation.
2 Investigate those areas where recording was not taking place and devise ways
to ensure future coverage. sit
3 To organise one-day or weekend meetings of national and local societies in
Wales in order to co-ordinate their individual efforts. Such meetings might be
combined with a field outing in an area as mentioned in Aim 2.

31

4 Tochannel records into nominated centres and arrange for central publication
in a recognised journal or a special newsletter, such a newsletter also serving as a
means for advertising meetings and activities associated with biological recording.

» Lest Aim 3 should be thought to restrict attendance at field meetings to members of
national and local societies, it has since been stressed that all interested amateurs are
Particularly welcome.

So far,.four weekend meetings have been held, in Radnorshire, Denbighshire,
Montgomeryshire and Cardiganshire. They have been attended by specialists covering a
wide field of natural history; vascular plants, fungi, lichens and bryophytes as well as
several groups of invertebrates and vertebrates. Areas visited have included established
and proposed reserves, for which species lists were made and advice given as to their
worthiness or otherwise. Guidance has been readily available for those wishing to expand
their knowledge of particular groups. It is hoped that more members of the British
Pteridological Society will attend future meetings, to contribute their own specialist
knowledge, to record or simply to enjoy the advantages of such an interdisciplinary
gathering.

The Departments of Botany and Zoology at the National Museum of Wales are com-
Piling an index of biological recorders in Wales. It is hoped to include not only the
official recorders of the various specialist societies but also anyone actively engaged or
interested in recording who would be willing to help the recorders, assist visiting
botanists, suggest localities for field meetings, etc. Anyone able and willing to have
their name included in this index or who requires further information about the field
meetings, is requested to contact the Keeper of Botany, National Museum of Wales,
Cardiff, CF1 3NP.

MARRIAGE AND BIRTHS
We are happy to make the following announcements —

Marriage : David Russell — Mariam Driggers

Our good wishes go with them for a long and happy married life
together. David is a member of the Committee and the organiser of

our Spore Exchange.
Births : Martin and Hazel Rickard — adaughter on 27 November 1972
Tony and Barbara Worland — asonon 21 October 1973

James and Margaret Merryweather — a daughter on 24 October 1973
We congratulate the three couples, all well-known active members in the
life of the Society, and look forward to seeing in due course three new
members in the field, all imbued with their parents’ love and enthusiasm
for ferns !

32

OBITUARIES
It is with great regret that we have to announce the following deaths —

R P Astley died in March 1973 after an illness of some months. He joined the Society
in 1969 and we had little opportunity to get to know him well, but remember with
pleasure our meetings during the Kew annual visits which he always attended. We
extend our sympathy to his widow.

Mrs M R Stuart joined us in 1961 but never took an active part in the life of the Society,
although her beautiful garden which contains many ferns was open to visits from
members. She died suddenly in June 1973 only a short time after the death of her
husband.

Rev J C Thompson was another recent member who joined the Society in 1970 and
died in the spring of this year. We extend our sympathy to his widow.

Kate M Catlin joined the Society in 1970 and quickly entered into our active life along
with her husband, Dr Charles Catlin. She was a very skilful gardener and plantswoman
and their large garden at Standon, near Stafford, is a treasure-house of fine plants which
they were both devoted to. She was greatly interested in ferns and was quickly building
up a very good collection. Charles has not long retired from his demanding work as a
medical practitioner and they were both looking forward to a fuller life together in
pursuit of their mutual interests which included active participation in the affairs of the
Society. The news of Kate’s death from injuries received in a serious motor accident
this summer, was a very great shock to those of us who knew her and enjoyed her
companionship in the field and elsewhere. Our loss is great, but infinitely more so is
that of Charles and their family, and to them we extend our very deepest sympathy.
JW Dyce

Constance Ellen Cameron Davidson. |t was with the utmost regret that we learned of

the death of Mrs Davidson on 1 January at her home Linton Muir, West Linton,
Peebles-shire. Mrs Davidson, the wife of Dr James Davidson, a recent President of our
Society, was a very keen plantswoman, a prominent member of the Scottish Rock
Garden Club for which she had acted as Slide Librarian, Distribution Officer of Seeds
and in other capacities as an official of the SRGC. She also was an ardent supporter in .
local politics. In former years Mrs Davidson accompanied Dr Davidson on our expeditions
when all present fell under the spell of her charming and genial companionship. Our

deep and sincere sympathy is extended to Dr James Davidson. R Kaye

Harold Augustus Hyde (1892—1973). Harold Hyde will be remembered by members

of this Society, and indeed by all those who are seriously interested in British ferns, as
co-author (with A E Wade) of Welsh Ferns. Since it was first published in 1940, this
book has been widely regarded as the British pteridologist’s “bible”. The 5th edition,
enlarged to include all groups of living British pteridophytes, was published in 1969.
After obtaining a first in the Natural Sciences Tripos, Parts 1 and 2, at Downing College,
Cambridge, Hyde taught at King Edward’s Grammar School, Birmingham, Stamford
School, Lincs, and Tonbridge School, Kent, between 1919 and 1922. Then he was
appointed Keeper of Botany at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, a post he held,

33

and which held his enthusiasm, until he retired in 1962. During his 40 years service

the collections in the Welsh National Herbarium grew from c. 25,000 specimens to
nearly 200,000 and the exhibition galleries became well-known for their high standard
of display and especially for their remarkably life-like models of plants. Hyde had many
botanical interests. He distinguished himself particularly in the field of aeropalynology
and after his retirement he continued this work at the Asthma and Allergy Research
Unit of St David’s Hospital, Cardiff. He was a Fellow of the Linnean Society and of

the Museums Association. He leaves his wife, Dorothy, and a son and daughter.

S G Harrison

REVIEW

THE GARDEN BOOK OF EUROPE by Dr DG and JP Hessayon, 160 pp.
21 x 27.3 cms, Elm Tree Books/Hamish Hamilton, October 1973, £2.25.

This book surveys the European gardening scene in extraordinary detail and is a new
break in gardening literature. It is not a book to sit down and read right through, but
is a reference book containing an encyclopaedic amount of gardening information
which represents much hard work and research by the authors.

Plates in excellent colour depict garden scenes in many European countries, accompanied
by histories, statistics, flowers and vegetables grown and a multitude of other facts,

many of them the small — one could say the unimportant — bits of information which
are not encountered elsewhere and prove of intense interest. As the book itself states,

it enables us to look over our national garden fence for the first time.

The lay-out is unusual and completely different from other kinds of gardening books,
and has a lively unexpectedness as the pages are turned which rivets the interest. The
chapters on the various countries do not follow in sequence, but are interspersed with
pictorial guides on a variety of subjects — various flowers, plants in the home, flower
colours, conifers, cacti, topiary, climate and many others, all concise but bursting with
useful information, set out in an easily assimilable way. It has one fault — a regrettable
omission; it does not contain a chapter on ferns, although the name of our Society
appears in the list of specialist societies.

There is no heavy reading in the book, and the vast amount of information is put across
in a delightful and interesting manner. | have said it is a reference book, but it is much
more — a fascinating book for the gardener to keep by his chair to browse through
during the long winter evenings. Dr Hessayon is Chairman of Pan Britannica Industries
Ltd, one of our most important agricultural and gardening chemical companies, and is
well-known as the author of the “Be Your Own Gardening Expert” books. He and his
wife are to be congratulated on the unique way they have assembled so much gardening
information between the covers of one book and made it so readable — undoubtedly
excellent value for £2.25. JW Dyce

MEETINGS PROGRAMME 1974

MEETINGS SECRETARY A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambs CB2 50N
MEETINGS COMMITTEE R F Cartwright J W Dyce M H Rickard

Saturday Indoor Meeting at the British — (Natural History), Cromwell
9 February Road, London SW7 5BD, at 3 p

Saturday Visit to the Fern Houses and outdoor fern borders at Kew Botanic
11 May Gardens at 2 30 pm.

Friday/Sunday Weekend Meeting at Cheddar Gorge.
1 May/2 June Leaders : Chris and Mary Potts.
Centre : Oak House Hotel, The Square, Axbridge, Somerset.
Saturday sea - aay Schollick’s garden at 96 Church Way, Iffley, Oxford,
8 June tip “Bring and Buy” plant sale will be held.
Sunday as trip to mosey iE
23 June Leader Vivien Green.
Meet at Honeysuckle Cottage, Halstead Road, Aldham, Colchester,
Essex, by 11 30 am, or earlier after 10 30 am
Saturday/Saturday Week Meeting at sipraiy Devon.
29 June/6 July Leader : Jimm
Centre : Boars ‘Head | Hotel, Bampton Street, Tiverton.
Friday/Sunday Weekend Meeting in Dovedal

19/21 July Leaders : Marjorie Ciautian ‘and Margaret Kingston
Centre : New Inns Hotel, Alsop en le Dale, near Ashbourne,
Dataakion
Friday/Sunday Weekend Meeting in — Valley and on Hardcastle Crags.
2/4 August Leader : Bob Trip

Centre : White Aes Hotel, Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge, Yorks.

Friday/Sunday Weekend Meeting in the Black oe
16/18 August Leaders : James and Margaret Merryweather
3 Centre : Crown Hotel, Broad Street, Sareeiite: Herefordshire.

Thursday/Saturday Southport Flower Show.
22/24 August Many fern classes showing selection of best varieties.
Visit the Society's Stand in the Societies’ Tent.

Saturday/Saturday Week Meeting at Sedbergh, Yorkshire.
/14 Septembe eaders : Fred Jackson and James Merryweather.
Centre : Bull Hotel, Main Street, Sedbergh.
Friday/Sunday Weekend Meeting in Norfol

27/29 September Leaders : Tony Worland ww Bert Bruty.
Centre : George Hotei, Station Street, Swaffham.

Saturday Indoor Meeting at the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell

5 October Road, London SW7 5BD, at 3 pm.

Saturday Annual General Meeting to be held at the British Museum (Natural

5 October History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, at 3 30 pm.

ADDITIONAL MEETING at which members ania is invited —

Wednesday/ Clive Jermy is giving a cou teridophytes at Kindrogan
Wednesday Field Centre (Scottish Field pelts Association), Enochdhu,

24/31 July Blairgowrie, Perthshire.

information from the Warden.

35

THE BRITISH PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY
LIST OF MEMBERS

Honorary
BRUTY H J, BEM, AH, 23 Dagmar Road, Kingston-upon-T hames, fs
HOLTTUM Professor R E, MA, ScD, VMH, FLS, 50 Gloucester Court, Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey.

MANTON Professor Irene, BA, “PhD, FRS, FLS, c/o Department of Botany, The University,
s, LS2 QJT

RAMSBOTTOM gd oF OBE, MA, * ga VMH, FLS, c/o British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell
d, London, SW7 5
REICHST — Professor Dr T, hoc fur Organische Chemie, 19 St Johanns Ring, 4000 Basel,
Switzerla

Members and Subscribers

AARESTRUP Erik, Skolevej 54, Nustrup, 6500 Vojens, Denmark
AARHUS UNIVERSITY, Botanisk Institut, Nordlandsvej 68, DK— 8240 Risskov, Denmark,
Soaeer Spm 3 Star Lane, St Mary Cray, Kent.
on, Flurstrasse 25, 3014 Bern, Switzer
ADELAIDE BOTANIC GARDEN, North Terrace, Adelie, oe Australia 5000.
DLAM K W H, Lakelands, bgp near
eae, oF Donald, 5851 N pang S Conteris rane USA.
AKATEEMINEN marery bape "2 Staaackens, ‘Hols nki 10, Fin

, Spa

MSTERDAM UNIVERSITY, Singel 425, A aeoGen |
ANTIQUARIAAT JUNK, Dr R aaa enberg & Sons NV, Solieust 10, Postbox 5, Lochem, Holland.
ASPINALL Miss Sally, 24 Collins Lane, Westhoughton, Bolton, Lancs.
sup per ehe UNIVERSITY BOOKSHOP, 21 Blenheim Terrace Sos wl Leeds, Yorks, LS2 9HJ
BALLAR : rium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Peete a sete Surr
BANGERTER E B, c/o J E Bangerter, 23 Kings Road, ‘Bigg «Hill, Ken

NTO i i

BAYLEY Mrs E S, Danbury Park, Postbox 21 MR, oepaalatirg souay, Rhodesia.
BEER L i Botanic pene University of North Wales, Bangor, Caernarvonshire
EW, : ;

EL um
BELLRINGER Dr os Mrs HE, Gray ‘Lodge, Wootton , Bedford.
BENL Dr —— is, 8 , Menzinger Strasse 67, 8000 Munchen 19,

BENTON a As 33 Piko Crescent, Riccarton 4, Christchurch, New — i.
BERRY Mrs Rosemary, Renoir, 45 Claremont Drive, Galmington, Taunt
BHARDWAAJA Dr T N, Department of geo Government College, pits eae: India.
BINFIELD A, 121D enton Road, Ee ewhaven,
BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY, Edgbaston, Birmingha m 15,
A, 17 Pantonville Road, Seamill, West Kilbride, Ayrshire.
BLETCHLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL, onsen Department, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Bucks.
BOBROV A E. Botanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Prof Popov Street 2,

BOLTON R B, Craig Holme, Birdbrook, H alstead, Esse

BONN 4A Professor A L M, Faculte des —— Place ‘coe Bataillon, 34 Montpellier, France.
BORUP Mrs E M, 30 Eariscourt Square, Lon
BOTANIC GARDEN OF bast seen UNIVER RSITY, Van der Boechorststraat 8,

dam-B ui Holland.
BOTANICAL LIBRARY, Ove Vallatan 18 18, Lund, Sweden.
BOTANISCHER GARTEN UN USEUM, Konigin-Luise-Strasse 6-8, 1 Berlin 33, eee.
wa Regarg SENTRALSIBLIOTER, Gothersgade 130, DK—1123 Copenhagen K, Denma
BOUHARMO nstitut Carnoy, 24 Rue du Canal, Lou ae Belgium
“ ec. sy gg ae Botanical type San Marino , Califor ia 91 108, USA,

HM, vd Hill Street, pA Sa
BnicrTieans Mrs E M, 31a Telston Lane, Otfo rd, Sevenoaks, “Kent, T™N145NH
BRIGHTMAN F H, BSc, c/o British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
BRITISH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, Woodward Library — erials, Vancouver 8, British Columbia,
Canad

36

BRITISH page (NATURAL HISTORY), Department of Botany, Cromwell Road, — SW7 58D.
BRITTON Dr D M, Department of Botany, a at of a dopant Ontario, Cana
BROOKFIELD N, 102 Stamford Road, Birkdale, Southport,
BROWNSEY P J, Department of Botany, The para “pete "Yorks: LS2 9JT
araz RUCH, Ut Wronia 23, Warszawa, Poland.
BUCHANAN Mr rs J D, Deanscroft, Oakham, Rutland.
BURNHILL Miss M J, 5 Copsewood Road, Ashurst, Southa ampton, Hants. SO4 2DL
BUSBY AR, Dept of wrt rT Sciences, University of Aston in Birmingham, Gosta Green,
irming TE
BUTTERSA JP, 7 J Jasmin aoe Great Bridgeford, Sta grr
CALIFORNIA UNI IVERSITY. Berkeley, California 94720, U
CALIFOR Set sted SITY, Biomedical Library, The ong for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles,

24, USA
CAPE COAST UNIVE RSITY COLLEGE, Private a ig Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa.

CAPPER V, 148 Claug myst ap etee Crewe, Chesh
CARDEN Mrs H G, 129 H h Street, Amersham, Buc
CARTER & SHARP Haz stone Nursery, Upper ‘Moor ors cg ee Eastleigh, Hants,
CARTWRIGHT R F, 13 Perry Mill R _— Peopleton, near Pershore,
CASTELLAN Mrs ML , The Lane Cottage, Wootton, Ellastone, near Asta eset
CASTLE-SMITH Adie M, Whiteledies, y hai venue, Low er Bourne, Farnham, Surr:

rd,

A
CENTER FOR RESEARCH LIBRARY, 5721 Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago 37, IIlinois, USA.
CHAPMAN D I, Larkmead, 29 The Street, Barton Mills, Bury St ene: Suffolk,
CHICKEN E, Corner House, Scarborough Road, Driffield, Yorkshi
CHINNOCK. R J, State Herterhuns 8 —— Australia, Botanic Sandee North Terrace,

Ad
CLARK Mrs Joan W, Tigh Solais, Onieh, ‘Inverness-shire,
erb

CLAY Mr and Mrs C F, at Lonaton Raed, Trentham Trent, Staffs ST4 BND
COBB Boughton, Cobb-Web, Under Mountain Road, Fa Is Vill {Connecticu t, USA
COCHRANE OF CULTS The Rt Hon the Lord, Ba algownie, 18 Cliff iat mabe ng Banffshire,
COKE Lt Col PG, hegeae eins oisbacige jos Dursley, Gloucester
COLHOUN Professo partment of Botany, The University, prt ie 13.
COLORADO UNIVERSITY Y LIBRARIES, Boulder, Colorado 80

COMBES Dr Richard W, MD, 3723 Fourteenth Street, Rock Island, iilinois 61 vite USA.

COOPE oie Mrs G A, Biochemistry Department, Royal Botanic periona: Kew, Richmond,

CORBIN P G. ‘Dostabrook, Horrabridge, eet) ——

CORLEY H V,P cketty oo Faringdon, Ber

COUGHLIN Mr al Mrs R V, 17 Alvechurch eae — si Bromsgrove, Worcestershire,
COULTHARD CE, 143 Musters Road, — Bridgford, Nottingha

COURT A D, 41 Mincing Lane, Rowley Regis, Warley, Wor cs B65 ‘9QF

CRABBE -2 a a Botany, British Museum imeeoras History), Cromwell Road,

coon ion 2 21 ath Paseo , New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines.
CR govt Oe

3EG
CRANSTON A B, Gardener's Cottage, The Abbey, Old Abbey Road, sist Berwick, East Lothian.
CROSSLEY A J, 4 Martin Rise, ——— Kent DA68
CROXALL | Mrs B S Parris, MSc, 62 Highbury, om 2 ccand Newcastle upon Tyne 2,
DADD R, 21 Embrook Road, woth m, Ber
DAIGOBO a. Botanical Institute, Faculty of > ale Tokyo University of Education,
ka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 11 2, Japan.

DARTMOUTH COL LEGE, Ba rey. Hanover, New eave ggieh: 03755, USA.
DAVENPORT Mr and Mrs S 7 . Windy Ridge, Madeley ear Crewe, Cheshire CW3 9LX.
DAVIDSON Dr James, MB, ChB, FRCP Edin, Linton ws West ‘hth. Peebles-shire

DAVIES Mise S M, 100 Hambait Road, London SW4.

DE JONCHEERE G J, Koninginn 8, Wasse (Z

DEMIRIZ Asst Dr Husnu, Posta Kutusu 705, Sirkeci, Istanbul, Turk:

VALL C A, Bridleways, Creep! e, mt heimsford, Essex.
DICKSON Dr J H, BSc, a PhD, Botany Departm Mien University, Glasgow W 2.
DRINKALL J, Ha Haligill, Cat shaw, Over Wyresdale, La
DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, Durham, North ai 3 27706, USA.

DUNCAN W, Dur

, Leven, Fifeshire
DYCE James W, FLS, "Hiltiop, 46 Sediey Rise, Loughton, Essex 1G10 1LT.

37

EDWARDS 4 J, The Herbarium, Royal yarcto Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey.
oe Soe Mrs Devenant House, Burton, Carnforth, Lancs.
NS Dr M, A tatcea Department of Botany, University ‘of Tennessee, Knoxville,
see 37916, US
EWAN P. Bi one rn eph, Tulane University, New Orleans 18, Louisiana, USA.
FAITHEUI LL Mrs O T, 214 Portage Road, Papatoetoe, New Zealand.
RISH R M, The Homestead, Quendon, Saffron viens grate
VIER Charles , La Roche Fauconniere,
FELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, maceavatt aid oe ‘tak Shore Drive,
inois USA
FINCH Dr Robert A, _ Harold ‘Road, H astings, Sussex
FISCHER icant POB 138, Flushing, New York 11365, USA
FORD FOUNDATION SPONSORED PROGRAM, UP College of Agriculture Library, College,
guna, Philippines.
FOSTER F Gordon, PO Box 136, Sparta, New ey 07871,
FRESHWATER P B, MA, ALA, 88 Harts Green Roa Aidt ‘irringham B17 9TY
FUCHS-ECKERT Dr HP, PhD, CH-7099 Trin Dorf, Tignu ppa, Switze erlan
GABE Dr Howard L, Rothwell Plant Breeders Ltd, Rothwell, Lincoin ony 6BR.
~

N , 21 Church Walk, Peterborough
GARDINER JC, FCA, FLS, . anhope Terrace, nW2,
seen aiel caer nage di tment of Plant sett Indiana University, Bloomington,

7
GATZI Dr W, cee ngs t Gallen, Switzerland.
eee es ie a A, Ap Bopper e, Gemeindestrasse 3, CH-8032 a a
GH

Dr J, PO Box 021, University ‘co liege, Cape Coast, Ghana, West
eaten RB, scatcoh of Botany, University of Durham, South so aaraas City.
GIBBY Mr and Mrs J M, Fiat 3, 20 Par Road, Liver

GILBER RT Geoffrey, 25 Talbot Road, Lon

GILMOUR JS L, MA, FLS, Director, University Botanic Gardens, 1 Brookside, Cambridge CB2 1JF
GLASGOW UNIVERS SIT TY, Glasgow,

GLASNEVIN BOTANIC GARDEN, nian. Eire.

GOFFEY Mrs EF, nag seers — Priory Road, ee Sty Senet WR14 3DR

GORDON LS, c/o St Highgate PO, St M
GOTEBORGS UNIVERSITETSBIBLIOTEK, Eomanke Semetuher Carl ' Skottsbergs Gata 22,
S-41 Goteborg, Swe

GOWING-SCOPES E, Rosewood, Scien Road, Halstead, Kent.
GREEN Mrs E M, Venus Cottage, Gaara Colchester, Essex.
GREEN Miss Vivien Green, Honeysuckle Cottage, Halstead Road, Aldham, Colchester, Essex.
GRIMBLY PE, —— Toddington toe Littlehampton, Sussex BN17 6JT
G derley, Ninnings Road, Chaifont St Peter, Bucks ag OEF
HALL Neill D, ay =e E 95th Street, Seattle 15, Washington 98115, U
HALL Mr and Mrs P C, 6 Johns Close, Gorsewood Road, Hartley, aeeeentge
HALLIWELL G R, 9 The Avenue, Bellambi 2518, ome Coast, New South a. " Australia,
HAMER Michael R, 8 New Street, Ottery St Mary, Dev
HARDY F G, ALS, 11 —— Avenue, South Gosfo rh, , Neweastleupon-Tyne NE3 1PS
HARRIES D W L, 31 Howa babes — Norwood, L nSE25.
HARRIS Stanley W, 1805 lay, Belmont, CA ene USA.
HARVARD U aVERSITY, canes rato Spanien 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge 38, Mass 02138, USA.
HATHAWAY S ——- v4 Hillside Grove, Mill Hill, London kee
HAYHU d, 91 Windermere Road, Fr:
one Be ph Mi z > Ferry Road, South Stoke, Reading Berkshire.
HEBDI ene, c/o Julien Lapostolie, Jardin Botanique, Les Cedres, 06 S pens. be tg France.
HEIDE tBeRG tnives Ty Institut fur Systemat' sche Botanik und Pflaraanasaer ai
isterweg 4, 6900 Heidelberg 1, reoratoncid
anieenae A, 42 Headingley Avenue, Leeds 6, anceen
HENDERSON Mrs Pamela V, Brockhall, ‘Flore, Northa
HENNIPMAN Dr E, Rijksherbarium, Bate nkade 6, paiee oe
HIGGINS Miss F, 2 East Park Road, Blackburn, Lancs BB1 8A
HILL Mrs A, Thornleigh, 50 Sandy ‘ane, Little Sandhurst, Soa Sur
HILL C, gg att esearch Laboratory, Department of Plant oe ial The University,

2 9JT
HILL Mr and Mh =. ance 10 St — Street, Cambridge.
HIRES Miss C S, Mistaire Laboratories, 152 Glen Avenue, paclg N.J. 07041, USA.
HIRST K G. 18 Dixon Street, Bar sats near Nelson, Lanca
HOARE Mr and Mrs A E, 15 Essex Road, Borehamwood, Her ny
HODSON 10 Ireland Street , Oonoonba, Townsville, Queensland, Australia 4811.

38

HOLTTUM Mrs C E Ursula, 50 Gloucester Court, — Road, a Surrey.

HO Mi M Lo
HOPTON B, BA, 47 Himley Crescent, Goldthorn ong Woticlemn Gi: Staffs.
HOSHIZAKI Dr T eo bh B Joe, 557 N Westmoreland Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90004, USA.

HOWARD Dr Alma, e Hall, — (Derbyshire), Via Stockport, Cheshire SK12 6BR
HUGHES W Elfyn, fame Sitiwe n Road, Bangor, Caernarvonshir:
HULL UNIVERSITY Y, The Bry mor Jones Library, Hu

HUNT BOTANICAL LIB RARY. " Carnegie Mellon University, ie ee a Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
INDIANA perigee LIBRARY Y, Bloomington, get 47401,
ING Bruce, MA, FLS, F ready ated crit 4BJ

i Q

sees
¢ x
fs
te
i

ISTITUTO BOTANICO, Citt tta Universitaria, 00185 Ro oma, Italy,
ISTITUTO BOTANICO DELL’ U RSITA, Via Lamarmora 4, 50121 Firenze, Italy.
'TO Dr Hirosi, Kohinata 1-22-6, macbtsiin To kyo,
IWATSUKI Dr K, Department of Botany, Faculty of ssl ene University, Kyoto, Japan,
JACKSON Fred, Knotts View, Stonethwaite, Borrowdale, Keswick, Cumberland,
JAMES P - , BSc, FLS, Departme ment of Botany, British Museum (Natural History),
well Road, London SW7 5BD
JARDIN scTAmOLe Parc de la Tete D'Or, 69 Lyon, France,
JARRETT Dr F M, MA, PhD, FLS, The Herbarium, ce Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey.
oo C R Fraser, Newcastle House, teen morgan.

ksop, Notts
JENKINS Mr and Mrs F “ 88 Turkey tonche Enfield, Middle
JERMY A Clive, BSc, FLS, Department of Botany, British vane (Natural History),
Cromwe ll Road, “London SW7 5BD
JONES J D, Black Lion, Castle Street, tara ane it
JONES Mrs Phyllis M, 50 Kingswood Road, Tadworth, Sur
KALYAN! UNIV VERSITY, Kalyani, Nadia, West Ben ngal, ! res
KAMERMANS Mrs Edith M, 47 Bond — North, Ham ilton, Ontario, Canada.
acccwicreairel Keisu ke . Department o Biology, Faculty of Education, Saitama University,

a 338, —
KAVLIE JORGENSEN Dr Einar, 5200 Os, Norw
KAWA yohgo, Botanical Institute, wacuity: of Science, Hiroshima University,
prise senda-machi, Hiroshima , Japan,
KAYE Mr and Mrs Reginald, Waithman Nurseries, Si lverdale, Carnforth, Lancs
KELLY A J, Cymdeithas Selene, Can y Lloer, Ffarmers, Llanwrda, Sir Gaerfyrddin, Wales.
KENNETH A G, Stronachullin, Ardrishaig, Argyl!
KEY Mrs H, Fibrex Nurseries Ltd, Harvey Road, Sadana , Wor
KINGSTON Miss Margaret M, 5 Wesley Avenue, Chesiyn Hay, on Waisall, Staffs.
KIPPAX Miss Anne, 119 Rosehill Road, Burnley, Lancs.
KIRKLAND Miss Alison F, Close House, Altwood Close, Maidenhead, Berks.
KLE sean Dr Edward J, Botany Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass 01002,

KNOUSE ree A, 1338 rao Hollow Road, York, Pennsylvania ite
KUNKEL Gun ther, Camino Viejo 9, Tafira Alta, Las Palmas de la
KURATA age esa facies my Forest Botany, Faculty of Apidae: University of Tokyo,
oi-cho, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Ja open
KuGE Chimes) a 05 Bar sonia: Lon
LABORATOIRE DE BOTANIQUE SHANEROGAMIQUE TROPICALE, 16 Rue Buffon,

LANCASHIRE poe Re OF AGRICULTURE, ‘nes ser Hali, Bilsborrow, Preston, Lancs PR3 ORY
Ys — Dw, —— — _—- West Wort hing, Sussex BN13 1LA
7, 3a eee h Shields, C
nape VOOR | MORFOLOGIE SYSTEMATIEK EN ETHOLOGIE DER PLANTEN,
i ckstraat ent, Belgium.
LEICESTER UNIVERSITY, University Road, Leicester.
LELLINGER Dr David B, Department of Botany, US National Museum, Washington, DC 20560, USA.
LENSKI Dr vel wml Bota — — ut, Pilgrimstein 4, 3550 Marburg a d Lahn, Germany.
ee anes Renda sale es sener Stra sse 19, 5657 Haan/Rheiniand, West Germany.
LEWIN D, 4 ue, ‘Mephull _Lancash ire
LEYDEN ‘samucraAntior Schelpenkad: 6, Leyden, Holland.
ep RP, 143G perme , King’s oe = ay
ILLEY Mrs Roma, 1 K Place, Papakura, New
LINDSAY e C, British aimee Survey, Research Gardens Winterbourne, University of
mingham, Birmingham Bi5 2TT
LIVERPOOL MUSEUMS City of, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EN

39

LLOYD Professor Hee Department of Botany, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA.
LONDON NATUR HISTORY SOCIETY, Central eg Walpole Park, Ealing, London Ww5.
ee UNIVERSITY. Goldsmiths’ — ~_ e, Ne pod = s, London SE14 6NW
OR Miss Joan, Greencombe, Por Soin

coe Dr =p D, BSc, PhD, Depart i of mosis cies iis University, Leeds, Yorks LS2 9JT

LOW-CHOY F H, 42 Lang Parade, Auchen pred _ sbane, Australia 4066.
MACDONALD Professor J A, Department of Botany, The University, St Andrews, Fifeshire,
MACKENZIE W G, Chelsea Physic —— awet eaniesl Road, London SW3.

McGIBBON Dr Cyril, Quarry Court, Quarry Street, Woolton, Liverpool L25 6DY

ree ey cee wpb AKADEMIA, Botanikai Kutato Intezet, Vacratot, Hungary.
AKIN B, 64A venue, Alperton, Wembley, Middlesex.

MANCHESTER. UNIVERSITY, Manchest ae

MANN LIBRA t R, Acquisitions Division, oe New York 14850, USA.

MARSHALL E, gets ‘ gt Lord Street, thport, Lanc

MASSACHUSETTS UNIVERSITY, pape hoon Mass 01002, USA

MASU — geo, Botanical Institute, Faculty — Tokyo Kyoiku University,

rie Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
MATSUMOTO Sedeahe Pe gaa, u-bu-Seibutsu, aac University, 836 Ootani,
uOka-Shi,

MERRY WEATHER Mr = M ames W, 176 Cromwell Road, Cambridge.

MEYER Dr D E, Botanical Museum, Konigin-Luise-Strasse 6, 1 Berlin 33, Germany.

MEYER Fred M, 3948 Altoona Drive, Apt 142, Dallas, Texas 75233, USA

Sete. ve STATE UNIVERSITY , East Lansing, Michigan 48823, USA.

MICKEL Dr John, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458, USA.
MILNE-REDHEAD E, TD, MA, FLS, Parkers, 43 Bear Street, Nayland, Colchester, Essex.
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 2315 Tower Grove Avenue, St Louis 10, Mo 631 10, USA,
MITCHELL Dr DS, Botany Department, University of Rhodesia, —— eeiege
MITCHELL Dr and Mrs F W, 3834 Fulton Street NW, Washington, USA

MITSUI Dr Kunio, Biological Institute, Niigata Dental sg Nipen area ‘College,

MORAY The Rt Hon Barbara, Countess of, Hornes Place, oe Kent.
MORLEY JV, D’Arches, Stolford, aaa Bri ridgwater, Somerset.
MUIR Dr M D, Department of Geo ecology, | mperial College, Prince Consort Road, London SW7.

MULLIN Mr and est J M, c/o Department of Botany, British Museum (Natural History),

Cro oad, London SW7 5BD.
MYNKANTAS J f nig Cobb le Hill, British Columbia, Canada.
NATIONAL BOTAN IC GARDENS, Lucknow, India
NATIONAL LENDING LIBRARY FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Accessions Department,
oston

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WA LES, Department of Botany, Cardiff
NETHERCOTT P JM, 6 Hazelwood — Hazelwood Road, Bristol BS9 1PU

NEWBOULD Mrs J P, ‘BSc, Dromore House, Drumcroone, ni Co Londonderry, N Ireland.
NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE UNIVE RSErY. nie wom Bi
NEW YORK ee L GARDEN, Bronx, New A ae
NEW ZEA fers TIONAL LIBRARY nen vICe. habit oi DSIR, Private Bag,

nite New Zea

HORBACK " E. “T7D Court Drive, Lancaster Court, Wilmington, Del 19805, U
NORGAARD E, Firma Norgaards Stauder, Hovedvej 10, Lilballe, ta Kolding, = ok
OLLGAARD B, MSc, Christiansgade 28.3, DK nce arhus C, Denm

ORGAN F C, 160 Grange Road, Erdington, Birm satel OEX
OTT Dr ae ae Une Aleta Jo, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point,

nia 23062, USA
OWEN T. 30 Orchard Road, Whitby, Ellesmere Port, a L65 6PH
OXFORD U UNIVERSITY BOTANY SCHOOL, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 anes
PAGE N, BSc, PhD, The Herbarium, Royal coat prbtonsin Edinburgh EH
PARIGRAL dl SS MSc, PhD, nogiorn Botanist, (Indian Liaison Officer), amin Botanic
ar chmond, Sur
PANJAB UNIVERSITY Lene gohd Chenaiestt 14, India
PATZAK Dr oe DPhil, FLS, Karolinengasse a 1040 Wei n IV, Austria,
PAYNE ae pe oe Cottage, Lodge Hill — oe Hasiouis, Sussex,
P M, 49 cree Westcliff-o
PENFIELD P, Jr, “es Gracie Road, Weston, ase o2i9a, USA,
PERRY B J _ BSc, 37 sfentbie Road, Ex
RRY’S HARDY PLANT FARM M. Theobuids Park Road, Crews Hill, Enfield, Middlesex.

PETCH Mrs M T, 7 Gretton Road, Ma pperley, Nottingha

40

ee Prof Dr RE G, Istituto Botanico Dell’ Universita, Borgo XX Giugno,
Perugia, Italy.
PICKERING ‘Maio C HC, Casa Velha da Casa Branca, Funchal, Madeira.
PIGGIN S R, Flat 5, Cyprus Lodge, Cyprus Road, Nottingham,
a i CF6 6PP

PO Mr and Mrs C M, 4 Montpelier, Weston-super-Mare 28652, Somerset.
anki ys H, Eglingham Hall, Alnwick, Northumberland.
POWER Miss T K, 14 Shardeloes Road, New Cross, London SE14,
pal DT, BSc, ARCS, ALS, Bettws Lodge, Bettws Newydd, ag reateatnt
PRICE Michael, oe of Botany, UPCA, College, Laguna Dionne
PROCTOR G R, BA, FLS, Department of Botany, tp ors of Jama maica, inet, Jamaica,
epee y LEY BW, Proudley’ s Heather Nursery, Two a Blakeney, Glos,
PUGH-THOMAS A, 31 Brynmaer Road, London SW11
PUNIABI UNIVERSITY, Patiala 147002, Punjab, India
RAW, Weoia ti Boswell hg Hadleigh, Ipswich, Suffolk,

RANSOM R F, Wi Hill, St Ives, Hunts.
bet at UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, Whiteknights Park, sregghe. Berkshire.

HMOND Miss T M, Richmond Hill, Silverdale, Carnforth,

ROBERTS R H, Quinton, 51 Belmont Road, Bangor, Caer eae
, 27 Yew i

ROBINSON N lands Drive, Fu , Preston, PR
R ee, a Arizona aevi4. USA.
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, rpm EH3 5L

RUSSELL David, 20 York Avenue, Stanmor e, Mi ddlesex.
RUSSELL J P C, The Dairies, ea reheat ‘York YO6 7B
RUSSELL-THOMAS §, 8 York Road, Bognor Regis, tae PO21

1LW
RUTHERFORD Miss Alison W, peso Bo Cottage, Church Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire
Ww

SAKYA fee A a ee PhD, Department of Botany, Tri Chandra College, Ranipokhari,

SAMAT BIN ABDULLAH H Abdul, Fakulti Sains, Universiti Kebangsa’en, Jalan Pantai Baharyu,
la Lumpur, Malay
SASA re Sek , 2-2-5 Shimoda Shi, Shizuoka-ken 415, Japan.
SCHELPE Professor DrEACLE, MSc, DP - — Bolus Herbarium, University of Capetown,
ondebosch, Cape Province, South
SCHOLLICK, Mr and Mrs H L, OBE, Malt Nociae: 96 Church Way, Iffley, Oxford.
SCHOLLICK Mr and Mrs John T, 4 Windsor Close, St Davids Hill, Exeter, Devon,

AHA, 7 Forteath Avenue, Elgin, Morayshire
SCOTT Walter Jnr, Easterhoull, Scalloway, Shetland A

Ss
SCOTT W CA5
SCUDDER James H, 1361 52nd Avenue North, St Petersburg, Flor BA 3370 03, USA.
SERIZAWA Shunske, Botanical Institute, Berg of Science, Tokyo Kyoiku University,
uka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112, Japan.

slau Rev C E, BA, Holy Trinity Vicarage, Wat erhead, Oldham, Lancs.
SHA aaa Elaine, Dorrego 2699, Piso 25, Dto 5, Buenos Aires, ‘Argentina.
Seerane eR eng Isle of Wigh

ARD B, 87 Elm Grove ag hemi $s of :
SHERLOCK Mrs Nancy M, 590 E Kings Road, Nort ee pang Columbia, Canada,
SHERMAN Mrs Dorothy, Doone Burn, Woodlinken Drive, Wi
SIMPSON Eric, Washdyke House, Freiston tong Boston, ayes

SINHA Dr Baxi M B, Superintendent, Newt n House, Science College, Patna 5, India.

SITWE LL Sir Sacheverell, Weston Hall, seach Northants.

SLEDGE Dr WA, BSc, PhD, Department of cometh i University, Leeds, Yorks LS2 9JT

SLEEP Dr Seepage BSc, PhD, Department of Bota drach a Leeds, ver LS2 9JT

SMITH Alan |, 2609 Heron Street, Victoria, British arn

SMITH Dr ahh R, PhD, Department of Botany, University of Coltortio, Berkeley,
California 94720, USA.

imborne, Dorset BH21 6BW

41

ITH Mr and Ses CLE, 128 Averil aeineid Leicester LE5 2DB

7824 N
MERSET FARM INSTITUTE, Cannington, near Bridgwater, Somerset.
sachet LE Mrs A H, — A, BSc, Department of Botany, Aberdeen University, St Machar Drive,

SOUTH DON BOTANICAL INSTITUTE, 323 Norwood Road, London —

utuscnr FLOWER SHOW, Victoria Buildings, Lord Street, Sout thport, Lanc

SPA , Department of Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, enon:
York 11973, USA

SPENCER pou B, York Gate, Back Church Lane, Adel, Leeds, Yorks LS16 8D

SFC CLAIR-MORFORD Mme E 5 Boulevard Edouard VI, O06 N “RR AM, Teak

Wal
TEVENS Mrs W H, 1580 Kisber Avenue, erry British pS eotetis Canada.

Saati A McG, 17 Austen Road, Jordanhi 1, Glasgow W3.

STOCKER Miss K H, gyno via Nelson, New comet

SWINSCOW DrT Dv, BS, MSc, FLS, Everley, London Road d, Knebworth, Herts,

SYDNEY —.. BOTANIC GARDENS AND NATIONAL HERBARIUM, Sydney,
es, Australia

Layee NATIONAL UNIV ERSITY, Department of Botany, Taipei, Taiwan, China,

TAYLOR H, 8 Cotterill Road, Surbiton, Surre

TAYLOR ig c. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surr

TAYLOR Professor T MC, Millstream Road, R R 6, Vietoria, British Conenin. ‘Guna

TEMPLE Max, 3 oe Close, jt abet, London K
TEMPLE Peter, LRIBA, M stRA, 42 Holly Park, Sickine London N3,
TETLEY poe M Ay The ethos Kirkby Lonsdale, by Carnforth, Lan
THOMAS = A, BSc, Bt Biology Department, University of London, Goldsmiths’ College,
Lip oss, Lo nSE14
THOMAS ps S. VMH, Briar sa ‘Fairfield ei West End, Woking, Surrey.
60, 7430 Ik mark,

IN
TINNE Mrs A - Lochwood Cottage, near seedy G as
ee A, Cambio Internacional, Consejo Superior Investigaciones Cientificas, Serrano 117,
d 6, Spain
TOWERS 3 30 Sue Street, O ord,
TREWREN K,B BSc, Misamfu pee Research Station, PO Box ar Kasama, Zambia.
TRIPPITT R, 329 Whitehall Road, Westfield, Wyke, Bradford, —
TROWER PA,1 1 Cherryhurst, Old Rusper Road, Newdigate, Sur
TRYON Dr et ~* and pod — f Gray F Herbarium, Harvard ae. 22 Divinity Avenue,
,US

TURKU UNIVERSITY, Department of Botany, Turku 2, Finland.
TURNAU Professor Edmund A, PO Box 74, Glen Robertson, Ontario KOB 7HO, Canada.
j i W5.

| Ph

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF WALES, Botany Department, Penglais, Aberystwyth, eo

VILLARET Professor Dr Pierre, DSc, Curator, Musee Botanique Cantonal, 14bis Avenue de Cou
usanne, Switzerland.

VINCE A A P, Oaklands House, Welwyn, Herts.

weneee Mrs Jane, c/o 12 North View, Wimbledon Common, London SW19 4UJ

WAGNER Mrs Mir L, 41 Lancast er Grove, London NW3
WAGNER Prot wes Warren H _ Dr Florence S, Department of Botany, University of a
bor, Michiga SA.

WALKER Mre . 7. 1234 Marshall Avenue. , South Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53172, USA.
WALKER = Stanley, BSc, PhD, Svieginedes Unit, School of Medicine, PO Box 147,
x

es est Dr Trevor = BSc, PhD, F LS, Department of Botany, The ming? apa Newcastle-on-T yne 1,
WATSON Dr Joan, rtment of Geoiogy, The University, Manchester 13.

WEGLICKI Mrs CC, 126 Sewall Avenue, Brookline, Mass 021 - USA.

WESTMORLAND AND KENDAL LIBRARY, Stichieatase. endal, Westmorland.
STWOOD Ian F, 26 Mountain Street, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancs,

42

WHITAKER Albert, 94 Godfrey Road, Halifax, Yorks batty OST

WHITE Miss Barbara, 10 St Barnabas Roa d, Emmer Gree Reading, Berks RG48RA

WHITE Donald, The ‘Bun galow, Lixwm Village, tolvost Flints CH8 8NQ

WILLIAMS S L, 226 cen Road, Bexley, Kent.

WILLMOT Dr A, 52 Fairway Crescent, Allestree, Derby DE3 2PA

WILMANNS Professor Dr O, Bota tanisches Institut ont Universitet Schanzlestrasse 9/11,
reiburg im Breisgau, ee

N3.
WILSON Mrs M B, Netherwood, 3 Far armoss oud Blundelisands, Liverpoo!l L23 8TG
G erks,

WOOD Dr CC, BSc, PhD, — Botanic Garden, rales sa Edinburgh EH3 5LR

WOOD Miss Vivien L, 65 Powis Road, Ashton, Preston

WOODHAMS Mr and a R, 203 Barnfield Avenue, sinegien r-upon-Thames, Surrey.

WORLAND Mr and Mrs J, 102 Queens rary Harston, Cambs CB2 50N

WORLAND M R, 5 Fen hol Cambridge CB4 1TU

WRIGHT W, 126 Cam bridge Avenue, Gidea Pork, Romfor

YEOMAN Miss Ruth, 37 North End, “Osmo motherley, Northallerton, Yor

YOROI Miss ‘Loewy Botanical Institute, Page cag f Science, Tokyo Unicsite of Education,
unkyo-ku

YUILLE Mrs iy, Moorclose utri igg, E gremont, t, Cumber

ZURICH UNIVERSITY BOTANISCHER GARTEN ‘UND INSTITUT FUR SYSTEMATISCHE
BO

TANIK, Pelikanstrasse 40, 8039 Zurich, Switzer

43

CONTENTS

A Message from the President co Se [ ob a 1
‘Secretarial Notes .. << Ss 4 mi - 2 1
Financial Statement a me i ‘es = a 3
The Annual General Meeting * a ss z ~ 4
Meetings 1973 .. ie = ae = s a“ 5
Weekend Meetings .. i S a = a 6
‘Week Mestings — Perthshire ac o is a 8
ae North Wales i af i = 72
Raising Fern Varieties from Spores = wd ¥ R Kaye 15
Indoor Fern Notes ‘ = < ‘ . HJ Bruty 16
_. Extract from Correspondence ‘- a ‘. * ia 16
- British Fern Varieties — The Polypodies < is . JW Dyce 17
The Greenhouse Ferns at Kew
: “with. Preface by RE Holttum .. i a J R Woodhams 19
The Next Best Thing to a Wardian Case roa oa A W Rutherford
_ New Fern Variety Finds .. =f . ss a JW Dyce
eens Ferns for Exhibition ao ee . - R Kaye

JW Dyce
R Kaye

BPRS BRR RRRe RNY

BRITISH PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE 1974—75

President
Henry L Schollick OBE
: Vice-Presidents
J Davidson . Professor RE Holttum — F Jackson
R Kaye Professor Irene Manton

W Dyce
: 46 Sedley Ris
oes. Loughton, Essex 1G10 ILT
ees Treasurer —

ote Dr B A Thomas

Biological Sciences Depa
aS o _ University of London, ES Siidanie Collet
ae ee ee . New Cross, London SE14

zs _ Meetings Secretary
a ox AJ ae tks

yee eS We: Quet
os “Harston, Cambridge aa 5QN"

=n

a : ae 13 4 rry Mill a yi id : :
Peopleton, near Pershore, Worcs

C Jer

British cna oe: ate
Road, ‘London. Setar

THE
BULLETIN

Vol 1 1974 No 2

SECRETARIAL NOTES

First | would like to thank the many members who have written to compliment me
on our new journal and the many others who have had useful suggestions to make for
its future improvement. All have been considered appreciatively and are acknowledged
gratefully, and | hope that this issue will benefit accordingly. There has been some
criticism of our cover which is thought to be too dark, but we wanted a green one
and it had to be sufficiently distinct to distinguish it from the cover of the Gazette.
Our printers had some difficulty in getting a suitable paper last year and in spite of
the worsening paper market have been able to get a similar one for this issue, but this
may not always be the case in future years and we may have to take what we can get
whether we like the colour or don’t like it.

In the Newsletter we were in the habit of repeating certain information annually for

the benefit of newer members and much of this was included in the Bulletin last year.
Space is too valuable to continue this practice, however, and such items of information
will in future be included only in occasional issues. Another feature which has
attracted some criticism is the detailed reporting of our meetings but there is a

strong feeling among those members who attend meetings that they should be fully
reported so that the information is available for reference purposes when planning
future visits to the areas concerned either by the Society or by individual members.

SUBSCRIPTIONS became due on 1 July — have you paid yours ? Or, if you pay by

nkers order, have you still omitted to instruct your bank to change the amount
from £1.25 to £2.00. In spite of my repeated requests many members have still taken
no steps to instruct their banks to increase the amount, or if they have done so, to
ensure that the banks are carrying out their amended instructions. Banks are not
what they used to be — | know, for | spent my working life in one ! Funny
things happen these days — for instance, in two cases paying banks have transferred
the subscription amounts THREE times since July, others have paid twice and some
have paid the new subscription amount AND the old one. We laugh and think it is all
very funny, BUT — the overpayments have to be refunded which means more work for
the Treasurer. The two dozen members whose banks have paid only £1.25 again this
year have to be entreated once more to do something about it — it means only a few
minutes work for each member but for me it has to be multiplied by 24 ! If you have
reason to think that your bank is not handling your payment order correctly DO PLEASE
check with them and have the matter put right.

IMPORTANT NOTICES —
New Treasurer. Will members please note that Dr B A Thomas, Biological Sciences
Dept, University of London, Goldsmiths’ College, New Cross, London SE14, has now
taken over from the Secretary the Office of Treasurer, and in future all subscriptions
should be sent to him direct.
New Spore Exchange Organiser. David Russell has resigned from this Office owing
to ill-health and all correspondence and spores for the Exchange should now be sent
to Mr R F Cartwright, 13 Perry Mill Road, Peopleton, near Pershore, Worcs.

MEETINGS CARDS 1975 are enclosed with this Bulletin to all inland members. Overseas
members, visiting Britain, can obtain them on application to the Meetings Secretary,
Mr A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambridge CB2 5QN.

READING CIRCLE — The American Fern Journal, a quarterly containing much infor-
mation for those seriously interested in ferns, is circulated to Reading Circle members.
The Secretary will gladly add new names to the list.

CHANGE IN NAME OF THE SOCIETY — With the last issue of the Bulletin we sent
out a voting paper to give all members the opportunity to vote on a proposal that the
name of the Society be changed to the British Fern Society. We thank the 137 members
who completed and returned the form, and the result was as follows —

in favour of the change -

Not in favour of the change - 82
The Society continues, therefore, to be called the British Pteridological Society.

THE GREENFIELD FUND — We announced in last year’s Bulletin that Mrs Elizabeth
Greenfield, the daughter-in-law of our late member, Percy Greenfield, had offered to .
donate £500 to the Society from his estate. It was decided to use the amount to open
a Greenfield Fund and endeavour to increase it by additional donations from members
and a transfer of £250 from the Publications Account to bring the amount up to £1 000.
Suitably invested this could produce an annual income sufficient to give some help to
projects by members such as approved research work, Society publicity projects, or
awards for meritorious achievements. Including Mrs Greenfield's gift which will be
received when the legal formalities have been completed, the Fund now stands at £891
and we shall be grateful for further contributions to bring the amount up to the
required £1000.

FIDDLEHEAD FORUM -— Since 1971 the American Fern Society has issued a News-
letter and in February of this year the format was changed and it was given the
delightful name of Fiddlehead Forum. \t still continues in sheet form as a medium of
communication with members and is in small print which allows a large amount of
reading matter to be included in a small space. We hope to see it elaborated in due
course, as our own Newsletter and Bulletin have been from similar simple beginnings,
and we wish the Editor every success with the new publication.

GUERNSEY SPECIAL ISSUE OF FERN STAMPS ON 7 JANUARY 1975 — Will
members interested in this please read the announcement on page 21 and advise the
Secretary immediately.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AT 30 JUNE 1974

Income
1972/73 1973

£2472 30 June To

619

Expenditure
106 By Payment

ORDINARY ACCOUNT

£ £
Opening Balance 58.25
Subscriptions 846.52
Donations 5.75

les —
Gazettes, Newsletters, Bulletins 75.13
Victorian Fern Craze

Beginners Guide 4.65
International Directory of
Pteridologists 50.25
Reprints 29.75
Book Sales 20.00
Sundry 1.80 214.88
Interest on Deposit Account 92.01
£ 1217.41
Metloc a/c Bulletin Vol 1 No 1 197.60
Index for Gazette Vol 10
Typing costs 5.62
Econoprint — Printing Costs 95.00 100.62
Subscriptions —
Royal Horticultural Society 5.00
Council for Nature © 5.05 10.05
Printing and Stationery 109.23
Bank charges on Current Account 11.60
Meetings Expenses 12.50
Secretarial and Editorial Postages 142.96
Transfer to Publications Account 160.26
Econoprint — ESTIMATED cost of
Gazette Vol 11 part 1 450.00
Balance in hand — ESTIMATED 22.59

£ 1217.41

PUBLICATIONS ACCOUNT

Income
1973 £
30 June To Balance 998.74
1974
30 June Transfer from Ordinary Account 160.26
£ 1159.00
Expenditure
Metloc — printing International Directory of Pteridologists 59.00
Transfer to Greenfield Fund 250.00
Balance in hand 850.00
£ 1159.00
GREENFIELD FUND
1974
30 June To Contributions from members during 1973/74 33.20
Transfer from Publications Account 250.00
Balance in hand £ 283.20

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING — 5 OCTOBER 1974

The 71st Annual General Meeting, held at the British Museum (Natural History), was
attended by 32 members. The Secretary reported that there had been a much smaller
intake of new members but this was offset by fewer resignations and lapsed member-
ships. However, a large number of subscriptions are in arrears and it is feared that many
of the members concerned do not intend to pay because of the increased subscription
rate. We must therefore be prepared to accept the fact that, when the position is
clarified, we have sustained a reduction in membership. As known at present we have 454
Paying members plus 5 honorary members and 29 spouses, making a total of 488. Last
year’s figures were shown as 451, being 446 paying and 5 honorary members, but no
figure was quoted for wives/husbands. New members continue to come in steadily and we
hope to make good the drop in numbers before too long. Running the Society is still a
full-time job but we have at last got a new Treasurer to take some of the load off the
Secretary. He is Dr B A Thomas, one of our assistant-editors, and a lecturer in botany
at London University Goldsmiths’ College at New Cross.

There are t0 be changes in the editorship, for A C Jermy is resigning as Editor-in-
Chief owing to pressure of work. He has held the Office since 1959 and with his

appointment the Society widened its scope to include fern botany, and the Gazette
opened its pages to the scientific botanist. Over the years he has built it up into one
of the leading botanical journals. We are very sorry to lose him but glad to add that
he will still remain with us on the Editorial Panel. We are fortunate in being able to
appoint Dr C N Page, at present an assistant-editor, in his place as from July 1975,
and we wish him success with this job which in these days of industrial dispute and
paper shortage promises to be no sinecure. We have now completed Volume 10 of
the Gazette and with the new volume it has been decided to change its name to the
shorter one of “Fern Gazette’, Another change is the appointment of R F Cartwright
to the post of Organiser of the Spore Exchange — David Russell has. had to relinquish this
Owing to ill-health. The two retiring members of the Committee are B Makin and M H
Rickard and we thank them and David Russell for their work on behalf of the Society
while in office. The appointments of a new Chief Editor and Treasurer removed two
more members from the Committee and the four vacancies have been filled by H J Bruty,
R F Cartwright, Lt Col P G Coke and F J Tingey. There were no other changes and our
popular President, Henry L Schollick, was re-elected for a third term in the Office.

Meetings in the field have not been at all well attended with the exception of the Sedbergh
one, and the same small band of keen enthusiasts have been our main support at all of
them. Next year we are cutting down on the number of weekend meetings, but will
try to foster regional meetings, both in the field and indoors. This new approach was
tried out in Birmingham this year when A R Busby organised a coffee evening in
September to bring members in the Midlands together, but he had a very poor
response. We hope the idea will catch on and such meetings grow in number and in
popularity in different parts of the country where members are concentrated.

At last year’s AGM it was decided that the proposal to change the name of the Society
should be settled by a postal vote. The result was very definitely against the change and
sO we continue to retain our present name.

We had hoped that the increased subscription rate would improve our finances but the
big increase in costs has swallowed up the increase and we finished this year with a
reduced balance. It was recognised that the Bulletin must cost more than the Newsletter
but about half of the £91 increase resulted from the inclusion of the membership list
which was very much overdue and had to be published. Also, the Index to Volume 10
of the Gazette has to be published although costing £100, but these two outlays
amounting to about £150 will not have to be met again for some years. In the
meantime, however, other prices are escalating and there are undoubtedly difficult
times ahead which will entail careful husbanding of our resources.

MEETINGS 1974

We again enjoyed the facilities of the British Museum (Natural History) when over 30
members attended our Spring Indoor Meeting on 9 February. Various exhibits were on
show including plants and books, and there was a good selection of books for sale.
We had a most interesting talk which was much enjoyed, by Dr W A Sledge of Leeds
University, on his fern hunting experiences during a visit to Samoa. A light meal was
Provided, followed by a showing of members slides on the theme “Fern Variation”.

After the AGM on 5 October our Autumn Indoor Meeting was held at the Museum
with 32 members present, including several new members whom we were very pleased
to welcome. After a buffet tea we had a talk, illustrated by slides and various exhibits,
from John Woodhams on his visit at the beginning of the year to New Guinea and New
Zealand. This was listened to with great interest but unfortunately had to be rather
rushed at the end as our programme was very much behind time, and for this same
reason we had to cut out the showing of members’ slides taken at the year’s meetings.
Fern plants were on exhibit and for sale and we had our usual book sale.

This year the Kew Meeting on 11 May was attended by 22 members and friends. We were
shown round the Fern Houses by Professor Holttum and John Woodhams and they pointed
out and talked about many of the more interesting ferns. A brief visit was paid to parts of
the Gardens where hardy fern varieties are grown. We very much appreciated a welcome
cup of tea and cakes, kindly provided by Joan Woodhams during the afternoon, and
after the Meeting most of us accepted the invitation of Mrs Holttum to go on to their
home nearby for tea. Mrs Holttum, assisted by the Professor, cheerfully and most
efficiently coped with our numbers and their hospitality was greatly appreciated and
made a very enjoyable finish to the day.

DAY MEETINGS

Visit to the President's garden at Oxford — 8 June. With memories of the very
successful meeting held here two years ago a large number of members turned up and
were royally entertained by Henry and Peggy Schollick. It was perhaps well for our
hosts that the number present (in the twenties) was not as large as the 45 who
attended on the previous occasion. An innovation was a “Bring and Buy” sale of fern
plants, and when | add that £36 was made it will be appreciated how popular this
proved to be and many members were able to acquire treasures from the plants
brought by others and also from the President’s collection. By the vote of all present

it was decided that the proceeds should go into the Greenfield Fund. fAs the amount
was not received by the Treasurer before the end of our year on 30 June it is not
included in the balance of the Fund shown on page 4 — ED.)

Essex/Suffolk — 23 June. Vivien Green again led this meeting which unfortunately was
very poorly attended — only 4 members and one visitor were present. After seeing our
leader’s fine and beautifully grown collection of ferns and enjoying a cup of coffee, we
visited some woods in the neighbourhood of Aldham where ferns were few and then
moved on to Fordham Heath where the four more common dryopteris species only were
noted. In the afternoon we re-visited Fingringhoe Nature Reserve where last year we
allowed ourselves too little time to see all we wanted to; this time we wandered further
afield but were unable to add any further fern species to the list we compiled. We
found the colony of Lycopodium clavatum still flourishing and spreading, while the
single plant of Osmunda regalis which we were instrumental in adding as a new record
to the Reserve plant list last year was still there with fronds about a foot high. The
undergrowth is thick in very boggy impenetrable ground near the plant and we feel that
others may grow hidden away in inaccessible corners.

WEEKEND MEETINGS

Cheddar Gorge — 31 May/2 June. A small party of six met at the Oak House Hotel,
Axbridge and under the leadership of Chris and Mary Potts commenced the weekend by
exploring Cheddar Gorge. The general condition of the plant life was affected by almost
ten weeks of drought and many of the smaller ferns were withered and difficult to find.
Growing about halfway up the Gorge were Asp/enium scolopendrium, Dryopteris
filix-mas, Polypodium australe, Asplenium trichomanes, A. ruta-muraria, Polystichum
aculeatum, and towards the top end Cystopteris fragilis, Gymnocarpium robertianum

(at least eight well-established colonies), Dryopteris austriaca, D. pseudomas, Athyrium
filix-femina, Polystichum setiferum and some very dry specimens of Asp/enium ceterach.
A few plants of the Cheddar Pink were seen growing on ledges overlooking the road. The
afternoon was spent at the Ebbor Gorge near Wookey Hole but no new species were
discovered other than Equisetum arvense. On the return journey the Mendip Lead Mines
at Charterhouse were visited and two more equisetums identified, E. fluviatile and

E. palustre. On Sunday, Sand Point near Weston-super-Mare provided a change of locale
but only seven fern species were seen, amongst them A. adiantum-nigrum and A. marinum.
After lunch fern hunting was abandoned due to the arrival of the long-awaited rain.

Dovedale — 19/21 July. The eight members who turned up for this meeting centred at
the New Inns Hotel near Dovedale had a very active weekend under the energetic leader-
ship of Marjorie Castellan and Margaret Kingston. On the Saturday morning we worked
down Dovedale from the north end at Milldale but though the area is ferny there was not
a large number of species to be seen — only eight were recorded including Asplenium
ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes, Cystopteris fragilis, A. scolopendrium and Polystichum
aculeatum. \n the afternoon we travelled north to Dalehead near Hartington and
visited a colony of Ophioglossum vulgatum known to our leaders. On a previous visit
earlier in the season they had also seen Botrychium /unaria here but now it had
disappeared, probably grazed by sheep. We returned south by the Manifold valley
stopping at some places en route but only ten species were noted, among them
Athyrium filix-femina and Pteridium aquilinum, both of which we found to be quite
uncommon in the area we hunted during the weekend. On Sunday we travelled north
again to the disused railway cuttings near Parsley Hay Station. Here we found a much
richer fern flora which included five aspleniums, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria,
A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes and, best of all, A. viride growing profusely and
large. Cystopteris fragilis and Oreopteris limbosperma were also there and we were very
delighted to find a colony of Gymnocarpium robertianum. We finished the weekend
with tea at Marjorie’s cottage at Wootton, calling en route at Ilam Hall which belongs
to the National Trust. In the woods along the river P. acu/eatum was plentiful. We also
stopped briefly on Weaver Hills to see a fine colony of A. ceterach recently found by
our leaders in an old quarry.

Calder Valley and Hardcastle Crags — 2/4 August. This meeting attended by eight
members was held in what would appear to be a most unattractive area for ferns,
surrounded by the great industrial towns of Accrington, Burnley, Halifax, Keighley and
Rochdale, to mention but a few of them. High moors and deep ravine valleys radiate
from Hebden Bridge where we were centred at the White Lion Hotel, and before
industry laid its clutching hands on the district it must have been one of great natural

beauty, and to some extent still is. On the Saturday, led by Bob Trippitt, we
explored the valley of Hebden Water which joins the Calder at Hebden Bridge, and
walked up as far as Hardcastle Crags. Ferns were plentiful but of the more common
species and thirteen were recorded as well as two equisetums. The lady fern was the
most common and we noted abundant Dryopteris austriaca and Oreopteris limbosperma.
There were some good colonies of Cystopteris fragilis on bridges and walls and also
some Asplenium ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes. On Sunday we passed through a town
well-known in earlier times to fern growers, Todmorden, the home of the Stansfield
Fern Nursery. Industrial development makes it difficult to imagine a fern nursery
existing in the place and much searching by fern men in more recent times has failed

to discover any ferns of even minor interest which could have originated from spore
escapes from the vast collection of superb varieties which were cultivated in the
nursery. Beyond Todmorden up the Calder valley we hunted on Thievely Pike but the
cliffs supported a very meagre fern population, only seven species and two allies being
seen, among them Athyrium filix-femina, Blechnum spicant, Dryopteris abbreviata,
Oreopteris limbosperma and Equisetum sylvaticum. A highlight of the weekend was

a visit by some of us on Saturday evening to Bob Trippitt’s garden near Bradford to
see his excellent collection of British fern varieties.

The Black Mountains — 16/18 August. The Merryweathers who had planned to lead
this meeting were unable to be with us and their place was taken by Martin Rickard who
had returned only a few days previously from France where he had spent most of the
summer. We had a better attendance of eleven members most of whom foregathered
on the Friday evening at our centre, the Crown Hotel in Hay-on-Wye. A few of the early
arrivals had time on the Friday afternoon to explore the nearby village of Cusop and the
wooded valley of Cusop Dingle. We found twelve species, among them Asp/enium
ceterach on the village walls along with A. ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes. \n the
Dingle Polystichum setiferum and A. scolopendrium were seen and there was a great
abundance of Athyrium filix-femina. On Saturday we travelled south to the Gospel Pass
in the Black Mountains where we hunted the cliffs on the side of Darren Lwyd and re-
corded fourteen species which included Cystopteris fragilis, Phegopteris connectilis,
Polystichum aculeatum and in the screes abundant Gymnocarpium dryopteris. \n the
afternoon we paid a short visit to the headwaters of the stream flowing through Cusop
Dingle near New Forest Farm and found the ferns to be similar to those seen the
Previous day in the Dingle itself. A magnificent colony of C. fragilis flourishes on walls
at the spot where we parked the cars. The weather deteriorated and we returned to
Hay early in heavy rain but the secondhand bookshops in the town kept us fully
engrossed for the rest of the day. On Sunday we returned to the mountains and spent
our time on the cliffs on the north side of Rhos Dirion, recording thirteen species,
among them A. viride, C. fragilis, G. dryopteris, Polypodium vulgare, P. aculeatum and a
single plant of A. scolopendrium hidden away in a crevice.

Norfolk — 27/29 September. This was another very poorly attended meeting, and only
two members staying at the centre, the George Hotel in Swaffham, were in the field on
Saturday. Unfortunately, the area picked for hunting is occupied by a huge military

training ground and we spent the whole morning travelling round it to find that all
the likely fern ground displayed large notices with the brief and to the Point injunction

“No admittance — Keep out’! North of Mundford we did at last find some promising
ground on Foulden Common but it produced only four ferns, Dryopteris austriaca,

D. carthusiana, D. filix-mas and Pteridium aquilinum plus one equisetum E&. arvense. This
paucity was somewhat relieved by the fact that D. carthusiana, not one of the most
common of ferns, was present in abundance. On Sunday our members were increased
to six and the morning was spent in the Leziate area near Kings Lynn. We noted five
ferns here, the same ones seen the previous day with the addition of a single plant of
Athyrium filix-femina, the only specimen of this fern found during the weekend.

E. palustre was also seen. Of great interest was the abundance of very strong growing
D. carthusiana. On Leziate Fen the ferns were again similar but we added D. pseudomas,
found growing near here at the road-side. We finished the weekend on Royden Common
where Osmunda regalis was the only fern seen, in addition to bracken. In all, only seven
ferns and two horsetails were recorded during the weekend.

WEEK MEETINGS

Tiverton, Devon — 29 June/6 July. We were hoping to have a good attendance at this
meeting as it is some years since we last had a week meeting in the area. Only five
members attended for the whole time, Bert Bruty, Jimmy Dyce, Alf and Ray Hoare and
Henry Schollick. Part-time attenders were Chris and Mary Potts and Kenneth Adlam
accompanied by his son. All of us are fern growers so it was a foregone conclusion that

the meeting should develop into a variety hunt, particularly as we were in the centre of
the Polystichum setiferum area where most of the well-known fern varieties were found
in the past. The weather was not too kind but the frequent showers were light enough
to allow continued hunting in the lanes in which we concentrated most of our time
sO we kept reasonably dry.

The country round Tiverton has never claimed much of our attention during previous
visits and this omission we proceeded to remedy. On Sunday we explored up the west
side of the Exe as far as Bampton through fine hilly country and recorded twelve
species, the common ones being Polystichum setiferum and Asplenium scolopendrium,
along with Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas. Large-growing
Polypodium interjectum was frequent, Athyrium filix-femina was seen in a few places
but was rare, and a few plants of P. acu/eatum and Oreopteris limbosperma were noted.

Leaving the Exe valley we passed through Stoodleigh and north to Oakford, stopping in
the deep wooded ravine of the Iron Mill Stream where we found the ferns similar to
those seen earlier except that A. trichomanes was present but P. setiferum completely
absent; on the higher ground Blechnum spicant was large-growing and abundant. In the
afternoon we decided to work across country towards Wellington and our first stop was
in some ironstone quarries near Bampton which looked interesting but proved otherwise,
only eight of the commoner species, none of them abundant, being seen. Further east at
Ashbrittle the stone walls supported a good fern population and were well covered
with A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and that always fascinating
little fern, A. ceterach. It was a glimpse of the last-named fern as we passed through
the village which made us stop — we always do when we see A. ceterach! \t was growing
extensively on the walls but very dried up. Continuing on our way the road ran through
a deep cutting in the sandstone rock at Nynehead and ferns were growing in profusion.

Although only eight species were noted, and none of them rare, the place was one in
which to linger, if only because of the wealth of young fern growth from prothalli
upwards, on the damp sandstone walls. A. scolopendrium and P. setiferum were the
common ferns with Polypodium interjectum draping the higher places. Our final
objective for the day was a well-known naturalists’ bookshop at Hillfarrance which
opens on Sundays, in the hope of getting some fern books. Alas! our journey was
in vain for only a short time before our arrival the proprietor had decided to shut
shop and left by car.

On Monday we spent the day in the Brendon Hills, an area of high hills to the north

in Somerset with deep wooded valleys rich in ferns. We started hunting at the small village
of Kingsbridge to follow up some of our old records for forked A. trichomanes in the hope
that some cristate plants might be found but the colony persisted in retaining only its
bifid and trifid characters. In the West Country large colonies of this minor variety

can occasionally be found but it is rare to find a crested variety among the forked
specimens. Walking along the road to Luxborough, there was an abundance of spleenworts
in the walls and A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas and P. interjectum
growing on the roadside banks. The common fern was A. scolopendrium and further
on, the lane was full of P. setiferum; it was hunted carefully — but in vain — for
varieties. In Druid’s Combe we visited a colony of D. aemula which we have known
for many years and | was very pleased to see that it has increased greatly in numbers
since my last visit some years ago. As in the past A. filix-femina and A. scolopendrium
continue to clothe the slopes in the Combe. A good lacerated marginate “scollie’’ was
found on a bridge further along.

At Roadwater we turned south on a very narrow steep lane leading to Woodadvent
Farm. Many years ago in this lane | found a very good P. setiferum ‘Acutilobum’, and in
the hope of repeating this find we hunted all the lanes in the vicinity. One particularly
good one leading up a steep hill from the farm towards Chidgley had all other plant
life literally crowded out with the profusion of P. setiferum, growing very strongly,
most of the plants being tripinnate and subtripinnate. Our hopes of finding a really
good variety here were not fulfilled but we did find three worth collecting, a
cristulate one with tiny crests on the pinnae, a strong bifidum and an interesting
falcate one with the lower pinnules long narrow and curved, rather suggestive of the
variety ‘Pulcherrimum’ but without the deep incisions which distinguish the pinnules
of that magnificent variety.

The Brendons have many ‘‘Polystichum lanes” and another day, Thursday, was spent
there. Many years ago with my old friend Percy Greenfield, we visited one of the
Brendon valleys which seems shut off from the outer world with the hamlet of Leighland
Chapel in the middle of it. We were unable to spend much time there but it offered
excellent polystichum hunting and this year | redeemed the promise | made to myself that
| would return. Accordingly on the Thursday | returned. On the way near Treborough we
made a stop at some very extensive and deep quarries cut into the wooded hillside, now
used as a refuse dump for all manner of rubbish from household garbage to old cars. The
ferns did not seem to find the place unpleasant and we found ten species, lady ferns,
aspleniums, male ferns and polypodies, but the dominant one was A. sco/opendrium,

and one sheltered wooded ‘‘alcove” shut off from the quarries proper was literally a
fern paradise full of huge clumps of magnificent plants with large shining fronds. No

P. setiferum was found here but it gradually increased in numbers towards Roadwater
until we turned off south into the round valley about two miles in diameter, closed in by
the hills. The narrow road leading to Leighland Chapel was hunted along its length to the
hamlet in spite of persistent rain. There was the usual small number of species already
seen in the surrounding country, but P. setiferum was everywhere and this was the fern
we wanted to see, still searching hopefully for good varieties. No doubt there are some
growing there but we did not see them. In places there was abundant A. scolopendrium,
also P. interjectum thatching the tops of the high banks.

Our road was the only easy one into the area — a fact we proved conclusively when we
endeavoured after passing through Leighland Chapel to follow a lane leading east towards
Chidgley. After getting hopelessly lost in a network of narrow tracks, almost impassable
for cars, we eventually succeeded but more by good luck than judgment. It is obvious that
this end of the valley to the south and east of Leighland Chapel can only be explored on
foot. We dared not stop to look but what we saw from the cars made it a most desirable
hunting area, and so once again | made a promise to return but next time on foot from
Chidgley. After lunch at Roadwater still another road into the valley was tried as a short-
cut to Chidgley but it became so rough that we had to retire; it was an open lane and ferns
were very few and of little interest.

We were now not far from the Quantock Hills where in 1962 in a lane between Crowcombe
and Triscombe Percy Greenfield found a plant of Asp/enium trichomanes ‘incisum’ which
is Considered to be one of the best wild finds of this variety. Half of it was given to me
but | did not succeed in keeping it for very long. Greenfield’s part flourished in his Surrey
garden, but afraid that it would eventually be lost he and | decided that it should be sent
to Reg Kaye who still has it in his nursery, now increased to three plants. We decided to
visit the area again this year to see if any more plants of the variety had grown during

the intervening twelve years. | have a good mental picture of the spot where it was found
but everything seemed changed — not surprising after twelve years! | think we did find
the wall but vigorous growing weeds now almost cover it, choking out the ferns.
However, we were as usual working against time and a more leisurely hunt in the lanes
might produce better results. We found P. setiferum to be very abundant along the lanes
in the area and this too should be looked at more carefully. Other species included
Plentiful A. sco/opendrium and four spleenworts, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria,
A. trichomanes and A. ceterach.

A wet day on Tuesday provided a good excuse for not straying far from Tiverton and
to hunt some of the ground to the east of the Exe as far as Bampton, to which little
attention had been given in the past. At Chettiscombe we looked round the village walls
and found the three common spleenworts along with A. scolopendrium and some
P. interjectum. South of Hone Hill a large area of woodland on a steep slope had
been cut in the last year or two and in the cleared ground ferns were growing very
Prolifically to a large size. The dominant ones were P. setiferum on the slopes and
lower down P. aculeatum along the banks of a stream. The latter was remarkable for
its size and the fact that none of the plants seemed quite normal but inclined towards

the hybrid bicknellii. Much of the setiferum was more divided than normal and we had
hopes of finding a good variety but we could not possibly search the whole area
thoroughly — and by this time the rain was falling steadily! A. scolopendrium was also
abundant and a crested form was found. The terrain was obviously good fern country
and all the ten species seen were growing strongly. Near the stream was A. filix-femina,
very large and plumose, accompanied by D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and D. austriaca, all
vying in size with the magnificent P. aculeatum.

Several years ago at Firebeacon | found two plants of P. setiferum ‘Percristatum’ and we
searched the lane in the hope that more had grown in the interim. We found only a
setiferum with divided pinnules which may or may not prove worthy of cultivation. Near
Bampton at a cross-roads called Ford seven lanes radiate. One of them, a narrow
overgrown and sunken track leads steeply up a hillside and was full of ferns, growing
profusely. P. aculeatum abounded, also very large-growing A. scolopendrium and

A. filix-femina while huge colonies of P. interjectum grew along the tops of the
banks. In all, eleven species were seen but only very few plants of P. setiferum. The
other lanes provided poor hunting except that in one P. acu/eatum grew in great quantity.
By this time the rain which had eased for a while began to fall heavily and we were glad
.to call it a day and return to the comfort of our hotel.

Wednesday was dry and we wandered further afield again up to Simonsbath, drawn
thither by the Phegopteris connectilis and Cryptogramma crispa colonies growing in
Somerset. From Dulverton we followed the River Barle up its deep wooded valley to
March where we recorded eleven of the more common species, chief among them the lady
and the male ferns with the occasional setiferum and scolopendrium. Similar ferns grew
along the steep road leading down from Comer’s Cross to Withypool, with additionally
Oreopteris limbosperma; the \ady fern was very abundant but there was a complete absence
of setiferum. On the bridge in Withypool grew A. ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes. One
of the very rare ferns in the West Country is P. connectilis and it was pleasing to visit one
of its two stations and see it still growing happily there. Another very rare fern for this
Part of the country is Cryptogramma crispa and a pilgrimage was made to see it growing
in a wild spot where a colony of only five plants is known to us. Not very far from it on
an old ruined building grows Cystopteris fragilis which is not common in the area and

this was the only time we saw it during the week.

Our last day, Friday, we spent in the undulating lanes to the south and west of our
centre. On the long stretch of Newie’s Hill twelve species were seen but the hunting was
Poor and the only records of note were the abundance of D. pseudomas and in only
one place A. adiantum-nigrum; there was some P. aculeatum in places but very little
setiferum. Near Bickleigh we found the last-named fern in quantity again and one
narrow track was very interesting but none of the variation was outside the normal
range. Other species seen numbered eight only, all the more common ones. Further on at
Cadeleigh numbers were still poor but we noted one plant of A. ceterach in a wall. North
of Little Silver we discovered a lane full of P. setiferum, which proved to be nearly as
exciting as the one we hunted on the Monday near Woodadvent Farm. The fern
seemed to be doing its utmost to develop beyond the normal extremes but could
not quite make it and after slowly searching the lane with the closest scrutiny we

reluctantly had to give up, convinced that there was nothing good to be found. It was
the last hunt on our last day and from there we travelled to Witheridge to end the
week with a visit to Kenneth and Dolsheen Adiam to see their garden and enjoy a
much appreciated tea.

We are sorry that more members did not come to this meeting held in a most
delightful part of the country. It was by no means a strenuous week, for the most time
spent strolling slowly down the lovely ferny lanes. Admittedly the West Country does not
offer the same number of exciting species seen in more mountainous districts but
we recorded twenty fern species and two equisetums. On walls A. adiantum-nigrum,

A. ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes were found with at times A. ceterach, The
dryopteris species D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas, 8B. spicant and

A. filix-femina were abundant in most places, as well as P, interjectum and P. vulgare on
banks and walls, O. /imbosperma was scattered and not too common, and we saw
only one colony of each of the following, D. aemula, C. fragilis, C. crispa and
P.connectilis. Of course, Pteridium aquilinum was widespread, and the common
ferns of the area were A. sco/opendrium in woods, roadside banks and on walls, and
P. setiferum which is THE fern of the West Country. More scattered but turning up
in most places P. acu/eatum was a bit more difficult to find. The equisetums seen
were E. arvense and E. fluviatile. As fern growers we were disappointed not to find
any really good varieties but pleased to be able to take back with us a few of
minor interest.

Sedbergh, Yorkshire — 7/14 September. On a day of heavy rain and gale-force winds,
our party, the largest of the year, foregathered at our centre, the Bull Hotel at
Sedbergh. During the week 18 members attended for all or part of the time and it
was most gratifying to see such a good turnout. Marjorie Castellan, Charles Catlin,
Jimmy Dyce, Fred Jackson, Margaret Kingston, James and Margaret Merryweather,
Martin and Hazel Rickard and Francis and Barbara Tingey were there for the whole
week and for odd days or part of the week we were joined by John Barnett, Graham
Fairweather and his fiancee Janet, Bob Finch, Bob Trippitt and Tony and Barbara
Worland. Our leaders were Fred Jackson and James Merryweather.

On Sunday we travelled north through Ravensdale to Orton Scar a few miles beyond
Orton. Above the Scar was a very loose and broken limestone pavement on which we
spent the morning, finding the deep narrow crevices or grikes full of ferns, chiefly
Asplenium viride and Cystopteris fragilis in great abundance. We recorded 13 species
including the fern ally Selaginella selaginoides which we found to be quite common
in many of the places we visited during the week. We did not see much Dryopteris
villarii or Gymnocarpium robertianum in which should have been a good habitat for
them but A. scolopendrium and Polystichum aculeatum were common. Other spleen-
worts were A. ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes and we also noted Athyrium filix-femina,
D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas.

In the afternoon we returned south again nearer home to Cautley Spout which we had
visited in 1972 during the weekend meeting held at Dent in the Sedbergh area. Cautley
Spout is a series of high waterfalls cascading down a deep ravine cut into the side of the
hills a few miles north-east of our centre and from the road there is a walk over the moor

13

of more than a mile before climbing up to the Spout which is very impressive. The steep
gill, difficult to get through on this occasion because of the volume of water in the beck,
is full of ferns and during our two visits we recorded 24 species which includes allies.
Conditions for scrambling up the gill were much better during our previous visit so that
this time we did not see all the ferns which grow in its deeper recesses, ideal habitats for
A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. viride, A. trichomanes, C. fragilis and

P. aculeatum. There are some colonies of the filmy fern Hymenophyllum wilsonii also
G. dryopteris and Phegopteris connectilis, while the bigger ferns A. filix-femina,

D. abbreviata, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and the hybrid D. X tavelii are all
there, as well as Po/ypodium vulgare. On the more open ground higher up we noted
Blechnum spicant, Oreopteris limbosperma and Pteridium aquilinum, and on the screes
on either side of the Spout Cryptogramma crispa was in abundance, growing in large
clumps. Also seen were Lycopodium clavatum, L. selago, S. selaginoides and lower down
on the wet ground Equisetum palustre.

On Monday we were again in the country north of our centre, travelling up through
Kirkby Stephen and beyond Brough to Hillbeck to explore the deep wooded valley of
Swindale Beck. In steady rain we plodded down the wet slopes to the beck in quest of
the horsetail E. hyemale and following up an old record for E. pratense. Two of our
party struggled across the flooded beck to reach the former which grew on the far bank
but we were unable to find any trace of &. pratense. Higher up the slopes on the way
back we saw a flourishing colony of E£. sy/vaticum, and near it a very large and fine

drift of P. connectilis. One other horsetail &. arvense was seen. Ferns were growing
abundantly on the wooded slopes and we recorded A. filix-femina, B. spicant,

D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas with, on the more open ground, P. aquilinum.
In the rock banks of the beck we found A. trichomanes, C. fragilis, P. interjectum and
quite abundant P. acu/eatum. On the higher more open ground some O. /imbosperma was
noted. Some of the party clambered up to the screes on Hillbeck Low Fell and recorded
the usual limestone species there. In the extensive quarries where we parked the cars ferns
were common but of only a few species, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, D. filix-mas and
D. pseudomas. The two male ferns were prolific everywhere among the loose stone
and debris in the disused parts.

In the afternoon we retraced our steps to Stennerskeugh Clouds, a few miles south

of Ravenstonedale. During the visit to the area two years ago we hunted the neighbouring
hill Fell End Clouds and noted 12 fern species; the same ferns were all found again this
time with the addition of S. selaginoides. Both the Clouds are low hills of some 1500 feet,
an easy climb from the road up broken scars to the limestone pavements on the tops,
Providing excellent and interesting hunting. The most common fern was again A. viride,
growing in all the rock crevices and in the grikes, and it was accompanied by A. ruta-muraria,
A. trichomanes and C. fragilis. There was also an abundance of A. sco/opendrium, growing
happily in one of its favourite types of habitat. One crested specimen was found in a deep
grike which necessitated the removal of a number of large rocks before we finally succeeded
in collecting it. The only other common fern was P. aculeatum, and we expected to

see D. villarii and G. robertianum also in quantity but only in one place were several
large and flourishing colonies of the latter seen and one small patch of the former.
There was some A, filix-femina and a few plants of D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas and it

was interesting to discover one solitary plant of P. setiferum seemingly quite happy
in this non-typical habitat.

Still ranging far afield on Tuesday we visited the Grange-over-Sands area on the
River Kent Estuary. In one place along this coast line Adiantum capillus-veneris grows in
what must be its most northerly station; we were very pleased to find it flourishing
and very much at home, and even extending its range along the rocks. In the same
place A. marinum was also seen but not very many other ferns. An old quarry nearby
was the habitat of huge clumps of very large-growing A. trichomanes and A. ruta-muraria,
also a few plants of A. ceterach. At Lindale, just north of Grange, old walls along the
streets and in the churchyard were searched and on them were A. ruta-muraria,

A. trichomanes, A. scolopendrium and P. interjectum, while in the churchyard

C. fragilis was very abundant.

One of the founder members of our Society in 1891 was Joseph Wiper who lived in
Kendal, and although the family moved to Vancouver in Canada in 1911 the garden of
his o:d home is still full of his ferns in spite of it having changed hands many times

since then. The present owners have just entered into possession but Mrs Taylor made
Our party very welcome when we called, by arrangement, on our way back from Grange.
The garden is a delightful one, terraced on a fairly steep slope, and contains many good
fern varieties, most of them of Polystichum setiferum, the dryopteris species and
Athyrium filix-femina. As is always the case where varieties of the last-named flourish,
self-sown sporelings are growing all over the garden, some of them good but many
of them otherwise. One of the notable ferns in this garden is a crested form of
Pteridium aquilinum, possibly the best in existence, a ‘Percristatum’ fully cristate in all
its parts. Established in the garden by the Wipers it is, like the wild species, strong-growing
and vigorous and has become an invasive nuisance. It is so beautiful, however, that its
faults must be forgiven and the fronds can always be easily pulled up in the places where
they are not wanted. Some years ago | acquired some rhizomes of the fern from the then
Owner but they did not survive the move. Discussing this failure with knowledgeable
fern growers later, we decided that the only time to move it with any degree of
success would be in the early spring when life was beginning to stir in the dormant
rhizomes. The best way to propagate it is possibly from spores and some were
collected by John Barnett so we hope he has some success in raising some plants like
the parent. It is fortunate that all the owners of this garden have had some interest in its
fern population and have looked after the plants, even to the extent of distributing some
to other fern lovers. We are glad to add that the present new owners are no exception;
Mrs Taylor was interested in all we had to tell her about the plants and we had a warm
invitation to return again when we are in the area.

(See British Fern Gazette Vol 9 page 297, A visit to Ferndene, Kendal, by R Kaye)

From Kendal we moved on to Sizergh Castle a few miles to the south, belonging to the
National Trust. There is a large collection of good fern varieties scattered throughout
the Castle gardens and fortunately, the head gardener, Malcolm Hutcheson, is very
interested in them and took pleasure in showing us round and introducing us to many
very fine plants of several species. The gardens were very much overgrown before the
National Trust took them over several years ago and more good ferns are still coming

to light as the process of clearing up and cutting back of overgrown shrubs continues.
There are many very fine polystichums and, of course, athyriums, and there is a very
good selection of varieties from the dryopteris species, as well as scolopendriums and
the finer polypodies.

On Wednesday we remained nearer home and travelled north up the Lune valley from
Sedbergh to Carlin Gill about 5 miles away. Our main interest was in the deep ravine
called Black Force which rises steeply from the Gill up the slopes of Fell Head. It is

a very enclosed place with precipitous rocky sides and down it rushes a vigorous
stream in a series of cascades and waterfalls. It is the home of a large number of

ferns, growing in ideal conditions and we recorded 13 species and 1 ally, some of them
very abundant and others very scarce. One good plant only of P. setiferum was seen
and it looked so much at home that we could have expected to see more, and there
very probably are more hidden away in unapproachable corners. The common fern, as in
some other places visited, was A. viride, its sheltered habitat inducing very lush growth,
and there was plenty of A. trichomanes, C. fragilis, P. aculeatum and H. wilsonii. We noted
D. abbreviata frequently on the more open rocks along with the occasional plant of

L. selago, and there was some A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, B. spicant,

P. vulgare and C. crispa. Fortunately the beck was not too full as the day was dry and we
were able to clamber up it fairly easily. It was not so on Friday when we glimpsed its
greatly increased volume of water from the motorway, two miles distant, on a day
of persistent pouring rain. Along Carlin Gill on our way to and from Black Force, the
ferns were very similar to those already listed but additionally we saw D. filix-mas,

O. limbosperma, P. connectilis, P. aquilinum and the allies S. selaginoides and

E. arvense.

On the return journey at Chapel Beck which is heavily wooded the 14 species seen
were again similar to those in Black Force, with the addition of A. ruta-muraria growing
on the bridge by the road, and G. dryopteris. Extensive drifts of P. connectilis were
admired. On a stretch of roadside bank between Fairmile Beck and Chapel Beck, very
large-growing D. abbreviata was a conspicuous fern.

In a morning of rain on Thursday we drove through Dentdale and on our way pene-
trated down Deepdale as far as Gastock Beck Bottom where we were able to admire the
waterfall in full flood. The ferns seen were the same ones noted during our 1972 visit to
this spot; A. trichomanes, C. fragilis, A. scolopendrium, P. vulgare and P. aculeatum
grow on the rocks around the waterfall and nearby, A. filix-femina, D. austriaca,

D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas are common in the open places, along with E. arvense
and O. /imbosperma. \n brighter weather we moved on to Newby Head Moss and down
to Ribblehead to once again visit the railway cutting which some of our party had not
previously seen. No additional ferns or allies were recorded. On the higher ground,
Colt Park Wood was explored. This is an area of limestone pavement overgrown by
trees which reduces the ferns to the more common ones of humid places. Only 10 were
noted, A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes, A. scolopendrium, A. filix-femina, C. fragilis,

D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, P. vulgare, P. aculeatum and P. aquilinum. The wood was
not extensively searched as the overgrown terrain with hidden crevices in the pavement
made it dangerous for walking. In the afternoon limbed up Moughton Fell

Up vivuy

from Horton-in-Ribblesdale in search of P. /onchitis which grows there in the grikes. They
did not find it but recorded 12 species all listed on previous visits, which included all the
common limestone species found in such habitats.

Friday was a day of rain which discouraged everyone, but later in the morning two of our
more active members set off to explore Combe Scar on the south side of Dentdale and
reported the finding of 19 species, among them A. adiantum-nigrum, A. trichomanes,
A. viride, C. fragilis, P. aculeatum and P. connectilis. The most abundant ferns were
C. crispa, G. dryopteris and H. wilsonii, The rest of the party stuck to the cars and
made a foray down Dentdale and up over the mountain road in thick mist from Dent
Station to Garsdale. On the return journey down Garsdale a brief stop was made to hunt
along the bank of the river during a short lull in the rain and 7 ferns were seen, all of them
the more common ones from such habitats. In the afternoon ferns were forsaken for
books, and we visited Kendal and Appleby only to find that the bookshop in the former
place was closed and the one in Appleby now non-existent!

For the record, 27 ferns and 5 allies were recorded during the week. Most of them were
on the limestone scars and pavements and were A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria,
A. trichomanes, A. viride, A. scolopendrium, C. fragilis, D. villarii, G. robertianum,

P. aculeatum and P. setiferum. \t was very noticeable how common A. viride was in
these habitats, while A. adiantum-nigrum and P. setiferum were very scarce, and we did
not see a large amount of D. villarii and G. robertianum. On the limestone and off it,
common ferns were A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. interjectum
and P. vulgare, and on open hillsides O. limbosperma and B. spicant were frequent along
with, at times, abundant P. aquilinum. The larger ferns also grew in the ravines, along
with G. dryopteris, H. wilsonii, P. connectilis and in a few places D. abbreviata. On the
screes in a few places we remarked an abundance of C. crispa and on hillsides some
L. clavatum and L. selago. In one place on the coast A. capillus-veneris and A. marinum
were seen, and only once was A. ceterach recorded. The horsetails &. arvense and

E. palustre were occasionally seen but S. selaginoides was quite common. Only one
fern variety A. scolopendrium ‘Cristatum’ was found.

A CODE OF SAFETY FOR SOCIETY EXCURSIONS
JW and M E Merryweather

The 1974 AGM discussed the question of safety on fern hunting excursions. It was decided
that a code of conduct should be put to members, suggesting ways in which they might
Protect themselves and their friends from injury or worse which could well befall them

on any ferning trip — accidents have already happened.

The main danger areas are mountainous. We regularly find ourselves in bleak, upland
Places bestrewn with treacherous rock and prone to sudden changes of climate. Here,
Protection for feet and ankles in the form of stout, well-fitting boots with high sides {in
Order to hold ankles firmly) are essential along with adequate protection against
€xposure. The latter can take many forms. The authors are keen on carrying very light
and compact water-proofed nylon Kagoul (a long, non-zip anorak) and over-trousers
which can render the wearer completely water-proof (and quite wind-proof) from head
to boot! These can easily be carried at all times whatever the weather with no effort.
Non-waterproof clothing should be of wool which provides fine insulation even when

17

wet. Jeans are not a very suitable form of trousers, being of cotton — the authors
might do well to note this! However, any other fully water-proof clothing with wool
beneath is excellent — just heavier to lug about, and stout shoes or wellingtons are
better than everyday footwear.

We would like to point out that wearers of plimsolls and other light footwear or of
just shower-proof clothing on mountains are a liability to themselves and to their
colleagues if they do get into trouble.

If a person does become injured or is clinging from a rock-face unable to get up or
down he needs help. If he has wandered off alone it will not be available. For this
reason people must work in pairs or groups and at all times must be in contact with
one another. A mere knowledge that your colleague is somewhere above you is not
good enough, for this presumption is nearly always erroneous.

It is suggested that all members of a fern-hunting trip carry a very powerful whistle which
will be available in an emergency — voices do not carry very far in big mountain valleys
and are completely lost in the sound of rushing water in deep rocky ravines. A simple
code of whistle messages could be devised though this could lead to unnecessary compli-
cations of a simple means of expressing emergency. Along with a whistle a small pocket
compass and a local Ordnance Survey map are easily carried. Without these, however, if
you are lost up a mountain, as a fernist you probably followed a stream up — follow it
down. If you have lost your colleagues and think they are close, head down hill. You can
see them from there, but not from above.

A further suggestion is that a party should always carry a compact first-aid kit and a
survival bag (a polythene bag with a metallic coating in which an injured person can be
kept dry and warm until help arrives). This would require organisation and a few willing
volunteers. Some discussion of this should take place.

Advice of a more general note, but none the less important, is to learn your own
limitations and respect them. It is all too easy, when spurred on by the thought of
reaching a rare specimen in some precarious niche, to forget everything except
attaining the goal and whilst it is rewarding to look back on such an achievement
if successful, there are places that even the youngest and most agile would do well
to leave alone.

The authors would be pleased to receive any further suggestions which this article
may stimulate.

Unusual domicile for a fern. | have received from our Norwegian member, Johannes
Hovland, a photograph taken from the ground of a fern growing out of the brick coping
on top of the chimney-stalk of a house in the middle of Bergen, Norway’s second largest
city. The detail is not sufficiently clear to make a positive identification but from the
outlines of the fronds against the sky, it looks remarkably like a polypody, possibly

P. interjectum. The fern is, comparing it with the size of the bricks from which it is
growing, about 10 to 12 inches in height and seems very much at home on its eyrie which
presumably at times must be rather warm and smoky.

BRITISH FERN VARIETIES — Various species J W Dyce

During the past five years | have dealt with the varieties of the five large variety-producing
genera in Britain. It now remains for me to tidy up with a review of the other species
which produce only very few variations. Collectively, they add quite appreciably to the
list of first-rate garden ferns.

Several of the spleenworts have in the past produced varieties which now appear to be
non-existent. They were mostly cristate forms and there are old records that Asplenium
adiantum-nigrum, A. ceterach and A. marinum all brought forth these and other deviations
from the normal. Probably none of them were of great merit and they seem to have had
a fleeting existence; this is also the case with Cystopteris fragilis and Phegopteris
connectilis. Very different is Oreopteris limbosperma which in the last century and
in the early days of our Society was one of the big producers of good varieties,
Particularly in the Lake District. Not a single one — to my knowledge — remains
today and this fern in the wild always presents an all too constant normal
appearance; it does not even have that range of very minor variation which is a
common feature in many of our ferns in their native habitats. Another of our
native ferns, Adiantum capillus-veneris at one time had several good varieties but
we never hear of them nowadays.

We are left with a short list of species, among them only two of the spleenworts,
A. trichomanes and A. viride. The \atter is a shy producer but good crested forms are
occasionally found. It is rarely seen in cultivation, however, and does not seem to

a good doer. The only specimen | know is a superb plant growing in the limestone
on the hills above Arncliffe in Yorkshire — it is impossible to remove it from a very
narrow deep fissure in the rock, which is probably a good thing. One day some of us hope
to visit it when its spores are ripe and then we may be able to reproduce it from them.
There have been records of A. viride ‘Incisum’, and in the inter-war years a photograph
of a good one found by Percy Greenfield in Switzerland appeared in the Gazette (Vol 6,
frontispiece to No 9), but alas! we heard no more of it; it was named ‘Plumosum Greenfield’.
In this fern and in A. trichomanes, the name ‘Incisum’ is synonymous with ‘Plumosum’ as
this type of variation is recognised as the plumose form of the two species. In A. trichomanes
we have had several of them and one of the best was found by Greenfield in 1962
in the Quantock Hills in Somerset. It is now well looked after and treasused by
Reginald Kaye but has not multiplied sufficiently for distribution. It is sterile like
all true plumosums, but one other exists ‘Incisum Moule’ which in contradiction to
the general rule IS fertile and produces progeny true to character. | have a plant
of it grown from spores, recently sent to me by our Danish member, Erik Aarestrup.
It is a finely divided variety, very neat and dainty. This species is very generous
with its crested forms, and quite frequently in parts of the country where A. trichomanes
is common on walls, whole colonies will be found with bifid and trifid frond apices
and the occasional colony also of well crested forms. These can be grown easily
from spores and | have several very good cristate plants from my own sowings and
from those of other members. Some of them are more than crested with their
fronds dividing repeatedly from well down the rachis to give congested ramose
forms which look very fine. All these crested varieties of A. trichomanes can be grown
quickly and easily from spores.

Blechnum spicant is another species rather loath to contribute to our garden riches, but
had it been rare its normal form would not have been thought out of place among fern
treasures for, when well grown, the rosette of decumbent barren fronds with the upright
fertile ones in the centre makes a fine picture. This is another fern which in the past
produced varieties now long lost and it refuses to repeat them. Where can we find a
‘Plumosum Airey’ today? — a superb variety with fully tripinnate fronds, raised from
spores and unquestionably the finest variety the species has produced. The fern has
much humbler aspirations today and we find the occasional bifid and semi-imbricate
specimen, also rather poor ‘Serratum’. In Wales some years ago | found quite a good
‘Crispatum’ with all the pinnae twisted and rather congested. It looks a fine plant but is a
slow grower and it has not yet produced fertile fronds. Sometimes other minor variations
are seen which make little advance on the normal form. The only really good varieties
found these days are ‘Cristatum’ and ‘Ramosum’ but they are very rare. The former

has only simply divided apices but the latter is divided repeatedly and a very fine one
was found in Harris in the Western Isles some years ago.

The oak fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris has one variety only, ‘Plumosum’. The species
itself makes a most acceptable and beautiful garden plant which would appear difficult
to improve on, but in ‘Plumosum’ with its much enlarged pinnae and wide overlapping
pinnules it has excelled itself and needs to go no further to achieve perfection. Another
fern well qualified to depend on its normal form for acceptance is Osmunda regalis,
but even so it has generously given us two varieties which are worth-while acquisitions.
‘Cristata’ does not grow as tall as the species and is thus more suited for the smaller
garden. When well grown the pinnules which are twice and three times divided,
become more developed and show off the beauty of the plant effectively. The

variety ‘Crispata’ with twisted and crimped pinnules has all the charm which this type
of variation can confer successfully.

| finish with the very ordinary and much-abused bracken Pteridium aquilinum which,
surprisingly, is capable of producing varieties of great beauty and, even if they do have
the invasiveness of the species, fronds which pop up in the wrong place can easily be
pulled up. In most places where bracken grows, stands with crisped pinnules will be
noted. When this crisping is extreme and combined with cresting of all the pinnae,
something spectacular is evolved and this was the sight which confronted Druery near
Pitlochry sometime about the beginning of this century when he found one large single
frond of this variety. Obviously, the plant could not be collected and as it was barren
and could not be reproduced from spores, the frond was the only record of what must
be the best bracken variety ever seen. An excellent ‘Cristatum’ was established by
Joseph Wiper in his Kendal garden in the early days of our Society and is still there,
very much at home. We are attempting to grow it from its spores as it is extremely
difficult to transplant rhizomes of this fern successfully.

This concludes my series of articles on the varieties of the British ferns. | do not claim
that it is an exhaustive review of the subject as | have been concerned only with
bringing before beginners some elementary knowledge of the possibilities open to
them in the collecting and growing of these beautiful plants. To that extent | hope
my writings have proved helpful.

FERNS OF CUMBRAE Fred Jackson

The Isle of Cumbrae is only a small island in the Firth of Clyde but is a very pleasant
place, not far from the mainland with Largs as the nearest town. The island consists of
the town of Millport and a number of scattered farms and dwelling houses. In the
middle of the town stands the Garrison House, built by Commander James Crawford
about 1746 and now the Town Hall. It stands above the street with steps leading to
it, and the retaining wall of sandstone contains a good number of the most luxuriant
specimens of Asplenium adiantum-nigrum | have ever seen.

On thesandstone rocks are many more of these ferns, and on the more exposed sites a

fair number of A. marinum which are very small, but some | have seen in the deep crevices
in the cliffs have fronds up to nine inches in length. | once found a very nice
imbricate form which | collected and potted up and it grew very well for some time
then very gradually died off, no doubt in protest at being brought so far away from
its natural habitat. In one wood where the soil is composed of sandstone detritus
are many hundreds of Polystichum setiferum, the finest colony | have so far seen,
and there is one form which differs greatly from the type, with very thin stipes
almost as long as the blade, very thin in texture and lighter in colour; the fronds
are just over twelve inches in length and are quite sterile. | collected a plant of this
form about ten years ago and it has remained constant ever since. This year |
collected another very dwarf plant with very finely cut pinnules and if this remains
constant it will be a worth-while acquisition.

The most prolific fern is Dryopteris austriaca and in some of the very sheltered woods
the fronds reach a length of four to five feet and broad in proportion. | searched every
likely place for D. aemula but had no luck, then | found one plant in a most unlikely
Place about three yards back from the road on an exposed grassy bank. | had expected to
find a good number of this fern as this island is no real great distance from Arran where
in very many places it is the dominant fern. D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas are fairly
common, A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and A. scolopendrium all occur but sparingly,
and there is of course a fair amount of Pteridium aquilinum, also of Polypodium vulgare.
Athyrium filix-femina is more or less scattered all over the island and Blechnum spicant
occurs on some of the wooded banks but so far | have only found one small colony of
Cystopteris fragilis. Apart from the two plants of P. setiferum and the one of A. marinum
mentioned, | have found no other varieties.

GUERNSEY SPECIAL ISSUE OF FERN STAMPS

The Guernsey Philatelic Bureau is issuing on 7 January 1975 a set of four special
stamps depicting four of the Guernsey ferns, Asplenium X microdon, A. X sarniense,
/soetes histrix and Ophioglossum lusitanicum. A\\ of them are extremely rare and the
last two are also very small — indeed the Ophioglossum is so tiny that it can only be
found with the greatest difficulty. We were very fortunate in being taken to see all
four during our meeting in Guernsey in the spring of 1971. The two asplenium hybrids
are known to grow only on Guernsey and less than a dozen plants of microdon, a hybrid
between A. billotii and A. scolopendrium, are known. The distribution of sarniense

on the Island is more widespread, and this was a fern new to science, a cross between

21

A. adiantum-nigrum and A. billotii, found during our visit by one of our party, Dr Anne
Sleep from Leeds University. The explanatory text to be sent out with the first-day covers
posted from the Philatelic Bureau mentions the name of our Society.

Anne Sleep has suggested that it would be a good idea for the Society to make a bulk
purchase of the covers with the four stamps affixed, addressed to the Society, for resale
to members at a small profit for our funds. Unfortunately, by the time this Bulletin is

in the hands of members there will not be much time left for action by us and | shall be
grateful if all interested members will notify me immediately so that we can have some
guidance on the number of covers to purchase. The stamp values are 3%p, 4p, 8p and 10p,
and the total cost of first-day covers to the Society will be 38p each.

MY WARDIAN CASE Alison W Rutherford

It was quite by chance that | became the proud owner of a Wardian Case. A visiting
antiques dealer, seeing my handlight, remarked that he knew where there was another
of them with a domed roof and a great deal fancier. Delighted, | jumped on the first
bus passing the shop and bought it, still hardly believing my good fortune.

In style it might be called a crystal villa. The base is 30 by 16% inches, from base to

the beginning of the roof is 19 inches and the roof a further 9 inches except for the
centre part which is a vivarium 3 inches higher. This is shaped like the onion tower of

a Russian Church, but flat-sided and elongated to run from front to back, and is of
pierced zinc, the holes four-leaf clover shaped giving it a mosque-like air; the walls are
fixed glass panes. It is cruelly small for an animal — has anyone got a china frog or

toad they’re not using?! The frame is all in zinc, except for the roof ridge and handle

of the vivarium, the hinge and catch of the front door, which are brass, and strengtheners
of what look like thick fencing wire are welded along the base of the vivarium and upper
storey which lifts off.

The 4 inch deep zinc earthbox has a wooden base and is ornamented with a transfer (?)
pattern in gold, of fleurs-de-lis, acanthus shoots and a centre circle of flowers. The front
of the lower storey is divided into three by flat astragals about % inch across. The
centre panel is the front door. Above is a row of pierced zinc crenellations, a clever
idea which not only adds to the mini-greenhouse look but is a practical way of
keeping the upstairs in place. The roof of the vivarium lifts off, while the frame
and floor are in one piece. On either side of it the bottom storey ascends into the
gables to allow taller plants to be grown and hooks have been put in the centre of
the ceiling on each side, presumably to take hanging coconut baskets. The gables
themselves are double, running into each other at right angles, producing a slightly
dizzying effect with twelve panes apiece.’ If this sounds a bit confusing, imagine
looking at the case from the front and seeing the gable facing you, but if viewed
from the side another gable faces you; where they meet at the ridges there are four-
sided waisted 4 inch high handles. At each corner of both the downstairs and the
reptile house are round zinc columns topped with turned-wood ball and spike
Pinnacles. The only part to have suffered from the ravages of time is an oak duckboard
fitting into the base, which has lost so much substance that it is like cork and is of
historic interest only.

(See I/lustration)

22

VIVAZIUM
ROOF

ma
x OM“

CRENELLATION
Actua \ Size.

CABLE END

SOME FRENCH FERNS M H Rickard

During the last two summers | have, in company with several members of the Society —
Dick Cartwright, Jimmy Dyce (twice), Alma and Clive Jermy, Barbara and Tony Worland
and my wife — been able to botanise in the area of France to the south of Lake Geneva
largely in the Departments of Ain, Savoie and Haute Savoie. Since some members may be
Passing through this area on holiday in the future it may be of some interest to make
available the results of our limited exploration of the region.

We were centred in the limestone country of the Upper Rhone Valley at a village called
Massignieu de Rives near Belley in the Department of Ain. In the valleys locally, ferns
were not abundant but there was a reasonable diversity of species with some of the more
southern ones being frequent, e.g. Asp/enium fontanum, A. ceterach, A. scolopendrium,
Polypodium interjectum and P. australe, while others were very rare, e.g. Equisetum
ramosissimum (Serrieres en Chautagne), Polystichum setiferm (Val du Fier) and
Adiantum capillus-veneris (Yenne, Glandieu and near Annecy below the Gorges du
Fier). The bulk of the terns from the area were more typically Central European,
e.g. Equisetum hyemale, E. telmateia, Ophioglossum vulgatum (found only at Les Mures),
Thelypteris palustris, Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, Athyrium filix-femina, Polystichum
aculeatum, Dryopteris pseudomas, D. carthusiana and D. austriaca (very rare at low
altitudes, recorded from only one locality near Lucey at 430m).

Locally the mountains rise to nearly 2000m. All the rock is limestone and the fern

flora is rather reminiscent of, say, Ingleborough in Yorkshire. Typical ferns were
Selaginella selaginoides, Botrychium lunaria, Asplenium viride, Athyrium filix-femina,
Polystichum lonchitis, P. aculeatum, Dryopteris villarii (Grand Colombier de Culoz,
Montagne du Semnoz near Annecy and Mont Granier), D. austriaca and Gymnocarpium
robertianum. Another fern, not so far recorded as a native British species, which is
occasional on these mountains is Cystopteris alpina. On one occasion on Mont Granier
our French “guide’’ carried in his rucksack all afternoon for Jimmy Dyce a specimen

of this fern still embedded in a largish piece of limestone! By this time he had room in his
bag as most of his copious French lunch had been eaten and the two bottles of wine
he had carried up the mountain for ‘‘Les Anglais” had been consumed! Less common
species, largely due no doubt to the limey nature of the mountains, were Lycopodium
annotinum {a \arge patch discovered by Jimmy Dyce near the Colde la Faucille in the
Jura Mountains near Geneva), Huperzia (Lycopodium) selago and Dryopteris abbreviata —
found and confirmed by Clive Jermy (Grand Colombier de Culoz), Equisetum sylvaticum,
Oreopteris limbosperma, D. pseudomas and D. assimilis (all on Mont Revard near Chambery)
and Athyrium distentifolium (Mont Semnoz near Annecy).

Further afield in the south-east the mountains are much higher — this is the area from

Mont Blanc (4807m) through the Vanoise National Park (3000+m), Mont Cenis (about
3000m) and the Chaine de Belle Donne (2987m). Here the rock is less basic but
nevertheless at the appropriate altitudes many of the same species are still fairly
common, e.g. Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Botrychium lunaria, Oreopteris
limbosperma, Asplenium viride, Athyrium filix-femina, A. distentifolium, Polystichum
lonchitis, P. aculeatum, Dryopteris pseudomas, D. assimilis, D. villarii, and
Gymnocarpium dryopteris. Other species which were found on the limestone mountains

24

were less common, e.g. Lycopodiun annotinum (Coupeau near Mont Blanc), Equisetum
sylvaticum (Chaine de Belle Donne), Cystopteris alpina (near Barrage de Roselend) and
Dryopteris abbreviata (to the south of the Col du Glandon).

There were several species limited to this type of mountain, especially the following —
Lycopodium clavatum (seen only at La Flatiere near Mont Blanc), Selaginella helvetica
(noticed by Tony Worland growing over the damp rock at the side of the public catwalk

up the Gorge de la Diosaz at Servoz near Mont Blanc), Equisetum variegatum (Col du

Mont Cenis and Val d’lsere), Cryptogramma crispa, Phegopteris connectilis (as in Britain
both locally common), Asp/enium septentrionale (for a \ong time this eluded all our
searches until Dick Cartwright was able with much pleasure to call us back to see a
few small plants he had spotted on a boulder which most of us had passed without
seeing the fern! Further botanising, however, revealed this plant to be quite commonly
scattered throughout these mountains), Woodsia alpina (many times did we search

for this but it was only in the second season that | was rewarded with the discovery
of one small sick plant in its much publicised locality at the side of the road between
Servoz and Pont Pelissier near Mont Blanc. However, more recently | was fortunate in
finding a strong colony of this fern in the Chaine de Belle Donne not far from the top

of the telesiege operating from Le Pleynet, above Le Fond de France) and finally
Blechnum spicant (in my experience this is curiously one of the rarest ferns of the
area having recorded it only from two places).

Rarely it was possible to travel slightly further afield in the opposite direction, to the
west to the Massif Centrale. Here, across the River Rhone south of Lyon, the mountains
are composed of acid rock and rise locally to just over 1400m on Mont Pilat. As expected,
the fern flora was less varied than in the Alps but we were able to add one species and
One hybrid to our list — firstly the species, Asp/enium forisiense; this is intermediate
between A. billotii and A. fontanum (neither of which did we see in the neighbour-
hood) with its distribution centred in the Massif Centrale area of France. We found
it locally very abundant, especially at Malleval where it grew in nearly every rock
crevice. Other localities in the same general area were east of the Col du Fayet, and
above Chavanay in a roadside quarry. Secondly, the hybrid, Asp/enium X alternifolium

(A. septentrionale X trichomanes); this was probably the most rewarding find of all,

in view of the number of fruitless searches | had made for it in the UK! Altogether
we found seven plants, some very large up to one foot across With hundreds of
fronds, growing in the following localities (all on roadside walls near Mont Pilat) —
east of Col du Fayet, below Columbier, and above Chuyer. We encountered a few
other species of note, most of them commoner plants of the alpine foothills, e.g.
Equisetum sylvaticum, Phegopteris connectilis, Asplenium adiantum-nigrum,

A. septentrionale (very common), Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris pseudomas,

D. austriaca and Gymnocarpium dryopteris.

In addition to the above account is should be added that the following species
were widespread, growing in most a areas — Equisetum fluviatile, E. palustre, E. arvense,
Pteridium aquilinum, Asplenium trichomanes (up to 2000m), A. ruta-muraria (up to
2200m), Cystopteris fragilis, Polypodium vulgare (common in the range of 400-2000m+)
and P. interjectum (common up to 500m only). Together this makes fifty species of
Pteridophytes plus one hybrid — not a bad reward for only limited fieldwork; however

25

several species remain to be found, notably — Lycopodiella ( Lycopodium) inundata,
Diphasium (Lycopodium) alpinum, Equisetum pratense, Osmunda regalis, Anogramma
leptophylla, Cystopteris montana, Pilularia globulifera, Marsilea quadrifolia, plus two
other species doubtfully recorded from the area — Dryopteris cristata and Woodsia
ilvensis.

In conclusion, | should say that for anyone who is not too distracted by the
fascinating abundance of flowering plants, the area would well reward further
exploration. Should any member be so moved and be prepared to make the effort
to search me out at Les Mures, C1300 Massignieu de Rives, near Belley (it is almost
certain that | shall again be returning next year!) | would be very pleased to see them
for a cup of tea (a I’Anglais) or perhaps a glass of wine!

LOCAL GROUPS OF SOCIETY MEMBERS J W Merryweather

At a Committee Meeting held in May this year a plea was put forward on behalf of some
London members that a local group should be formed to meet in homes perhaps to have
coffee, and discuss and admire ferns or to discuss projects that might suit those members’
needs. It was felt that the onus was on those individual members to group themselves
together and not to rely on the main body of the Society to organise them. It was also
suggested that members in other regions of the country might organise themselves
(a) to communicate with non-active members inspiring enthusiasm in them; (b) to seek
out fern collections in order to report species and varieties present in them (The
Secretary would be keen to collate material from the regions) with the hope of finding
specimens of fern varieties long thought to be extinct; (c) to organise local day or
weekend meetings — the number of the main Society meetings has been cut back
somewhat this year because of poor turn-out at weekends. It is hoped that local
groups will augment the number of meetings going on. These would be unofficial but
of course people from other regions would be welcomed.

My wife, Margaret, and | volunteer to organise a group in the Yorkshire districts.

We know that Matt Busby at Birmingham University is already active in his area. The
Potts at Weston-super-Mare have been suggested as likely people to start the ball rolling
in the south-west. In the Cambridge area this sort of thing has been going on for years
already and will probably continue. The south-east could be organised by London
members, and Scotland, a huge area with almost every species of British fern, must
have several keen members.

Either volunteer as leader or elect someone and then organise. Contact people through
the membership list in Bulletin Vol 1 No 1 and additions in this issue. If you can
organise local fern hunts please inform the Society so that they can be advertised. |
must stress that these groups are not intended to be rivals to the main Society. They
should be informal, meetings can well be impromptu, and administration should ideally
be next to non-existent.

Finally an advertisement — those interested in a Yorkshire group please contact
Mr and Mrs J W Merryweather, Ferniehurst, Station Road, Bubwith, Selby, N Yorkshire.

26

NEW FERN VARIETY FINDS JW Dyce

| am very pleased to record that | have been able to gather together more material than
usual for this article as several members have been lucky enough this year to find many
good varieties from a number of species. Leading the list comes Asp/enium scolopendrium
with 8 finds. Up in the north Bob Trippitt found a very good narrow ‘Marginato-crispum’
which is dark green, strong-growing and very fertile. A spore sowing from it should
prove very interesting. John Barnett collected three plants at Ulverston near Kendal,
two of them narrow forms of ‘Cristato-crispum’ and the other ‘Sagittato-laceratum’,
all of them still not fully grown but first-rate plants which were brought in pots to
the Calder Valley meeting and greatly admired by those present. Over the past several
years Peter Corbin has found a few good specimens of ‘Crispum’ in the West Country.
and last year he was fortunate enough to find another one. The Tiverton meeting
this summer in the same part of the country produced a few passable varieties and
On awall | found a ‘Lacerato-marginatum’ while Henry Schollick got a good ‘Cristatum’.
Another worthwhile ‘Cristatum’ was collected with some difficulty from limestone
Pavement by Charles Catlin and me during the Sedbergh meeting.

Polystichum setiferum has given us four new plants, none of them of very great merit
except possibly an ‘Acutilobum’ which is still young but has good possibilities. It was
found by John Barnett at Underbarrow near Kendal. The others were collected in a
very good polystichum lane during the Tiverton meeting but all of them are more of

an interesting nature than exciting. One is a very strong-growing plant with all its fronds
regularly split into two or three at the apices, another is a rather poor ‘Cristulatum’
and the third which | regard as the best, is a large ‘Falcatum’, that is a plant with all
the pinnules long, narrowish and curved. It will look a very fine handsome plant
when well-grown in cultivation.

From Joan Clark of Onich | received a frond from an excellent Asplenium trichomanes
“Ramosum’ from a colony which she found last year on a wall at Balachulish in Argyll.
It is even more heavily crested and divided than any of the plants in our well-known
colony at Keswick and | was hoping to visit the colony this year but did not have the
time. Compared with such a variety the colony with merely bifid and trifid fronds
found during the Tiverton meeting this year seems hardly worthwhile mentioning.
Another species which occasionally produces a small-growing crested variety is
Blechnum spicant and Alison Rutherford found one this year at Faslane not far
from her home in Helensburgh.

This summer | visited Inchnadamph up in the north-west of Scotland to see the hybrid
Polystichum X illyricum (P. lonchitis X P. aculeatum) found in the area last year by
Allan Stirling. On a steep scree | found a crested Dryopteris filix-mas struggling to exist
by pushing its fronds through crevices between the stones under which it was buried.
Naturally it was not showing at its best but the cresting on the apices and pinnae looked
good and | collected a couple of the many crowns. The plant looked tough and will
Probably succeed in surviving unless, as will very likely happen, it gets more deeply
buried underneath the very unstable scree. Another find by Allan Stirling last year was
a very good crested Athyrium filix-femina, growing near Loch Lomond; it has fronds
with heavy divided apices but no pinnae cresting.

27

CLIMBING FERNS H J Bruty

There are a number of ferns which have a climbing habit, but probably the most
outstanding are the lygodiums which climb by means of their fronds. They climb
clockwise and in their natural surroundings cling on small trees and shrubs. This genus
consists of around forty species and is widely distributed in tropical, sub-tropical and
temperate regions. Some of the most popular species include L. circinnatum, L. longifolium,
L. microphyllum, L. salicifolium and L. volubile from Tropical Asia, L. pa/matum from
the USA, and L. japonicum from Japan. The last named is probably grown more

than the rest as it does well in a cool greenhouse and is very useful for covering
pillars.

These plants all tend to produce abundant roots and therefore do best if planted in
a bed of soil where a free root-run is possible. An alternative is to build a rock circle
on the greenhouse staging about 12 inches across and 18 inches high, and fill the pocket
thus formed with a compost consisting of 2 parts loam 4 parts peat and 1 part sand to
which some John Innes base fertiliser is added. As the plants grow the rock circle can
be extended and thus the plant can remain undisturbed for a number of years. This
treatment is not so suitable for L. microphyllum, however, as this species has a
creeping rhizome which tends to grow outwards all the time. The older parts in the
middle die away and thus one has to divide the plant, replanting the young growth
into the centre of the pocket.

The best way to display lygodiums is to train the twining fronds up a series of
wires. These can be fastened at the lower end to pegs arranged in a circle round the
plant and at the upper end in a somewhat larger circle at roof level. Thus each frond
is free to climb up its own wire and the whole plant shown off to the best advantage.
If the fronds are required to cover a larger area the wires can be arranged in the form
of a large fan. The very young twining shoots need to be given a start on the wires but
require no attention afterwards. Most species of lygodium do not produce fertile leaflets
until the fronds have climbed to about six feet. Hence, it is best to select a position
where the plant can climb to a height of nine to ten feet before touching the glass. It
should be remembered that when the fronds are nearing the top of the wires they will
require plenty of water and a liquid feed once a week. Lygodiums are semi-deciduous
but it is advisable to cut down the old fronds as soon as the young growths appear,
otherwise there may be some difficulty in separating the fronds later.

So far | have dealt only with the lygodiums but there are other tropical climbing
ferns which should be mentioned. Stenochlaena palustris and S. tenuifolia, for
example, can climb to the tops of tall trees but, unlike the lygodiums, do so by means
of their rhizomes. In cultivation they grow well on pillars covered with peat — this can
best be done by surrounding the pillars with wire-netting. Two other tropical climbers
which in nature tend to grow in more shady and moister places are lomariopsis and
teratophyllum, In cultivation these low climbers grow best on portions of tree-fern or
tree-trunk fibre and it is advisable to keep them in a propagating frame until they are
well established into the fibre. For their further growth they still require a high degree
of humidity.

There are some species of davallia and polypodium which also have a climbing habit.
They attach themselves to trees by a creeping rootstock or rhizome which can be quite
cut off from the ground as their roots find protection and food from the moss and the
bark of the trees. These plants are epiphytic, whereas the lygodiums are terrestial and
must have their roots in the soil.

PTERIDOMANIA — A CASE HISTORY Botanicus Scoticus

It may be of interest to members to hear how this affliction (alluded to by Reg Kaye in
the BPS Newsletter No 9) affected one of their number resident north of the Border.

One day some summers ago an unfamiliar female voice addressed me on the telephone.
Nothing unusual about that since, to a member of a local natural history society with

a slight reputation as a local botanist, such occurrences are not infrequent. | must admit

’ however that the proposition which was presented rather staggered me. ‘What were the
chances,’ she conjectured, ‘of finding Po/ypodium australe in Scotland?’ | concealed my
surprise with no little effort, since the thought of looking for a fern not known to occur
north of Westmorland had never really crossed my mind. However, the pteridomaniac
was not one to be easily put off, especially in the face of strong evidence in the shape of
old records for var. serratum and var. semilacerum in Ayrshire. Later, when we met, and |
Produced a copy of Dick Robert’s paper on Scottish herbarium specimens of P. australe,
her enthusiasm knew no bounds. By her own unaided efforts she rediscovered, after
exhaustive searches along the coast, the rarity in one of its Ayrshire stations, and the great
Polypody hunt was on!

This initial success led to a series of rather hectic joint expeditions to far-flung corners of
south-west Scotland. These were usually the result of a combination of intuition and
Close scrutiny of geological maps, but were not always attended by good fortune.
There was the time when, in midwinter, we drove through a snowstorm to follow up
a clue which seemed to indicate a possible australe site in mid-Lanarkshire, only to
draw a blank. At such times as these, | appreciated to the full the implications of
being a pteridomaniac. Such frantic Pperegrinations however have now led to the dis-
covery not only of a dozen or so Scottish localities for the southern polypody but also
of a number of sites for Asp/enium cuneifolium, the quest for the latter hating followed
Closely on the heels of the polypody hunt; not that the former is by any means
abandoned. My pteridomaniacal friend now talks of finding it in Skye or even further
north! | am being coerced into converting part of my suburban garden into a fernery.
If this materialises perhaps | will really regard myself as having caught the disease. So
far, however, my gaillardias, heleniums and lupins have not yet yielded to an invasion
of Dryopteris and Athyrium, in spite of an offer of assistance with spade-work. This |
May unchauvinistically accept eventually, but | am at present making a last-ditch
Stand against a ferny tide which threatens to disrupt the existing horticultural
orthodoxy.

As others see us on a fern outing. This succinct description was given to a late
axe. seeking information on our whereabouts, during one of our field meetings —

crowd of people wearing boots and rucksacks, moving slowly along a road and
Staring intently at walls.” !

29

SOUTHPORT FLOWER SHOW J W Dyce

There was the usual magnificent show of fine fern varieties at this year’s Show, held on
22/24 August, but we missed the exhibits by our President which in the past two Shows
have won many prizes. It was pleasing to see four new exhibitors this year, among
them Ray and Rita Coughlin who are to be congratulated on the high standards of their
plants. There were some big blanks on the stage, however, and we do need more
members to take part and give support to this Show which is the only one to cater
in a big way for ferns.

Noel Brookfield’s large display in Class 6 again won him the Society's Silver Trophy,
but his son, Rodney, was competing against him this year and had an entry almost
as good which won him second prize. W H Howarth got third prize with an exhibit
which was a great improvement on his last year’s one. The other prizewinners are listed
below in order of winning —

Class 7 Six hardy British ferns (dissimilar)
Brookfield, R Trippitt, Mrs D G J Smith.
Class 8 Six greenhouse ferns (dissimilar)
N Brookfield, W H Howarth.
Class 9 Three foreign ferns, hardy in Great Britain
R Coughlin, N Brookfield, W H Howarth.
Class 10 Three scolopendriums
R Trippitt, N Brookfield, R Coughlin.
Class 11 Three polypodiums
N Brookfield, R Trippitt, R Coughlin.
Class 12 Three polystichums
R Trippitt, R Coughlin, N Brookfield.
Class 13 Three athyriums
R Trippitt, R Coughlin, N Brookfield
Class 14 Three dryopteris
R Coughlin, R Trippitt, N Brookfield
Class 15 Three plants gymnocarpium, phegopteris and/or thelypteris
R Trippitt, R Coughlin, N Brookfield
Class 16 Three aspleniums, excluding Asplenium scolopendrium
R Trippitt

Class 17 One British fern

R Coughlin, R Trippitt, Mrs D G J Smith.
Class 18 One greenhouse fern

N Brookfield, M Plowman, R Gauahlia.

The standard of the exhibits was good but it was unfortunate that the Brookfield
exhibits in Class 6 were marred by sun scorch. In the other classes some outstanding
plants shown by Noel Brookfield were his excellent huge pans of polypodies, a large
platycerium and Davallia canariensis. Bob Trippitt always has good plants of
Asplenium scolopendrium ‘Ramosum’ and his ‘Ramosum Lupton’ was especially good
this year. He also had very fine specimens of Polystichum setiferum ‘Divisilobum
Iveryanum’, P. aculeatum ‘Pulcherrimum Drueryi’, Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Cristata’ and

Athyrium filix-femina ‘Clarissima’. Ray Coughlin put up some very good plants, among
them Blechnum tabulare (B. chilense?), D. pseudomas ‘Angustata’, P. setiferum ‘Divisilobum
lveryanum’ and a particularly fine P. acu/eatum ‘Pulcherrimum Gracillimum’.

Matt Busby has taken over responsibility for organising the Society’s Stand in the
Specialist Societies’ Tent and this year he set up an interesting exhibit showing the growing
of ferns from spores which attracted a lot of attention and proved to be an excellent
talking-point with visitors to the Stand. We had a large exhibit of fern fronds and plants
and Society literature, and were kept busy most of the time. Matt and | were there most
of the time and we had willing help from Bernard Hayhurst, Norman Robinson, Dick
Cartwright, Bob Trippitt and John Barnett, as well as from some other members for
shorter periods. In all, 24 members visited the Stand.

Reginald Kaye was the Judge for the fern competitive classes.

SPORE AND PLANT EXCHANGE
ORGANISER — R F Cartwright, 13 Perry Mill Road, Peopleton, near Pershore, Worcs.

Owing to illness David Russell has not been able to give much time to the Exchange this
year and has now resigned. We are fortunate in having Dick Cartwright willing to take over
and all queries and spores should in future be sent to him. Unfortunately, in the circum-
stances we are unable to publish a list of spores held by the Exchange, but Dick Cartwright
will be gathering together all he can get and will try to fulfil as many orders as he can if
you will write to him. But, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET that he needs spores to distribute
and we hope that members at home and overseas will rally round to support him, and
enable him to build up a large selection as soon as possible.

In the last issue of the Bulletin we listed bodies and individual members interested in the
exchange of spores and plants. That information is still up-to-date and can be referred to,
sO tO save space we are publishing additions only this year —

Dr J B Cordero, Box 795, Quebradillas, Puerto Rico 00742, wishes to exchange living
specimens and spores and is willing to supply any fern needs from Puerto Rico.

G Downey, Dunelm, 24 Priory Road, Bicknacre, Essex CM3 4EY, has a large number of
fern varieties and alpines and young ferns in pans which he wishes to dispose of rather than
throw them away. Members are welcome to call and take home some ferns, but PLEASE
PHONE (Danbury 3773) OR WRITE FIRST. He would like plants of the woodsias and
would be grateful for any young ones from members who have them to spare.

Martin C Johnson, 959 Glennan Drive, Redwood City, California 94061, USA, who is also
a member of the Los Angeles International Fern Society, grows ferns from spores as a main
interest. He wishes to correspond with other members having similar interests, and can also
Put members in touch with growers of platyceriums.

It has been suggested to us that we send out a “Wants List’’ and a “For Sale List’’ with the
Bulletin and this we shall gladly do if members will supply the Secretary with the necessary
information to put buyers and sellers in touch. While all deals will be between interested
Parties direct we would suggest the sellers consider passing on to the Society at least part
of the net proceeds of sales.

31

Bring and Buy Sales — To help Society funds, a very necessary activity these days, we
have decided to organise the selling of fern plants at our meetings. Obviously, the more
convenient meetings will be indoor ones or those held in members’ gardens — such a one
was held during the visit to our President’s garden in June when £36 was raised but members
coming to_any of our meetings can bring sporelings and plants which are surplus to their
needs for sale to other members. We hope all members will keep this in mind when they
have plants to spare. This activity can also make an additional attraction to stimulate
“come-togethers”” among members in the regions.

FERN GARDENS

A full list of public and private gardens which can be visited by members was given in our
last issue, and to save space we are publishing additions only this year —

Lt Col Philip G Coke Robin Hill, Stinchcombe, Dursley, Glos.
BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT —
LETTER OR PHONE (Dursley 3567)
Birmingham Botanic Gardens Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Gardens to visit, an annual booklet published by the Gardeners’ Sunday Organisation, lists
gardens opened to the public. Obtainable from bookshops for 15p, or 20p post free from
the Organiser, Mrs K Collett, White Witches, Claygate Road, Dorking, Surrey.

REVIEW

LAIFS, the Bulletin of the Los Angeles International Fern Society.

This monthly publication commenced in July this year to replace the Newsletter. It is a
small journal — so far — with in the latest issue, No 3, 12 pages in close-set type, full of
information with illustrations, also advertisements. The cover with the title, LAIFS, depicts
an excellent outline drawing of Asp/enium scolopendrium. We congratulate the editor who
is not named, on a splendid achievement, and hope the new magazine will grow from
strength to strength. Very informative articles already published are Plant Nutrients by

Dr Duane Crummitt and Growing Ferns for Show by Sylvia Leatherman.

Membership of the Society is remarkably cheap at US dollars 3.50 (about £1.50) and
entitles members to this bulletin, a monthly 2-page fern lesson and the Fern Annual, as well
as access to the Spore Store. Enquiries should be addressed to Wilbur Olson, 2423 Burritt
Avenue, Redondo Beach, California 90278, USA.

MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS

We are happy to make the following announcements —

Marriages: Ken Trewren — Kate on 6 January 1973
Roger Worland — Barbara Kobylanska on 28 September 1974
Birth: David and Mariam Russell a daughter on 24 January 1974

To Roger and Ken and their wives we offer our best wishes for long and happy
married lives together, and to David and Mariam our congratulations.

32

MEMBERSHIP LIST — Additions and amendments
New members

ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY, Barr Smith Library, Adelaide, South Australia 5001.
AKEROYD J R, The Elms, Weston Green, Thames Ditton, Surre
ANDREWS Bruce, 85 Bywong Street, Toowon ng 4066, Qu eensland, Australia
ARMSTRONG D, 5165 Sherbrooke Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5W 3M3.
BATTAGLIA Professor E, Istituto Botanico, Citta Universitaria, 00100 Ro oma, Italy.
BENNERT Dr H Wilfried, Institut fur meeps der TU Berlin, Rothenburgstrasse 12,
Berlin 41, Western Ger
BIRKS Dr H JB, Botany School, erent sts Cambridge CB2 3EA
BUCK William R, Department of Botany, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
Michigan 48104, USA.
CAMPBELL Dudley, 58 Sunnyside Avenue, Pleasantville, New York 10570, USA.
CORDERO Dr Juan B, Box 795, Quebradillas, Puerto Rico 00
DELENDICK Thomas J, 2985 Botanical Square, Apt 3S, Bronx, New York 10458, USA.
DOWNEY, Gerald, Dunelm, 24 Priory Road, Bicknacre, Essex CM3 4EY.
FAIRWEATHER Graham, 7 Huntroyde Close, Burnley, Lancs BB12 OSW.
FALZON George, 81 Manoel Street, Gzira, Malta.
FARTHING D A J, 60 Red Lion Lane, Shooters Hill, London SE18 4LE.
FITZHARRIS James E, 3 Maywood Drive, Raheny, Dublin 5, Eire
GOODSON Sam M, 1107 Fleetwood Drive, Lookout Mountain, Tennessee 37350, USA.
GOUDEY Chris, 14 Rudolph Street, Werribee, Victoria oe Australia.
GOWER lan, 5 Ethel Road, Ashford, Middlesex TW15 3R
GREEN Eldred E, 2334 W 110th Street, Chicago, IIlinois 5068, USA
GRIMES Jeffrey Ww, BSc, and Mrs Hannah J, BSc, 10 Clovers End, Roffey, Horsham, Sussex.
HAUFLER Christopher, Department of Plant Sciences, Jordan Hall, Bloomington,
Indiana 47401, USA
HOVLAND Johannes, 5610 Oyst stese, Hardanger, Norw
Bethel: BOTANICO DR JULIO HENRIQUES, hence a de Coimbra, Coimbra,
ugal.
JOHNSON Mane C, 959 Glennan Drive, Redwood City, California 94061, USA.
KEMP T HS, 9 Redruth Road, Harold Hill, Romford, Essex RM3 9SL.
KONGELIGE NORSKE VIDENSKABERS SELSKAB BIBLIOTEKET, Erling, Skakkes Gt 47c,
ondheim, Norway.
LEAN Dr pts Ss. Kyloe, Plain Road, Smeeth, Ashford, Kent.
MACKAY Miss Sally J, 22 Mitchell Avenue, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 3LA.
McALLISTER Dr Hugh A, University of Liverpool Botanic Gardens, Ness, Neston,
Wirrall, Merseyside L64 4AY.
McFARLAND Mrs W R, Route 3, Box 304A, Valrico, Florida 33594, USA.
MANHEIM Mrs A R, 31 Blomfield Road, London
MARSDEN int R, Botany Department, University of Adelaide, GPO Box 498,
del de, South Australia 5001.
MILLS John, White Heather Cottage, Gartocharn, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire.
PALMER A D, 73 Sprules Road, Brockley, London SE4 2NL.
PETTY JSF, 63 Lexton Drive, Southport, Lancs PR9 8ON.
RIPLEY Mr and Mrs Paul H, 29 Shores Green Drive, Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire.
RITCHIE G B, 45 Lansdowne Road, London W 11.
ROWLEY Mrs Mabel, 195 Rutland Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 5EA
SANDERS Mr = Mrs John, Badger Cottage, Barrack Road, Mashbury, near Good Easter,
Chelmsford, Essex.
SCOTT LCDR Hush P. (MC), USNR, —_ Villa Road, Birmingham, Michigan 48008, USA.
SMITH R Mcintyre, 8A Links Road, Epsom, Surrey KT17 3PS.
STAUFFER Lynn E Jr, Star Route, Windham CT.06280, USA.

STUART Douglas A, Brighton House, Millar Barn Lane, Rossendale, Lancs BB4 7AV.
TURCHAN Michael J, 905 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.02215, U

WHITE John BT, 1 Parkview Chase, Burnham Lane, Slough, Bucks.

YOXALL James H, BA, Farthings, Links Road, Bramley, Guildford, Surrey.

Changes of Address

ALLEN Mrs B E G, Finca la Rana, Los Barrios, Province de Cadiz, Spain.
eset siemens UNIVERSITY, Universiteits-Bibliotheek, D en N 250, Singel 425,
sterdam, Hollan
cues Pa G, c/o Royal Horticultural Society Gardens, Wisley, Ripley, Woking,
urre
BARNETT John, Bur Tree Cottage, Hebden Road, Grassington, Yorks. (Temporary)
BATTEN Dr David J, 8 Binghill Road W, Milltimber, Aberdeenshire.
CASTLE-SMITH Mrs Jean M, Bridge of Murthly Cottage, By Dunkeld, Perthshire.
COMBES Dr Richard W, MD, 3 Robinwood Lane, Rutland, Vermont 05701, USA.
inet Mrs B S Parris, MSc, Department of Botany, University of Edinburgh,
t Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh EH3 5L
FRESHWATER Peter B, MA, ALA, Beavington House, Eggington Road, Wollaston,
Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 4QJ.
GATZI Dr W, Poststrasse 16, 9000 St Gallen, Switzerland.
GIBBY J Michael and Mrs Mary, “‘Nancy”, Golden Nook Bridge, Hargrave, Chester.
HAMER Michael R, 55 St Michael’s Road, Aldershot, Hants GU12 4JH.
HILL Mrs Angela, Fairford, Mill Lane, Great Barrow, Chester CH3 7JF.
HILL Stephen and Mrs Teresa J, 32 Cyprus Road, Cambridge = Rests
MACKENZIE W G, 7 Chartwell, Frimley Green, Camberley, Surr
MATSUMOTO Sadamu, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Education: Shizuoka University,
ya, Shizuoka- shi, 420 Japan.
oe James W and Mrs Margaret E, Ferniehurst, 4B Station Road,
ith, Selby, Yorks.
MEYER wae M, 5351 South Westmoreland Road, Suite 132, Dallas, Texas 75237, USA.
MORLEY J V, 1 Highland Close, Worlebury, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset BS22 9SW
OLLGAARD Benjamin, MSc, Vesborgvej 14, 8240 Risskov, Denmark.
POLLARD R SW, LAMTPI, UP, 10 Clydesdale Avenue, Chichester, Sussex PO19 2LW.
PRICE D T, BSc, ARCS, ALS, Bettw s Lodge, oe ea Newydd, Usk, Monmouthshire.
SIMPSON Eric, 22 Otter Close, Bar Hill, Cambr
THOMSEN Hugo, Kirkegade 60, DK-7430 jieaat, eomiak:
TOWERS M, c/o 21 Compton Road, London N21,
WALKER Dr Trevor G, BSc, PhD, FLS, Department of Plant Biology, Ridley Building,
The University, Newca castle-upon- Tyne NE17R
WILLIAMS S L, 226 Upton Road South, Bexley, Kent DAS 10T

Changes of name
Delete — aye Lending Library for Science and Technology,
F G Hardy J D Jones Michael Price
Re-insert as follows —
BRITISH LIBRARY, Lending Division, Accessions Department, Boston Spa, Wetherby,
Yorks LS23 7BQ.
HARDY F Gavin, BSc, ALS, Address unchan

nged.
WILKSJONES John D, The Black Lion, 11 Castle Street, Conwy, Caernarvonshire.
PRICE Michael G and Mrs Grace Romero-Price. Address unchanged.

Delete from Membership List

Antiquariaat Junk Ford Foundation Sponsored Program B J Perry

F C Boutin Geoffrey Gilbert Mrs J Shaw

V Capper Miss P Insall Mme E St Clair-Morford
Boughton Cobb John A Knouse Mrs Shirley Yuille

C E Coulthard

OBITUARIES

It is with great regret that we have to announce the following deaths —

Boughton Cobb died shortly after Christmas 1973 after a stay in hospital of some months.
He joined our Society in 1954 and although living on the other side of the Atlantic,
always took a keen interest in the Society and its activities. He was born in Lake Forest,
Ulinois, the son of a noted American architect, and he himself studied architecture and
art, graduating in 1915 from Harvard University. During the first world war he served as
a first-lieutenant in the US Navy and was awarded the Bronze Star. In his business life

he was associated with textiles and was vice-president and director of two large mills. He
belonged to many clubs in America and in this country was a Fellow of the Linnean
Society and also of the Royal Horticultural Society. Natural history interested him
greatly, particularly the ferns, and he was a member of the American Fern Society as well
as of our Society. He was the author of a book on the American and other ferns, A
Field Guide to the Ferns, published in 1956. He is survived by his wife, a son and
daughter, and by 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren, to whom we extend our
deepest sympathy.

Geoffrey Gilbert. It was a very great shock, particularly to our active members who
knew him so well, to learn at our Annual General Meeting this year that Geoffrey died
at the end of September. He was a familiar figure on our field meetings, accompanying
us in his old motor caravan in which many a cup of welcome tea was drunk while resting
after some strenuous scramble or sheltering from inclement weather. He was beloved by
all of us and we shall miss him greatly. Our deepest sympathy is extended to his

family.

We hope to publish a full obituary in our next issue.

JW Dyce.

Extracts from correspondence — Mrs Angela Hill writes, “| always remember our second
worst weed on the tea estate in Ceylon, Adiantum cuneatum. | was horrified to see large
heaps being burned — at a cost of £60 a month (how much now?! — ED), and | found it
difficult to establish in my garden!”

After visiting a Midlands flower show Matt Busby wrote — “Among the many exhibits was
a class for ferns. Only two pots had been entered, second prize going to an unnamed
davallia and the first prize to a pot of Asparagus plumosus. Feeling that | could not ignore
this often made mistake | tactfully pointed out the error to the show secretary. She was
very apologetic but | feel that this reflects sadly on people like myself who profess to know
and enjoy ferns but cannot take the trouble to find out if small local shows are prepared

to give space for competitive displays of ferns. Such shows deserve every encouragement.”
(Growers, over to you! — ED)

35

MEETINGS PROGRAMME 1975

Meetings Secretary
Meetings Committee
Saturday

8 February
Saturday

15 February

Saturday
17 May

Friday/Sunday
/22 June

Friday/Sunday
11/13 July

Friday/Saturday
1/9 August

Thursday /Saturday
21/23 August

Saturday
23 August
Sunday
31 August

Saturday/Saturday
6/13 September

Sunday

28 September
Saturday

4 October
Saturday

4 October

A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambs CB2 5QN.
R F Cartwright, J W Dyce, J W Merryweather, M H Rickard.

Indoor Meeting at the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell
Road, London SW7 5BD, at 3.00 pm.

Day Meeting — Ferns of the Sussex Weald in winter.
Leader: Martin Rickard
Meet at 10.30 am at ‘‘Morestead’”’, Crowborough Hill, Crowborough.

Visit to the Fern Houses and outdoor fern boarders at Kew Botanic
Gardens at 2.30 pm.

Weekend Meeting in Shropshire.

Leader: Matt Busby.

Centre: Denehurst Private Hotel, Shrewsbury Road, Church
Stretton.

Weekend Meeting in East Yorkshire.
Leaders: James and Margaret Merryweather.
Centre: “Ferniehurst’”’, Station Road, Bubwith, Selby.

Week and/or Weekend Meeting in the Cowal District of Argyll.
Leader: Jimmy Dyce.

Centre: Fir Park Hotel, Sandbank, near Dunoon.
Southport Flower Show.

Many fern classes showing selection of best varieties.

Visit the Society’s Stand in the Societies’ Tent.

Visit to Graham Thomas's garden at Briar Cottage, Fairfield Lane,
West End, Woking, Surrey, at 2.00 pm.

Day Trip to Essex/Suffolk.

Leader: Vivien Green.

Meet at Honeysuckle Cottage, Halstead Road, Aldham, Colchester,
Essex, by 11.30 am, or earlier after 10.30 am.

Week Meeting at Barmouth, Merioneth.

Leader: Martin Rickard.

Centre: Plas Mynach Hotel, Barmouth.

Day Visit to Holme Fen area between Huntingdon/Peterborough.
Meet at 12 noon at Holme Fen, entrance north of Holme village.
Indoor Meeting at the British Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, at 3.00 pm.

Annual General Meeting to be held at the British Museum (Natural
History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, at 3.30 pm.

REGIONAL MEETINGS

Sunday, 8 June
Saturday, 16 August
Saturday, 27 Sept

36

SW England. Organisers: Chris and Mary Potts
Yorkshire. Organisers: James and Margaret Merryweather.
Midlands. Organiser : Matt Busby

British Pteridological
Society

Bulletin

Missouri Botanical Garden Library
St. Louis, Missouri

CONTENTS

Secretarial Notes .. -.. Ge a £ oe a ma
Financial Statement... so = . _ 2 “
Annua! General Meeting ne i iS bs “ xa
Wiliam 1004-5 a oe
Day Meetings... % ee ene es a es
Week Meetings —

Tiverton, Devon. w—. - Pk eet ee Os 9

i ee els ee ie 13

A Code of Safety for Society Seousons. _,. J Wand M E Merryweather 7

Resa Domicile ss a ‘it — Short - s cae? ger hae oe 18
eck “is Gace, Ae 19

Be Pe deca 21

SOO & Ww

Led
le

ww Alison W Rutherford
BO as ee ae eet:
. = =» W Merryweather
é se ac ae . JW Dyce

At st ney

BRITISH PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE 1975—76

President
Dr Stanley Walker
Vice-Presidents
J Davidson Professor R E Holttum
R Kaye Professor Irene Mant
Secretary

and
Editor of the Bulletin
— se ahee

ae Jackson

sor
ae ae . Rise
oe “Loughton, ee 1G10 1LT
Sees a
vr coe

. London SEI
leetings so
See ao AJ helheg sch
ee ea eee Capers ce ae
An 8

ee, = : = = i S001 Peery Mil Road
Sacer n, near Pershore,

THE
BULLETIN

Vol 1 1975 No 3

SECRETARIAL NOTES

A new President, Dr Stanley Walker, was installed in the Office at the Annual General
Meeting this year and we are pleased to give him a warm welcome. Dr Walker is the
Director of the Cytogenetic Unit of the University of Liverpool Nuffield Wing School
of Medicine, but he confesses he has been sorry to leave fern research and still retains

a strong interest in the Dryopteris family and continues to monitor student research in
this field. We try to alternate our presidents between botanists and horticulturalists and
Dr Walker replaces Henry Schollick, a very keen grower and our very popular president
for the past three years. He has taken a very active part in all the Society’s work during
his spell in Office and we owe him a great debt of gratitude for his invaluable services
which | am pleased to add will still be available as he is now a member of the Committee —
he refused to become a Vice-President.

Change is all around us and another new appointment is Dr Chris N Page to the editor-
ship of the Gazette in place of Clive Jermy. We welcome Chris to his new Office and |
refer readers to his article in this issue of the Bulletin outlining his views and aims for
the future of the Gazette. In the same article he pays tribute to his predecessor and his
great achievements during his 16 years as Editor, so | will not repeat them here except
to say that we owe Clive Jermy our warmest and appreciative thanks for the
magnificent work he has done in making the Gazette one of the foremost scientific
journals of the day. He too is not lost to us and will continue to serve the Society
as a Committee member and on the editorial board.

This has been Professor Holttum’s year, when we have celebated his 80th birthday.
The Fern Gazette, a double issue, which was published in July was dedicated to him
and we are continuing the theme in this issue of the Bulletin, also an enlarged one,
with papers about the man himself and his works. We wish him many more years of
active life in which to continue his great work in the world of plants.

Talking about the Gazette, | would like to make the point that the double issue
Published in July represented two parts of Volume 11 — parts 2 and 3, and it brings
the publication of our botanical journal right up-to-date; part 3 is the issue for our
Present year which commenced in July last. | labour this point, particularly for the
benefit of the librarians of subscribing bodies — if perchance they trouble to read
these notes, which | doubt! — in an endeavour to stop unnecessary correspondence to
me complaining about missing parts. This also applies to the Bulletin — both journals

81

are annual issues — and already over the last few months some university and other
librarians have been complaining of the non-receipt of this present issue!

CHANGE IN THE SOCIETY’S YEAR — Will all members and subscribers please note
that a change in our year from July/June to January/December was approved at the
Annual General Meeting. Our present ‘’year”’ will therefore last for six months only, July
to December 1975, and the next subscriptions are due on 1 January 1976.

SUBSCRIPTIONS for the present year were due on 1 July and the Treasurer will be glad
to receive yours if you have not already sent it. Many members still send their subscriptions
to me and can | please remind them that these should now be sent direct to the Treasurer,
Dr B A Thomas.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SUBSCRIPTION RATES HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH
EFFECT FROM 1 JANUARY 1976 — WILL ALL MEMBERS PLEASE READ THE
INFORMATION GIVEN IN THIS ISSUE BY THE TREASURER AND ACT

' ACCORDINGLY. Prompt payment is requested and | draw particular attention to the
fact that publications will be withheld in future until subscriptions are received. Members
and subscribers will appreciate that in the present financial climate we can no longer afford
to be lax in the collection of dues.

MEETINGS — Meetings Cards for 1976 are enclosed with this Bulletin to all inland
members. Overseas members, visiting Britain, can obtain them on application to the Meet-
ings Secretary.

! am asked to request all those who plan to attend field meetings to let the Meetings
Secretary or leaders know in good time, and if, having done so, you later find you are
unable to attend, to advise him accordingly. \t is MOST frustrating for leaders planning
their itineraries to find that the numbers expected do not materialise, and MOST
EXASPERATING to delay the start of the meeting, wasting time waiting for someone
who has changed his mind and has no intention of turning up.

READING CIRCLE — The American Fern Journal, a quarterly containing much informa-
tion for those seriously interested in ferns, is circulated to Reading Circle members. | will
gladly add new names to the list.

TALKS ON FERNS — ! get frequent requests from horticultural and other societies for
speakers on ferns. Possibly there are many members able and willing to do this and it will
enable the Society to perform a useful service to the fern cult if they will advise me so
that a list can be compiled for future use. All arrangements, financial and otherwise, will
of course be between speakers and the bodies concerned. /f you can help please do not
delay advising me.

THE STANSFIELD MEMORIAL MEDAL — At the AGM this year the Stansfield Medal,
struck in 1938 to commemorate Dr F W Stansfield, a founder member and first president
of the Society, and one of our greatest authorities on ferns, was awarded to Reginald Kaye
and to the Secretary in recognition of their services to the fern cult and to the Society.
Both were also elected Honorary Members. Only four previous awards of the Medal have
been made — to W B Cranfield in 1938, Robert Bolton in 1948, P Greenfield in 1952 and
Rev E A Elliott in 1959.

GUERNSEY FERN STAMP ISSUE January 1975 — We still have some first-day covers
left for sale at GOp each. Applications to be sent to me.

CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 1976 — Mrs H Key of Fibrex Nurseries Ltd in Evesham,
Worcestershire intends to put up an exhibit of ferns at Chelsea Flower Show next year.
This is a real innovation for Chelsea since it must be very many years ago that a display
devoted entirely to ferns was shown there. Mrs Key has invited me to help on her Stand
and | look forward to this opportunity to meet fern enthusiasts. | hope that all members
visiting the Show will make a point of calling on us.

WANTED — | get many enquiries from members and from other sources, both at home
and abroad, for information on where certain ferns can be obtained. The most frequent
requests are for the davallia species, especially D. canariensis, and for Dicksonia antarctica.
Will members knowing sources of supply (but not florists whose ferns are usually of the
more popular kinds used for house decoration, and who if they do chance to have some
of the more unusual ones, are unlikely to have a constant supply) for these ferns and any
other of the more uncommon species likely to be of interest to collectors, please let me
know.

PAGE NUMBERING -— Please note that the pages in No 2 of the Bulletin were inadver-
tently numbered 1 to 36 instead of 45 to 80 following on from No 1. Members who retain
their copies and may wish to bind the complete volume later, should amend them as the
correct numbers will be used in the index to the volume.

FINALLY — The exceptional demands on my space this year have precluded the inclusion
of several papers — including some of my own! — which | had hoped to publish. May |
assure the contributors that their articles have not been overlooked or pushed aside, and

it won't be very long until | am looking around for copy for the next issue.

This year | have remembered a duty which | have always overlooked until too late with
Previous issues — to pay tribute to Jim Crabbe for his invaluable help in scruti nising all my
material before it goes to press. A marginal ‘Why?’ or ‘What does this mean?’, as well as
spelling corrections, has saved many a blunder and vague ambiguity from being committed
to print, and | am most grateful to him.

TREASURER’S REPORT

1 am sorry that my first Treasurer's report is rather gloomy. As members are well aware,

everything has increased in price and the Society has now reached the point where its expen-
diture is greater than its income. Unfortunately, this situation is bound to worsen.

te,

This year’s financial statement shows that both income and expenditure are once again
greater, with the most marked increases being the cost of the Gazette, secretarial expenses
and postage. The increased numbers of members and sales of back numbers has necessitated
4 greater number of copies of our publications being printed, hence dramatically raising

the cost. However, the most important detail to notice in the Statement is the costing of
two parts of the Gazette. This is simply because Volume 11 part 1 was behind schedule
and was not paid for during the last financial year.

Three items have prevented the Society from ending the year with a great loss. The
Secretary worked hard in selling the Guernsey Fern Stamp first-day covers and made a
Profit of nearly £150, and our deposit account in the bank yielded just over £100
interest; several generous donations amounting to over £300 have been received to help
defray the cost of the Holttum dedication volume of the Gazette. The complete break-
down of this double volume will be given in the next financial statement as one half
of its cost (ie part 3) is being met from the 1975 income.

Realising that a deficit was likely | proposed the increases in membership fees which
were circulated to members. These were ratified at the AGM and are now the official
rates. THE OTHER IMPORTANT CHANGE THAT WAS RATIFIED WAS THE CHANGE
IN OUR SUBSCRIPTION DUE DATE TO 1 JANUARY. This brings our financial year
into line with the calendar year, a change which has been suggested many times by both
members and subscribers. THE NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE THEREFORE DUE ON

1 JANUARY 1976, NOT JULY 1976. The current financial year is thereby shortened to
six months but both publications have been issued within this period, being the Gazette

Vol 11 part 3 and this Bulletin.

Members now have the opportunity of not receiving the Gazette, although your Editorial
Committee hopes that only very few will decide to do this. Before deciding, please read
the article by our new Editor, appearing in this issue on page 113. Enclosed with this
Bulletin you will find a Subscription Due Reminder Notice with details of the new rates
and a tear-off slip for your use to indicate into which category of membership you wish
to be enrolled. There is also a space for members who wish to terminate their member-
ship and we earnestly ask those who have decided to resign to complete and return this
at their earliest convenience to enable the officers to assess the true membership position
of the Society as soon as possible.

Many members have been very tardy in sending their subscriptions which has naturally
aggravated our financial problems. We can ill afford to let subscriptions fall into arrears,
SO WE ARE WITHHOLDING FUTURE PUBLICATIONS UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THEY
HAVE BEEN PAID FOR.

In conclusion, therefore, all members should note that their subscriptions are next due
on 1 January 1976 at one of the following rates —

Full members ae ‘ a a = £4.00
Students (under 25 years old) a - a £3.00
Members (not receiving the Fern ehicsieeii te Ha as £3.00

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AT 30 JUNE 1975

1974
30 June

Expenditure

198

430

By Payment

ORDINARY ACCOUNT

To Opening Balance
Subscriptions
Donations
Gazettes, Newsletters, Bulletins 196.25
Victorian Fern Craze

Beginners Guide 3.85
International Directory of
Pteridologists 15.50
Reprints 21.60
Book Sales 15.00
Sundry 15.11

Profits from the sales of
Guernsey stamps
Interest on Deposit Account

Metloc a/c Bulletin Vol 2 No 2
Index for Gazette Vol 10
Econoprint — Gazette Vol 11 part 1
Vol 11 part 2
Meeting programmes and cards
Printing and Stationery
Secretarial and Editorial Postages
Meetings expenses
Bank charges on current account
Transfer to Publications Account
Subscriptions —

Royal Horticultural Society 5.00
Council for Nature 5.05
Biological Council 11.45
Southport Flower Show 6.48

Balance in hand

27.98

1928.69
78.34

£2007.03

PUBLICATIONS ACCOUNT

1974 £

30 June To Balance 850.00

1975

30 June Transfer from Ordinary Account 200.00
Balance in hand £1050.00

GREENFIELD FUND

1974

30 June To Balance 283.20
Donation from Mrs E Greenfield 500.00
Proceeds from fern sales 36.00
Donations from members 5.00
Balance in hand £ 824.20

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING — 4 October 1975

The 72nd Annual General Meeting of the Society was held at the British Museum
(Natural History) and was attended by 33 members. It heralded several changes. First,
we elected a new President, Dr Stanley Walker, who takes over from Henry Schollick
on completion of the latter’s three years in the Office. We look forward to the same
happy association with Dr Walker that we enjoyed with his predecessor who entered
very fully into our active life, both in committee and in the field. Clive Jermy, after
16 years as our Editor-in-chief during which he brought our Gazette to the forefront
among the world’s scientific journals, is replaced by Dr Chris Page who is planning
with great enthusiasm to uphold the journal’s reputation. Both Henry and Clive are
not lost to us and have been elected to the Committee in place of the two retiring
members, James Merryweather and David Russell who have served us well during their
terms of office. Our new Treasurer, Dr Barry Thomas, was in action for the first time,
very decisive action too, of a necessary but not pleasant nature, to wit, raising
drastically the subscription rates — but he tells all this himself in his Report so we
shall not enlarge on it here.

In contrast to the Treasurer, the Secretary was able to talk more cheerfully about the
events of the year. A record number of 74 new members joined but this was largely
offset by resignations and “drop-outs” — still, if we include 31 spouses, not ranked as
paying members, we are now well over the 500 mark. But we include in this figure
many dilatory payers, without doubt some of them also “‘drop-outs”, and these

together with resignations which we are bound to get — and have already started to dribble
in — because of the increases in the subscription rates, will pull the actual figure down
again. A pleasing development is the increase of Australian interest in ferns and the
nucleus of an active branch of the Society there.

The Meetings Secretary reported on the year’s meetings which again were very poorly
attended with the exceptions of the Barmouth week meeting in Wales and Vivien Green’s
day meeting in North Essex. Our most disappointing meeting, number-wise, was the Argyll
~ one but it was a most enjoyable one for the few who did attend. The weekend meetings
were reduced in number and will be again next year. The regional day ones had a mixed
success and we are now looking closely at the idea of meetings, not advertised in the
Meetings Programme, organised privately by active members in various Parts of the
country to attract the local membership. More use of photography for recording purposes
at field meetings was discussed with the result that a Sussex member, Tom Buckeridge,
has volunteered to lead a photographic instruction field day in his county next year.

The question of renewi ng the practice of awarding Certificates of Merit for new fern
varieties of outstanding worth was discussed sie but much more thought requires to be
given to this and it was Passed back to the Committee for further consideration.

At last year’s AGM, acting on a suggestion made by Dr Anne Sleep, the Secretary agreed
to organise the purchase for sale at a profit to members, of first-day covers of the coming
issue by Guernsey of fern stamps, with the result that we purchased 1200 covers, 1000 of
them ordered by the Los Angeles International Fern Society in the USA. We still have a
small number left and up-to-date have made a profit of over £150. The work involved,
however, was much greater than anticipated when the Secretary lightly undertook the
task which included getting the blank first-day covers and a pre-release of the stamps
from Guernsey some weeks before the issue date, addressing the envelopes, affixing the
stamps and returning the lot to Guernsey to be cancelled on the issue day 7 January
1975, after which they were returned to the Secretary for distribution to those who
ordered them. There is quite a saga attached to it all — getting 1200 envelopes
addressed, paid “stamp-stickers” working against the clock and fitting the work in

with preparations for Christmas, customs import forms to be completed, with long
waits at the Customs Office near London’s dock area, lengthy discussion on how much
VAT they should charge us, and many other new experiences for the Secretary which he
has no wish to repeat !

A pleasing finish to the AGM was the decision to award the Society’s Stansfield
Memorial Medal to both Reginald Kaye and the Secretary, and to make them honorary
members of the Society.

MEETINGS 1975

We had a very good turnout of 34 members and friends at the Spring Indoor Meeting,
held on 8 February at the British Museum (Natural History). Martin Rickard gave a
very interesting talk, illustrated by slides on the ferns and flowers of the French Alps
found by him during the past two summers he has spent there. A very informative

87

exhibit of fern fronds and diagrams, prepared by James and Margaret Merryweather,
showed the two hybrid ferns Dryopteris X deweveri and Polystichum X illyricum with
their parents. There were books and plants for sale as weil as on exhibit, and we
enjoyed a light mea! prepared by Margaret Merryweather, Joan Woodhams and Dick
Cartwright.

The Autumn Indoor Meeting was held at the Museum after the AGM on 4 October,
and was attended by 36 members and friends. Our newly-appointed Indoor Meetings
Sub-committee, Jim Crabbe and John Woodhams, has tightened up the organisation and
we had a very successful meeting which flowed more smoothly. Fern books and other
literature and plants were on exhibit, along with others for sale which brought in some
cash for the Society’s coffers. Henry Schollick, to mark the completion of his three years
as our President, gave a retiring address entitled ‘The Way that | Went, with acknowledge-
ment to Robert Lloyd Praeger’. This very interesting talk was delivered in Henry’s usual
inimitable style and was much enjoyed — a full report appears elsewhere in this issue of
the Bulletin. The catering arrangements were again in the very capable hands of
Margaret Merryweather and Joan Woodhams.

There was a larger attendance of 31 members and friends at the Kew Meeting on 17 May.
This meeting continues to be one of the most popular annual events, due in very large
measure to the efforts of Professor Holttum and John Woodhams who impart so much
interesting fern information to the company as they tour the Fern Houses. This year
John gave a talk and practical demonstration on the various methods of propagating
ferns. A highlight of these meetings is tea afterwards at the Holttum’s home near the
Gardens and this year we again enjoyed their hospitality when Mrs Holttum did wonders
in catering so generously and efficiently for the large number of people who descended
on them. Thank you, Professor and Mrs Holttum.

DAY MEETINGS

The Sussex Weald — 15 February. Perhaps the facetious title of “Snow Meeting” given to
this outing in the Meetings Programme, conjuring up visions of driving snow and sleet,

put members off. In the event it was a day of rain with a bitter cold wind, but the five of
us who turned up were not deterred. The time was spent in the area between Tunbridge
Wells and Crowborough and our leader, Martin Rickard, took us to several places of
fern interest where in all during the day we saw 11 fern species which included Dryopteris
aemula in small numbers and Hymenophy/ium tunbrigense. We were, of course, in the
“home” country of the latter. An old record for Asp/enium billotii was followed up but
we did not find it. A very acceptable tea at the home of our leader’s mother helped to
thaw us out at the end of the day before departing homewards.

The visit to Graham Thomas's garden on 23 August had, very regretfully, to be cancelled
as Mr Thomas moved house earlier in the summer. Many members expressed disappoint-

ment and we hope that this visit has only been postponed and that we shall be privileged

to see his new garden in a few years’ time when Mr Thomas has got it into shape.

Essex/Suffolk — 31 August. We are always grateful to Vivien Green who does a lot of
“homework” to make this annual visit a success and this year she was well rewarded with
an excellent turn-out of members and friends — 14 in all. A day of hazy sunshine was
ideal for our purpose but the whole area is suffering badly from drought, wet places were
completely dry and many of the ferns we found had only dried up fronds. As usual we
had to travel distances to see only a few ferns since they are far from plentiful in this part
of the country, but we were rewarded in seeing many flourishing specimens of Po/ystichum
setiferum in one place, and in another, the only wet habitat we found, a large colony of
the great horsetail, Equisetum telmateia, was admired. One large wood contained only
shrivelled Dryopteris filix-mas but some small-growing D. carthusiana seemed to be
coping successfully with the conditions. We finished the day with a visit to the woods
near Tiptree to see the royal fern which grows happily there, albeit the four plants we
Saw were very small. In the same place B/echnum spicant and Oreopteris limbosperma
grow in small numbers — both common enough ferns in many parts of the country but
comparatively rare in Essex. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was the visit to
Vivien’s garden with its many ferns and her extensive spore sowings.

Holme Fen, Cambridgeshire — 28 September. After a day of wind and heavy rain on the
Saturday we were fortunate to get it fine and sunny on the Sunday when a party of 5
members assembled at the Fen which is one of the Nature Conservancy Reserves with a
nature trail through it. A most interesting exhibit is the high iron post marking the
Progressive drop in the level of the ground — pure peat — since 1840 when the surface
was about 15 feet higher than at present. The shrinkage is due to draining and the
consequent drying out of the area. The woodland is predominantly birch under which
a few fern species grow, the dominant one being Dryopteris carthusiana in great
abundance in company with D. austriaca, also very common. The only other fern in
any quantity was D. filix-mas and there was some D. pseudomas which was not very
typical of the species. The hybrid D. X tavelii was seen, as well as a few plants of Blechnum
Spicant. \t was noted how Pteridium aquilinum was completely absent from quite large
areas of the Fen and abundant as the only ground cover in other parts. At one time the
rare D. cristata grew on this fen when the habitat was wetter and more to its liking. An
uncommon fern was Athyrium filix-femina, except along the steep banks of the drainage
ditches where it flourished in quantity.

We completed the day with a short visit to nearby Stilton to see Asplenium ceterach
growing on the churchyard walls. This was the only recorded habitat of the fern for
Huntingdonshire until the revised county boundaries moved it into Cambridgeshire.
There are 15 small plants on the wall and with it is abundant A. rute-muraria.

REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS

The poorer attendance at meetings, particularly the weekend ones, led us to examine
Our meetings policy with the result that we have had fewer weekend meetings this year
but included in the programme three regional day meetings in the hope that the personal
approach of the organisers would persuade more local members to attend.

Frankly, it is disappointing to report that as Society meetings they have not achieved
their purpose. Not a single member turned up for the Merryweather’s meeting in York-
shire on 16 August but the Potts at Weston-super-Mare fared somewhat better on 8 June
and Mary Pott’s report is worth recording —

“Our local fern meeting went well as far as we personally were concerned — the
Coughlins came to see us a week early as they were going to be in Canada, and brought
a box of ferns and Philip Coke and Kenneth Adlam also brought lots of ferns so we
had a jolly good swap round. Since no one else turned up we were able to divide the
spoils quite amicably! | think it was felt that money would quite sully the proceedings
amongst so small a company. (The meeting was originally planned as a ‘Bring and Buy’
plant exchange for Society funds.) We have made return visits to Kenneth, Philip and
the Coughlins, so though there was only a small attendance at the meeting it has
encouraged lots of visits and plant swapping. The others also said that they thought
regional meetings a very good idea as they will keep people in touch and provide
pleasant social occasions at the minimum expense. | did write to everyone in the area
who | thought might come so perhaps it could be suggested in the Bulletin that for the
cost of a few letters more people could be encouraged to try this — though of course
it would appeal more to the gardeners and collectors in the Society.”

We want more members with the enthusiasm of the Potts to stir up interest among
members in their immediate areas, but it would seem that the organisers will have to
make the approaches and will not be able to rely on members, with a few exceptions,
contacting them.

Matt Busby’s meeting in Birmingham was postponed from 27 September to 18 October
as he found this was a more convenient day for the 8 members who attended. They met
in the morning at the University of Birmingham Winterbourne Gardens where they were
conducted round by the Superintendent, Mr Colin Ellingworth, and later went on to
spend a couple of hours looking round the Botanical Gardens and the small greenhouse
collection of ferns there, which included a large specimen of the hybrid Dicksonia X
lathamii. They then retired to Aston University in Gosta Green to enjoy hot coffee and
sandwiches and have a look at the fern house. A long discussion with exchange of plartts
and fern information ended the day.

WEEKEND MEETINGS

Shropshire — 20/22 June. This meeting, centred at Church Stretton and led by Matt
Busby, attracted only 4 members, perhaps because it was thought that this was a poor
area for ferns. We proved it to be otherwise and the valleys and woods of this hilly
countryside produced in all 16 ferns and one horsetail. On Saturday we devoted our
time to the ground around and to the south of our centre when 12 of the more common
species were seen. These included Asp/enium scolopendrium and very abundant and
widespread Oreopteris limbosperma. \n Plowden Woods further south 11 species were
noted in this very ferny area and included both Polystichum aculeatum and P. setiferum.

The polypodies were common and both P. interjectum and P. vulgare were found. On the
Sunday we explored some of the woodlands along Wenlock Edge, a very long narrow ridge
stretching for many miles, which lies to the east of Church Stretton. Ferns are very common
here but the species are few and we recorded 10 only. Again P. aculeatum was seen and a
few colonies of Asp/enium adiantum-nigrum and A. trichomanes on a disused railway
bridge. We finished the day at Upper Millichope near the south end of the Edge and in the
deep and shaded bed of a stream renowned for its fossils we found abundant

A. scolopendrium and P. aculeatum.

East Yorkshire — 11/13 July. There was a slightly better attendance of 6 at this meeting,
led by James and Margaret Merryweather and centred at their home in Bubwith near Selby.
Since they moved here last year they have been very active in the field and had some very
good fern habitats to show us. We recorded during the weekend 16 ferns and 3 horsetails,
including some very fine Osmunda regalis, Gymnocarpium robertianum, abundant
Dryopteris carthusiana and the hybrid D.X deweveri also in great abundance in one place.
The brick piatform of an old abandoned railway station at Foggathorpe was rich in ferns
and it was here we saw the G. robertianum growing well but rather stunted. Saturday
morning was spent on Skipwith Common, a damp woodland in which D. carthusiana and
X deweveri were very common and in the afternoon we visited Askham Bogs from
which there are old records for the rare D. cristata. Our main search was for this fern, for
all its associated plant life is there and it could very well still exist in this area which is
densely overgrown and extremely difficult to penetrate in places. The/ypteris palustris
was very common as well as D. carthusiana and several fine plants of O. rega/is were
admired, one of them a particularly large and handsome clump. On Sunday we visited
Strensall Common to the north of York hoping to find Pilularia globulifera but the Army
occupies most of the common as a shooting range so our hunting ioe rashemnes die
common fern was again D. carthusiana but none of the gr
for the pillwort and we did not find it. A visit further north to the fhileed Rievaulx Abbey
finished our weekend. The few ferns seen, 6 in number, were mostly struggling juveniles
of common species but there was one small flourishing colony of Cystopteris fragilis.

Hilo

The following are records for the day and weekend meetings not included in the Atlas of
the British flora —

Nat Grid ref. Essex

52/81. 8917 Pods Wood — Dryopteris carthusiana.

52/83. 8732 South of crossroads — Polypodium interjectum, Polystichum setiferum.
52/91, 9017 Pods Wood — Blechnum spicant, Oreopteris limbosperma, Osmunda regalis.

Cambridgeshire
52/18. 1589 Stilton Church — Asplenium ceterach, A. ruta-muraria.
52/28. 2089 Holme Fen — D. X tavelii.
Shropshire
32/38. 3787 Onny Bridge, Plowden — P. aculeatum.
3886 Plowden Woods — D. pseudomas, P. setiferum.
32/49. 4190/91 Minton Batch — D. pseudomas.
4391 Little Stretton/Minton road — D. pseudomas.

91

32/49. 4392 Ashes Hollow, Church Stretton — D. pseudomas.
4394/4494 Carding Mill Lane, Church Stretton — D. pseudomas.
4491 Little Stretton — A. adiantum-nigrum.
32/58. 5289 Upper Millichope — D. pseudomas.
32/59. 5595/5695 Easthope Wood, Wenlock Edge — A. adiantum-nigrum,
A. trichomanes, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas,
P. aculeatum.
East Yorkshire
44/63. 6536/37 Skipwith Common, west — D. austriaca, D. X deweveri.
6636 Skipwith Sak east — Athyrium filix-femina, D. austriaca,

D. X dewev
44/66. 6560/6660 Strensall sehen — B. spicant.
44/73. 7135 Bubwith — Equisetum fluviatile.
7537 Foggathorpe, old railway station — A. ruta-muraria,

A. trichomanes, A. scolopendrium, Gymnocarpium robertianum.

WEEK MEETINGS

Argyll — 1/9 August. The ground chosen for this meeting, centred at the Fir Park Hotel,
Sandbank, north of Dunoon, was new to the Society. It is not the most convenient of
areas for moving around for it is dissected by the long sea-lochs penetrating far inland,
which involves long drives to reach parts only a few miles distant as the crow flies. The
driving was, however, through magnificent hill and coast scenery and was a joy in

itself, adding much to the enjoyment of the disappointingly few members who attended.
For the whole of the week we were four in number, Bert Bruty, Jimmy Dyce, David
Ellis and Chris Page, and for the first weekend we had Richard Unett with us. It must
be admitted, nevertheless, that a small party of keen members had much in its favour
for we were off in good time in the mornings, nobody took odd days “off duty” and
the hunting was concentrated so that we were able to cover much more ground than
would have been possible with a larger party. By the end of the week we had acquired quite
a good knowledge of a large region stretching from Dunoon in the east to Kilfillan in the

. west, and north as far as Strachur, with the Firth of Clyde and the Kyles of Bute as our
southern boundaries. There is much excellent fern ground, mountain, ravine, woodland
and waterside and we found it all productive of interesting ferns, abundant in numbers

and numerous in species — in some small places we recorded up to 18 ferns.

Our first day was devoted to our home territory, the Cowal peninsula, a mountainous and
wooded district well watered with many hill streams. On the map it looked good and
Promising but on the whole proved rather disappointing in the places we visited except

for one wooded corrie. We travelled south from Dunoon round Toward Point and up the
west side to the end of the road. Our first stop at the bridge crossing the Ardyne Burn
near Knocknow produced 8 species, common woodland ones plus Asp/enium ruta-muraria
and A. trichomanes growing on the bridge, but at Brackleymore further north the 9
species seen included more of interest in Dryopteris aemula, albeit a singly plant only, and
Hymenophylium wilsonii. The \atter was a small patch but it set a pattern for the week
since this fern proved to be one of the more common species wherever we went. Here also,

Richard Unett found our first variety, a caudate form of Blechnum spicant which was
interesting enough to collect and has since been found to have another very interesting
character — it is anomalous. At Inverchaolain we noted on the churchyard walls 5
spleenworts, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, a few plants of A. ceterach,

A. trichomanes and a single A. scolopendrium, along with some Polypodium interjectum.
An interesting find was D. X tavelii but we were to observe much more of this hybrid,
growing strongly and to a large size, during the week. Inverchaolain Glen looked
Promising and we set off through woodland to reach it only to find that the burn
flowed through a deep and inaccessible corrie while the hillside above was a jungle of
blackberry and equally inaccessible. Possibly there are many “goodies” in that corrie
but all we saw was some H. wilsonii on the rocks at the top end of the gorge where
the Glen opened out with a paucity of ferns, only 7 being seen, all of them with the
exception of the hymenophyllum, the common wood and hill species.

Disappointed with the results of our day’s exploration we retraced our steps and on
the south coast hunted a stretch of the Ardyne Burn which here flowed through a flat
wooded terrain, some of it quite boggy, where we hoped to find D. carthusiana — a vain
hope, and the 7 species seen were the usual woodland ones. Athyrium filix-femina was
common, as well as D. pseudomas in extensive clumps of large plants. We decided to make
one more stop on the return journey up the east coast at the Burnmakiman Burn north of
Dunan. This proved to be the high spot of the day and compensated us fully for our
Previous frustrations. The burn flows through a deep but wide wooded corrie and was full
of ferns both in numbers and species — 15 of them. Growing abundantly were A. filix-
femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas, along with Oreopteris
limbosperma, A. scolopendrium, P. interjectum and the ubiquitous Pteridium aquilinum.
In places where the burn was confined to a narrow channel with cliff walls A. trichomanes
“ was noted and Polystichum aculeatum grew to a large size in a habitat very much to its
liking. The wet rocks were covered with H. wilsonii and to our great delight H. tunbrigense
was also present in quantity, standing out distinctly from its relative with its more divided
and crispy look. A few plants of D. aemula were seen and Phegopteris connectilis was
common on the wet slopes. We went on our way with more contented minds, admiring as
we did so the walls along the coast road north of Dunoon as we approached our hotel,
festooned with A. trichomanes obviously very much at home. Inland too, the main road
between Dunoon and Sandbank had similar ferny walls and in one place the A. trichomanes
gave place to A. ceterach flourishing in great abundance and size.

On Sunday we spent the day in Puck’s Glen, a deep ravine running up the hillside in one
of the Forestry Commission woods near Benmore. The Commission has turned the Glen
into a forest walk, the path running along the bottom following the burn with at times a
Series of steps leading up the steeper places, and coming out on the open hillside about
three quarters of a mile up. The Glen is full of ferns, 18 species being seen by us and many
of them are in great abundance. The burn was low enabling us to use its course instead of
the path so we were able to explore all its more inaccessible corners. The lady and buckler
ferns were common all the way up, growing to a large size and among them were frequent
Plants of D. X tavelii. it was pleasing to see that lovely fern D. aemula in many places for
most of the way, at times very large growing, as was P. acu/eatum occupying crevices and

draping rock faces, and 8. spicant. Even the smaller ferns were growing to a larger size,
Particularly A. trichomanes which in some places was very handsome. Only a very few
small plants of A. scolopendrium were noted and very little O. /imbosperma although no
doubt this fern was in greater numbers in the open outside the corrie. P. vu/gare was
growing mostly on tree trunks but there was not much of it and P. interjectum was not
seen at all. One doubtful record was for Cystopteris fragilis — the plants were small, not
fertile, and more likely to be young A. filix-femina. A pleasing sight was Gymnocarpium
dryopteris and P. connectilis in drifts all the way up the Glen, draping the rocks and
slopes with their graceful fronds. Both hymenophyliums were present in large numbers in
places covering the rocks and in some places the species were intermingled. The day was a
very hot one but in the shady depths of the Glen it was pleasantly cool and we enjoyed
our scramble. Later we went on to the Younger Botanic Gardens at Benmore, which now
belong to the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. Chris Page is in charge of the conifers here, and

_on the slopes, hidden away among the trees, he showed us an old fern grotto which at one
time was quite an elaborate structure with a glass roof but now open to the sky. He is
Planning to reinstate it as a fern garden when the undergrowth and some of the trees have
been removed, and the place has great fern possibilities. We were hoping to find some
survivors of the old fern collection but could find only one, a single plant of a large-growing
rather wide-pinnuled P. setiferum ‘Acutilobum’. It was disappointing to find this not
very attractive variety the sole survivor of a fern collection which must at one time have
contained many fine plants.

We explored further afield on Monday, travelling up Loch Eck and Loch Fyne and down
Gleann Beag to Loch Goil. Well down the Loch at Carrick we stopped for a short time to
look at the old ruined castle. Apart from P. interjectum very few ferns grew on its walls
although the village walls were well covered with A. trichomanes and some A. ruta-muraria.
Not much else was seen and we retraced our steps to more ferny areas noted en route.
About a mile north of Carrick the road runs along the side of the loch with rocky wood-
land sloping down to the water and ferns were more prolific here. They included both
hymenophyliums in quantity on the rocks, H. wi/sonii being the more common. A single
plant of D. assimilis was found and a crested A. trichomanes collected. Near the top of

the loch quite a large stream comes down from the hills at Lettermay and we hunted up it
for a half-mile as far as some waterfalls above which the valley opens out and becomes

less interesting. We found 14 ferns and one ally, Equisetum sy/vaticum, but none were in
great numbers except the lady and the buckler ferns. At the waterfall there was some

P. aculeatum and a few patches of H. wilsonii and along the burn the occasional small

drift of P. connectilis, and O. limbosperma on the more open ground. On the road bridge
grew A. acertencigrun, ~ riche — some C. fragilis. \n Gleann Beag on the way
coming w pp ‘© be a very good fern corrie cutting deep
into the hillside down from the mountain pia nam Mult, and this was our next stop.
The climb was a steep one, clambering up the burn for a mile till the corrie ran out on to
the open mountain. Ferns were in quantity although only 13 species were seen along with
2 allies. We made our first discovery of A. viride growing in fair numbers on the rocks high
up, accompanied by A. trichomanes in some places. In the same place D. abbreviata and
Lycopodium selago were seen and on some damp rock a few plants of Selaginella selaginoides
were noted. C. fragilis was occasional as was P. connectilis and one small colony of

G. dryopteris was found. High up P. acu/eatum grew on the rock and the frequent

A. filix-femina was scrutinised carefully since we were now getting high enough for

A. distentifolium. As in previous years on high ground in Scotland some lady ferns were
found with larger more rounded sori approaching in appearance those of the alpine lady
fern, but in all cases the indusia were present although very ragged. There was some
discussion on the possibility of such plants being hybrids between the two species and
Chris Page collected material for checking purposes.

After a night of thunder and heavy rain it continued intermittently wet all the next day
with low cloud on the hills. We had planned to go up Glen Kin, a few miles from our
centre, and explore the north-facing cliffs and corries at its head but the weather conditions
decided us to remain on lower ground. Where two streams meet and two old bridges ar
bypassed by a new road amidst woodland at the bottom of the Glen ferns were sai
but mostly the large woodland species, among them D. carthusiana, and in some places

the horsetails, E. arvense and E. sylvaticum, with A. trichomanes and A. adiantum-nigrum
on the bridges. Our finds here were 12 species in all.

Our changed plans took us westwards up Glen Lean to the head of Loch Striven, down
the east side of Loch Riddon to Colintraive and further west on the road to Otter Ferry
on Loch Fyne. The day was a series of short stops at places en route where the ferns
seemed interesting but rain and wet undergrowth restricted our movements. At Clachaig

a long high wall covered with ferns attracted our attention and on it grew A. ruta-muraria
and A. trichomanes in abundance with a few plants of A. scolopendrium and

P. interjectum. On the slopes at the other side of the road A. filix-femina, B. spicant,

D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and O. limbosperma were common along with P. aquilinum
and E£, arvense. At Loch Tarsan near its hydro-electricity dam we hunted up a deep corrie
until driven back by rain and an even worse deterrent — midges which were biting
viciously. The 11 species seen here included D. abbreviata, H. wilsonii, P. connectilis and
P, interjectum. Rounding the north end of Loch Striven a rocky hillside brought us to our
next stop but it was not a very interesting place and the persistent rain discouraged us
still more. Some E. sy/vaticum, a few plants of A. trichomanes, C. fragilis, P. connectilis
and some scattered P. interjectum were seen and H. wilsonii was frequent on the wetter
rocks. From here we moved on to Colintraive where we turned without stopping and
retraced our steps for 2 miles to Fearnoch where we scrambled down the steep wooded
and rocky slopes to the loch edge in the hope that A. marinum might be growing there.
Ferns were plentiful everywhere on the slopes except in places where the bracken had
taken over completely but only 10 species were recorded. On the rocks grew very fleshy-
fronded A. adiantum-nigrum and P. interjectum, and all around A, filix-femina, B. spicant,
D. austriaca, D. pseudomas and Pteridium aquilinum covered the ground in profusion. The
wail higher up along the road was clothed in A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and a
different large-growing form of A. adiantum-nigrum with long pointed pinnules, possibly
sub-species onopteris.

A study of the geological map showed a belt of limestone further west not far from Otter

Ferry and a search for this led us to a deep and narrow corrie on the hills above the ferry.

It proved indeed to be limestone country and during an exciting scramble down the corrie
splashing for most of the way in the bed of the stream we recorded 18 ferns and 3 allied

species. In rock crevices grew A. adiantum-nigrum, A. trichomanes and C. fragilis but none
were abundant. More common was A. viride very much at home in some places, but only
one plant of A. scolopendrium was noted, and G. dryopteris and P. aculeatum were equally
rare. There were some small plants of D. abbreviata, H. wilsonii was fairly common and
both polypodies P. interjectum and P. vulgare were seen, the former being the more
common. The other ferns in the corrie were A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D, austriaca,

D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma and P. aquilinum. Again we kept a watch on
the lady fern and again found the fern with the seemingly intermedial sori. The fern allies
present were L. selago, only two plants one of them extraordinarily like a large clump of

S. selaginoides which was also there along with E. arvense.

On Wednesday we were in Glen Branter and spent the morning in the deep ravine valley

of the Allt (Gaelic for burn or stream) Robuic in the damp climate of which ferns
abounded. Only parts of the corrie were accessible and in these and the surrounding
wooded ground 15 ferns and one horsetail were found. All the common larger ferns were
flourishing wherever they could find root-room and on the rock faces A. trichomanes was
frequent and large-growing, as was P. aculeatum. On the more sloping places there were
drifts of G. dryopteris cascading luxuriantly downwards and even more abundant and
spectacular were the large masses of P. connectilis growing all over the area. We noted some
vigorous A. viride in sheltered rock crevices and strong growths of P. interjectum on trees
but only one plant of A. scolopendrium. On more open ground a small colony of

E. sylvaticum was seen and some very large magnificent specimens of D. X tavelii but it was
noted that D. filix-mas was very scarce. Higher up the corrie at a high waterfall, A. viride
was even more common, accompanied by H. wil/sonii and P. aculeatum. Altogether this
short stretch of the Allt Tobuic provided an extremely enjoyable morning’s hunting.

In the afternoon we walked for some distance up the adjacent and much more open Glen
Shellish but after the morning this was an anticlimax. Species were fewer and more
scattered, and the numbers of plants were small with the exception of O. /imbosperma.
The only addition to the earlier finds was D. carthusiana but it was small and not
characteristic of the species. We returned home via Glen Finart to Ardentinny and round
the Kilmun peninsula to the Holy Loch on the south side of which our hotel was
magnificently situated on Lazaretto Point. Only one stop was made on the way, at
Sligrachan in Glen Finart where the road crosses a deep ravine. During our short pause
here 13 ferns were seen, some in great numbers. On the bridge grew several species among
them A, sco/opendrium and in the corrie was P. connectilis with some H. wilsonii; a
small plant of D. aemula was also found.

The improvement in the weather on the previous day continued on Thursday and although
dull at times was very comfortable for our active pursuits. The west claimed our

attention again and we travelled by the now familiar route up to Strachur, noting on the
way a few colonies of E. fluviatile growing in Loch Eck. We followed the road down Loch
Fyne past the Otter Ferry to Kilfillan and on the way stopped between Barnacarry and
Garrien in Strathlachlan where the road crosses a stream and the ferns seemed interesting.
The 14 species and one ally found were growing mostly along the road and on the bridge
and a search along the burn added little more, only A. viride and G. dryopteris, as well as
some P. aculeatum to augment the one plant seen on the bridge. A few plants of

P. connectilis, A. trichomanes and P. interjectum were noted and the others were all the
more common woodland ferns. Further south where some cliffs rose from the loch-side we
hoped — in vain — to see A. marinum but other spleenworts were common on the rocks

and the roadside wall, A. ruta-muraria, abundant A. trichomanes and strong-growing

A. adiantum-nigrum again with the fleshy texture rather like A. marinum. An old overgrown
quarry south of Otter Ferry at Ballimore brought about our next stop which proved to be a
most interesting one although only 13 ferns were seen. Very large-growing A. trichomanes
grew on the rocks and there were some very good patches of C. fragilis; D. carthusiana was
also there and both of the polypodies. One particularly fine colony of P. interjectum was
flourishing on a large horizontal tree branch and some time was spent photographing it.

Our main quest today was for the limestone band shown on the geological map passing
near Kilfillan and running into the loch just to the south of the village. We hoped to find
some access to the coast at this point but could find none and had to content ourselves
with a search up the Kilfillan Burn which was rather inaccessible in places. The large common
ferns were plentiful and there was some G. dryopteris, P. aculeatum and in one place a large
Stretch of H. wilsonii covering all the rocks in profusion. The roadside walls near the village
were Covered with spleenworts, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes,
along with P. interjectum and P. vulgare. We drove further south and across the peninsula
to Kames and Tighnabruaich with no further stops and continued north to join our well-
travelled route back to Holy Loch. On our way we noted some very promising ravine
country along the side of Loch Riddon and promised to make this our venue for the
following — and the last — day of the meeting.

Accordingly, on a hot sunny Friday we were back with Loch Riddon far below us on one
side and high corried slopes ascending on the other. Our first hunt was up a narrow deep
ravine at Craig Cottage, a very difficult scramble up the bed of the burn for a short distance
as far as a waterfall but very rewarding, for the habitat was a very congenial one for ferns
which proliferated and 14 species and one ally were recorded. The large ferns luxuriated
wherever they could find room to grow, on the rock walls was A. trichomanes, and

H. wilsonii covered the lower rocks like moss, G. dryopteris and P. connectilis cascaded
down towards the water, and P. vulgare and P. acu/eatum were also there. Of particular
interest near the waterfall was a colony of 8. spicant conspicuous by reason of the narrow
widely-spaced pinnules on all the fronds. On examination we found the plants to be one
of the ‘Anomalum’ varieties with sporing on the barren fronds. Some of the plants were
collected and it will be interesting to see if the character is retained in cultivation. Most
such varieties collected in the past have reverted to normal under garden conditions.
Another corrie a mile to the south was very similar but larger and we were able to climb
further up before reaching a waterfall. The ferns too were similar except that we added
some A. adiantum-nigrum to the list. A feature here was luxuriant H. wilsonii growing
not only over all the rocks but up tree trunks and branches. Another similar-looking
Corrie further down above Port Driseach was explored and proved quite uninteresting
with but few ferns. We were to prove later though that its lower reaches between the
road and the loch were very different.

We dropped down from the heights to loch level at Tighnabruaich and followed the low
road back to Port Driseach. From here one can walk along tracks and paths northwards

97

along the loch-side, through thickets of rhododendron for a time and then interesting
woodland in the lower reaches of the corrie, now widened out, which had proved so
disappointing higher up. Ferns grew to a large size along the track and the common
dryopteris species with A. filix-femina and O. limbosperma as well as the hybrid

D. X tavelii were very impressive. We found 18 species which included both of the
hymenophyllums and David Ellis commented on how often we had seen H. tunbrigense
growing in conjunction with rhododendrons, Thinking back over the week we could
recollect only one habitat for this fern where rhododendrons were not also seen by us
and | was able to confirm that this same association applies in the “home” country of
the species around Tunbridge Wells where my mental picture of this fern always seems
to include rhododendron. On walls in more open places A. adiantum-nigrum grew with
A. trichomanes and one very young plant of Osmunda regalis was discovered sending out
its fronds from a crack in a large rock. We hunted around for others but the parent could
have been hidden anywhere in the jungle on the slopes above us or very possibly was
distributing its spores from some garden in Port Driseach. Other more uncommon species
were D. aemula, one plant only, and a small number of tiny A. sco/opendrium plants. |n
some places 8. spicant was quite a feature, growing strongly to a very large size and one
clump was, | think, the largest | have ever seen. We noticed that this plant was also to
some extent anomalous with sporing on some of the sterile fronds as well as having a full
complement of fertile ones. Both polypodies were noted in fair numbers and also

P. connectilis in some places.

We finished the week with a list of 32 species of which 5 were fern allies but there are
others recorded for the area which we did not see — Cryptogramma crispa,
Lycopodium alpinum, L. clavatum, Isoetes lacustris, Equisetum palustre and

E. telmateia, while two not recorded for the parts we visited, Polystichum setiferum
and Athyrium distentifolium, are undoubtedly there for the finding.

The following are records not included in the Atlas of the British flora —

Nat Grid ref.
16/97. 9977 Allt Faoileinn — Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Hymenophyllum wilsonii,
Polystichum aculeatum.
9978 Craig Cottage — G. dryopteris, H. wilsonii, P. aculeatum,
Selaginella selaginoides.
9379 Kilfillan — G. dryopteris, H. wilsonii, P. aculeatum.
74 Port Driseach, Rubha Ban — Dryopteris aemula, H. tunbrigense,
Osmunda regalis.
9974/75 Port Driseach, West Glen — D. X tavelii, H. tunbrigense, H. wilsonii.
16/98. 9383 Ballimore — Asplenium ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium. D. carthusiana.
9583 Carn Ban, corrie near — A. scolopendrium, A. viride, D. abbreviata,

G. dryopteris, H. wilsonii, L. selago, P. aculeatum, S. selaginoides.
9487/88) Loch Fyne near Carn an Tilgidh — A. ruta-muraria,
9587/88) S. selaginoides,
26/07 0973 Brackleymore — D. aemula.
0176 Fearnach Bagh — A. adiantum- nigrum.
0975 Inverchaolain — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ceterach, A. scolopendrium,
D. X tavelii.

Nat Grid ref.
26/08. 0583/84 Loch Striven, head of — Cystopteris fragilis, Equisetum sylvaticum,
H. wilsonii, Phegopteris connectilis.
0782/83 Loch Tarsan — D. abbreviata, H. wilsonii, P. connectilis.

26/17. 1571 Burnmakiman Burn — D. aemula, D. austriaca, H. tunbrigense,
P. connectilis, P. aculeatum.
1571 Dunan — D. austriac
1070 Knockdow — D. austriaca.
1778 Loch Loskin — D. austriaca.
26/18. 1484,1584 Pucks Glen — D. aemula, D. X tavelii.
26/19. 1994 Carrick Castle — A. ruta-muraria.
1096 Glen Branter — A. scolopendrium. D. X tavelii.
1691 Glen Finart near Sligrachan — A. scolopendrium, D. aemula.
1996 Loch Goil — D. assimilis, H. tunbrigense.

27/10. 1705/06 Gleann Beag — A. viride, C. fragilis, D. abbreviata, P, connectilis,
P. aculeatum.
1800 Lettermay Burn — C. fragilis, P. connectilis, P. aculeatum.

Barmouth, Gwynedd — 6/13 September. After the small attendance at the Argyll meeting
it was very pleasing to get a good turn-out at this meeting and 15 members and friends
assembled on Saturday 6 September or for varying periods during the week, at our centre
the Plas Mynach Hotel in Barmouth. Those attending were Peter Benoit, Matt Busby,
Jimmy Dyce, Alf and Kay Hoare, John Jones, James and Margaret Merryweather, Martin
and Hazel Rickard, Kay Stevens, Bob Trippitt, Anne Uden and Tony and Barbara Worland.
Martin Rickard was our leader and with the help of Peter Benoit who lives in Barmouth
gave us a most interesting week. The weather was very mixed, starting sunny and warm
on the first weekend but thereafter turning cold and wet and there were few if any days
on which we did not have some rain — on one day it was excessive and on others it was
accompanied by strong bitter winds on high ground which made climbing unpleasant.

‘The very rare Killarney Fern has been recorded for this corner of Wales and on Sunday
our leader decided to break us in gently by concentrating on a hunt for it on lower
ground north of Harlech where it has been known from one locality. Other suitable
habitats exist in which this fern could be quietly growing so our hunting was planned
to take in some of them but it may be needless to add that we were not successful in
our quest. The one locality known from about 1875 when it was found by the well-
known botanist Backhouse, seems to have had a precarious existence ever since, growing
at the back of a small dark cave behind the water in a small hillside stream, and producing
only a very few small fronds. Being on private property has probably helped it to survive
for so long. During our meeting in Snowdonia in 1961 Evan Roberts told us that when he
had visited the fern earlier in the year it had only one frond and Peter Benoit has been
unable to find any since 1968. During our visit he crawled into the tunnel-like cave
covered with a waterproof sheet and examined the habitat closely with the aid of a
torch but could find only some mosses looking somewhat similar in size and colour to
the fern fronds and these would appear to have misled more recent visitors. There is

virtually no possibility that the rootstock, a creeping one, may be still alive and able,
after the long lapse of time since the last definite confirmation of life in 1968, to produce
more fronds.

On the way north from Barmouth we stopped near Harlech to see a colony of Asp/enium
billotii growing on a roadside wall. It is a fairly common fern of the area and is so
plentiful around Barmouth that it was called the Barmouth Fern and well-known by

this name to the many visitors to this popular resort in Victorian times when the fern craze
was at its height.

Beyond Talsarnau a very steep narrow winding road took us up into the hills to the church
at Llandecwyn, passing on the way one of two small lakes. We split into two parties, one
walking to the higher lake, Llyn Tecwyn Uchaf, and the other eastwards down the
Liandecwyn Glen. On the open high ground the slopes were colourful with the heather
and autumn-flowering gorse intermingled in full bloom and along the stream which we
followed from the Llyn down to the main road below,were many ferns. The more
common large ones were well represented, Athyrium filix-femina, Blechnum spicant, the
three bucklers Dryopteris austriaca, D, filix-mas and D. pseudomas, Oreopteris
limbosperma and of course Pteridium aquilinum, and on the rocks grew A. trichomanes,
A. adiantum-nigrum and some colonies of A. billotii. In the damper places lower down
there was Phegopteris connectilis and the two polypodies P. interjectum and P. vulgare

as well as some D. carthusiana in a marsh from which Osmunda regalis is recorded but
was not seen by us. The fern ally Equisetum fluviatile was found here and in the Llyn
above was /soetes /acustris. The other party down in the wooded glen found abundant
woodland ferns, P. connectilis was common and some A. scolopendrium was noted, as well
as Polystichum setiferum. Descending to the lower Llyn Tecwyn Isaf, species were fewer
and we recorded only five of the common ones with additionally /. echinospora and

E. fluviatile in the Llyn and on nearby wet ground D. carthusiana. On the return journey
near Harlech we paused for a short time to see by the roadside a flourishing colony of the
hybrid £. X /itorale, a cross between E. arvense and E. fluviatile.

A wet day on Monday reduced our active members and the few of us who braved the
elements ranged inland as far as Devil’s Bridge and Cwmystwyth in the vain hope that
weather conditions would be better away from the coast. Little serious hunting was done
in the wet undergrowth of the ravine near Devil’s Bridge but we recorded most of the
large-growing woodland ferns as well as some Gymnocarpium dryopteris, P. vulgare,

P. connectilis, P. aculeatum and Hymenophylium wilsonii. At Cwmystwyth we visited
known colonies of A. septentrionale in the village and on a roadside wall on the high
ground to the west. On the way back near Machynlleth we stopped in a side road and
Peter showed us a colony of the hybrid between the diploid and tetraploid forms of

A. trichomanes. The hybrid plants were very large-growing and near them was 4 colony
of the diploid densely covering a section of the roadside wall with close-growing
drooping fronds. The few other species noted here included the hybrid polypody,

P. X mantoniae. Continuing our homeward journey northwards we were shown, along 4
road near Dolgeliau, what Peter considers is the hybrid between D. abbreviata and
filix-mas; it certainly looked convincing and D. abbreviata was a frequent plant nearby.

It was another wet day for a good deal of the time on Tuesday when we were joined for
the day by Kay Stevens who lives at Tywyn and it was decided to try to re-establish the
record for A. X a/ternifolium which was seen by us north of Llanelltyd during our 1961
meeting but has seemingly disappeared since, It would appear that we were the last people
to see the two plants of the hybrid growing here and there were suggestions in some
quarters that we were responsible for removing them. | take this opportunity to deny
emphatically the allegation — we were shown the plants by one of our number, Ronald
Payne, and left them untouched. We noted that one of them was growing in scree in a
rather vulnerable position and it would have been very easy for a non-fern climber clam-
bering up the scree to dislodge and kill it. During the 14 years since our last visit the
locale has changed a lot with trees covering most of the ground and it was very difficult
for me, the only member present who saw the ferns in 1961, to pinpoint the spot even
though | still retain a clear mental picture of it — the wet miserabie conditions as we
pushed our way through the trees did not help! We listed 15 ferns from the hillside
including Cryptogramma crispa, P. interjectum, P. vulgare, A. adiantum-nigrum,

A. ruta-muraria and the parents of the missing hybrid, A. septentrionale and

A. trichomanes.

In dryer weather during the afternoon we crossed to the south side of the Afon
Mawddach estuary and our first stop was in the densely wooded valley of Coed y
Gribin. This was a fern paradise with 16 species represented, most of them in abundance,
on the rocky slopes. Only a few plants of P. setiferum were seen, some P. connectilis as
well as A. scolopendrium, and on walls lower down the valley were A. trichomanes and
A. ceterach, the latter in very small numbers. At the bottom of the valley both
hymenophyllums grew on the rocks by the side of the stream. Further down the
estuary at Arthog we clambered up a wilder steep valley, very rocky, with a series of
cascades tumbling down it. It was a difficult place to hunt but we found 14 species which
included in addition to the commonplace ones, a colony of D. aemu/a and some

P. setiferum. The habitat looked ideal for the filmies and it was surprising to find only

a very few colonies of H. wilsonii. Our last stop on the way home, on the north

side of the estuary, was at Cutiau where we climbed the hillside by a very steep
Zigzagging Jane and noted 13 fern species. One small plant of A. scolopendrium was
seen, some colonies of both the polypodies with the hybrid P. X mantoniae, A. billotii
and A. adiantum-nigrum, and diploid and tetraploid A. trichomanes with again some
plants of the hybrid between the two forms.

Old records for Woodsia ilvensis were drawing our leader irresistably to Cader Idris and
with the return of finer weather on Wednesday our minds were quickly made up to
spend the day on the mountain. Travelling to Dolgellau we struck directly south on
narrow country lanes up the Afon Aran valley to Bwich-coch and continued on foot
up to the source of the stream in Llyn Aran which is tucked away in an amphitheatre
of cliffs and screes on the north side of the mountain — old records give this locality as

a station for the woodsia. On the first part of our climb there were very few ferns,
which did not appear in any quantity until we reached the beginning of the rocks and
screes. Over the whole area of cliff, scree and grass slope round the Llyn we listed

14 ferns and 4 allies. Abundant Lycopodium alpinum and L. selago grew among the

101

grass and on the rocks with occasional colonies of L. clavatum, and the small but lovely
Selaginella selaginoides was also seen a few times. The large ordinary ferns A. filix-femina
and D. austriaca were common in the boulder screes, as was B. spicant which was also
happy on the grass slopes along with O. /imbosperma. Only very occasionally was
D. filix-mas seen, and D. pseudomas was completely absent but frequent D. abbreviata
was noted. Some C. crispa grew on the screes and a few small colonies of P. connectilis on
the rocks but only one small patch of G. dryopteris was found higher up by our more
vigorous climbers. In a very few places Cystopteris fragilis and A. viride were seen on the
rocks and A. trichomanes was equally rare. The odd plant of P. vulgare appeared at times
in rock crevices and two small colonies of H. wi/sonii were found. Our party split up when
the rocks and screes were reached, a few climbing high on the cliffs while the rest were
scattered around the amphitheatre working mostly on the screes and lower rocks. On
comparing notes later it was found that the ferns and allies recorded were common to the
whole area. As weH as the woodsia which was not found we hoped to see D. assimilis and
some doubtful plants were looked at, rather like this fern but not sufficiently so to be
confidently identified.

On the way back we stopped to explore the Glen of Aran, the lower part of the valley not
far from Dolgellau, which in Victorian times was a popular beauty spot much frequented
by the monied holiday makers at Barmouth. It is a deep wooded ravine, dark in places,
down which the Afon Aran cascades in a series of many falls, and ferns grow in great
abundance but the 11 species seen were mostly the large-growing ones. It was a perfect
habitat for H. wilsonii which flourished prolifically on the wet rocks but there was no

H. tunbrigense which could have been even more at home among the spray from the
falling water. Some P. connectilis was noted and some P. vulgare and on the small bridge
at the head of the Glen was a colony of A. trichomanes.

Another mountain we were keen to revisit was Moel Hebog in Snowdonia and in spite of
gloomy weather predictions on Thursday we set off, travelling west from Portmadoc and
up the Afon Dwyfor valley from which there is a very easy approach and ascent to the
high ground. A bitterly cold gale was blowing on the heights accompanied by heavy
showers and thunder and it was no day for climbing on the rocks exposed to the fierce
buffeting of the wind so most of us did not tarry very long and left the hunting to a few
of our younger and more active members who, as well as wanting to visit the colonies of

ja ilvensis on the mountain, were anxious to locate a plant of P. /onchitis seen on a
previous visit by Tony and Barbara Worland. They searched in vain for this fern but were
consoled by the woodsia. In spite of weather conditions we recorded 23 ferns and 5 allies
growing on the mountain and added a new spleenwort, A. septentrionale, to those already
listed on previous visits, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and
A. viride. We saw D. aemula, a very rare plant in this unusual habitat, D. abbreviata,
C. crispa, C. fragilis, P. connectilis, A. scolopendrium, P. interjectum, P. vulgare,
P, aculeatum, some H. wilsonii and of course the large-growing common ferns. The three
lycopodiums L. alpinum, L. clavatum and L. selago were noted along with S. selaginoides,
and another new record for the mountain was E. sy/vaticum.

We had good weather for our last day on the Friday but did not go far afield, only north
for a few miles to Llanbedr and inland up the Afon Artro valley. Stopping first at the

junction with the Afon Cwmnantcol we explored up this wooded valley as far as the dam
which was built in the 1920s to supply the neighbourhood with electricity. The dam
completely fills part of the very deep ravine and destroyed what used to be one of the most
interesting bryophyte sites in the district. Ferns were not very plentiful as most of the
woodland seems to be beech, in the dense shade of which very little grew except in the
more open places. Only a few woodland species were seen in addition to P. vulgare growing
on the walls of the dam. A few colonies of very good typical examples of a fern rather like
a dwarf-growing D. austriaca were found. This fern, a creeping one, was first discovered by
me in September 1966 in the north of Scotland on Crannoch Hill, Cullen, Banffshire. It
grows on open ground under trees in friable leaf and pine-needle soil and forms clones by
means of smooth, shiny-brown thin creeping stolons which throw up widely spaced fronds
before settling again to form crowns. It is usually dark-scaled like D. austriaca but often |
have found pale-scaled plants, and the growing points are bright-green similar to those of
D. carthusiana. The intermediate characters would appear to indicate a hybrid origin but

it is very different from D. X deweveri the recognised hybrid between the species. In similar
habitats throughout the country, the Lakes, West Scotland, South-west Scotland, Snow-
donia, even in the south and west of England, and now in the west of Wales | have noted
and drawn attention to similar clones of this dwarf-growing fern and in all cases have
found them to have the same creeping habit. | am hoping that our member, Mary Gibby,
who is at present working on the D. austriaca/carthusiana complex under the direction of
Dr Stanley Walker will eventually come up with some definite answers to the problem
Posed by this fern.

We continued up the valley to the Coed Crafnant, a most interesting wood growing on a
steep and wet rocky hillside, facing north-west and ascending in a series of terraces. The
rocks are densely covered with mosses and the flat terraces are in many parts very boggy
and covered with sphagnum moss. Ferns were abundant and some hours were spent
exploring the area, scrambling up and over rocks many of them dripping wet and forming
ideal habitats for an extensive profusion of H. tunbrigense and H. wilsonii, the former
being for once the more common. Not a very large number of species was seen, only 13,
and some were in very small numbers such as A. trichomanes, occasional on the dryer rocks,
and one small colony each of P. connectilis and P. setiferum. Only a few of the larger ferns
were common, A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, and in great quantity B. spicant. |n more open
ground we noted O. limbosperma and occasional D. pseudomas, and both polypodies were
seen, some on rocks and good colonies on trees, but the filmy ferns, particularly

H. tunbrigense gave us the most pleasure.

We had time for one more hunt before calling it a day — and a week, and visited the sand-
dunes on the coast at Morfa Dyffryn a few miles north of Barmouth. Here we found
quite abundant E. variegatum and a fine colony of what is claimed to be Ophioglossum
ambiguum. \t looked very much like the more common O. vulgatum which Peter Benoit
Was inclined to think it was but Martin Rickard collected some specimens and ; =
demonstrated to our satisfaction that the colony is indeed O. ambiguum. This is the
first time | have seen this fern in the field and it was very satisfactory to be able to
remove one more name from the exceedingly short list of British species still not seen
by me in their wild habitats.

103

During the evening of our last day we were very pleased to receive a visit from a local
member, John Jones, who was unable to join us during the week in the field. He has been
doing some good work on his own among the ferns in his area and brought some very
interesting fern exhibits for us to see. It was gratifying to bring him into touch with Peter
Benoit and since they live not too far distant from each other we hope that the fern
knowledge of this part of Wales will benefit from their joint activities. It was most satisfac-
tory to have Peter with us the whole week and we are most grateful to him for his
considerable help in introducing us to habitats and imparting information which enabled
us to see and learn so much more than we could otherwise have done. During the week a
total of 32 ferns and 3 unnamed hybrids were seen and 11 fern allies, many of them rare,
but for once no fern varieties were found.
The following are records not included in the At/as of the British flora —
Nat Grid ref.
23/54. 5547,5647 Moel Hebog — A. septentrionale (pre-1930), C. fragilis,

D. abbreviata, D. aemula, H. wilsonii, E. sylvaticum,

S. selaginoides.

23/61. 6414 Arthog Falls — D. aemula (pre-1930).
23/62. 6128 Coed Crafnant — P. setiferum.
23/63. 6237 Llandecwyn — D. carthusiana.

6338 Llandecwyn — A. billotii.

6337 Llandecwyn Glen — P. setiferum.

6337 Llyn Tecwyn Isaf — D. carthusiana.
23/71. 7213/14) Cwm Aran — D. abbreviata.

7313/14)
7417 Groes-lwyd — D. abbreviata.
7517 Tyn-y-Clawdd — D. abbreviata.
A DAY IN THE DOLOMITES M H Rickard

On the 25 June 1975 my wife and | had the good fortune to spend a single day botanising
in the Dolomite region of the Alps in Northern Italy. Some of the fern flora here was
Particularly rich and { thought an account of our discoveries might be of interest to readers
of the Bulletin.

Our first stop was in a minor road in the Val Pettorina above Caprile, which passes through
the village of Sottoguda at an altitude of 1252 metres. Within a few hundred yards of the
village the road enters a very narrow deep gorge festooned with many ferns and flowering
plants including, abundantly, the blue flowered Clematis alpina. Here we stopped the car
and were delighted to find within a few feet several fern species, the most notable being
Dryopteris villarii subspecies pallida \ooking remarkably like D, carthusiana which just to
confuse was also abundant in the gorge! Intermingled with the D. villarii on the rock faces
were Gymnocarpium robertianum, Cystopteris fragilis and C. regia, the last looking very
typical and instantly separable from C. fragilis. Walking a few yards further up the road
various flowering plants were distracting us but not for long, for on climbing a little above

the road | found in a sheltered spot a curious little “C. fragilis”, tufted with narrow fronds.
| stopped, looked at it twice and picked a frond, and then much to my delight realised it
was not a cystopteris but a woodsia, in fact Woodsia pulchella, a rare species in Europe
almost confined to the Dolomites. Having satisfied myself as to the identity of the woodsia
| began to look for more and was rather horrified when | discovered | had walked past a
lot, dismissing them all as C. fragilis!

All this time | had been trampling G. robertianum underfoot and was not paying much
attention to it until, happily, a single frond slightly different caught my eye. Monotonous
it may sound, but once again | was delighted because | had found that British alpine
treasure, Cystopteris montana! By this time my day was already made, but before | was
able to search for more plants of C. montana | was distracted by a shout from below just
audible above the noise of the stream. Equally as exciting as my finds, my wife had
discovered a flourishing colony of Cypripedium calceolus in full flower. This must be both
the most beautiful and rarest British wild flower and we duly admired it for some time
before continuing up the gorge, passing roadside cliffs dotted with more of the woodsia
and overgrown screes full of C. montana and more of the cypripedium. In damp sheltered
Places both Selaginella helvetica and S. selaginoides were common and on the cliffs three
spleenworts, Asp/enium ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and A. viride were abundant. For
the record, the other ferns seen in this gorge were Athyrium filix-femina, D. filix-mas,

G. dryopteris, Polypodium vulgare sensu stricto and the horsetail Equisetum arvense.
Other notable flowering plants which | was able to identify were Rhododendron
chamaecistus, Primula auricula and Hepatica nobilis, along with some androsaces and
numerous species of saxifrage not yet in flower.

The number of rare and interesting plants we had seen here was enough to fill a week in
lesser places but here it took until lunchtime and in the afternoon we were ready to move
higher up into the mountains. Along the road to our next stop, the Passo Fedata, the
alpine meadows were a picture as usual. Of note we recorded from the car three species
of primula — P. auricula, P. farinosa and P. longiflora, but we saw no ferns before the Col
was reached. Here at 2057 metres much of the ground was still covered with snow,
nevertheless Equisetum variegatum was conspicuously abundant by the side of a small
lake, and on the north facing slopes above Lycopodium selago was occasionally seen.
More interesting though were the flowering plants of which few were in bloom but | was
thrilled to find Primula minima in full flower as well as So/danella minima. \t was very
cold here and not a little dangerous among the enormous snow-drifts so we soon moved on.

From the Col we drove westwards at first, eventually turning north to climb the Passo :
Sella. During the morning in the gorge at Sottoguda | had hoped to find Asp/enium seelosii
and | was still on the lookout for a suitable locality; here on the cliffs towering above us |
thought | might be lucky. After a few minutes scrambling up the relatively barren screes,
Passing abundant Daphne striata, Botrychium lunaria and an androsace, possibly A. carnea,
the cliffs were reached. These were at about 2100 metres and formed the southern edge

of Piz Ciavazes of the Sella Gruppa and they in turn menene f a barren. However | soon
stumbled across wall-rue and my hopes rose as | I here that this
was a species with which A. see/osii was often intermixed. My Siitientedn was soon justified

because there, a little further on, were a few very stunted plants of A. see/osii most of
them with fronds less than 1 cm long, growing in small “caves” a few centimetres across
in the hard dolomitic rock.

With this discovery my day was finally complete and | returned to the car to drive to our
hotel wondering at the richness of the flora of an area that allowed anyone unguided to
stumble across so many treasures in such a short period of time.

PROFESSOR R E HOLTTUM, President of the BPS, 1958-60
H L Schollick

At the end of July this year the eightieth birthday of Professor Holttum was celebrated by
his friends and colleagues at a reception and dinner at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens,
organised by Kew, the Linnean Society and ourselves. Our Society made its contribution
by publishing on that same day the latest issue of the Fern Gazette which is dedicated to
him

It seems to me (and the idea has also been suggested by others) that many of our members
who have not met him at AGMs and on excursions might like to have some permanent
record of his distinguished career and learn more about his widespread contribution to the
study of ferns and many types of tropical plants. | have to admit that before the Kew
celebrations | was unaware of his great contributions to the taxonomy of tropical plants
om A to Z, from Asplenium to Zingiberaceae which | am told is the ginger plant family.

For much of what follows | am indebted to a collection of appreciations written by his
friends and colleagues and presented to guests at Kew. | have also drawn on a self-portrait
in Flora Malesiana Bulletin, Apri| 1975.

After a distinguished Cambridge career interrupted by war service with the Society of
Friends Ambulance Unit from 1916 to 1919, he went out to Singapore Botanic Garden in
1922 and took charge of the Garden three years later and became Director in 1926. He
gradually realised that the‘general study of fern taxonomy was very unsatisfactory and
that his Cambridge studies had been of little use as an introduction to the study of tropical
plant taxonomy of any kind and of ferns in particular’ and so he turned to what became
his life work in many fields.

In Singapore there was general public interest in gardening but few people had any know-
ledge of native plants. “’! realised that | would be judged by the appearance of the garden
and that horticultural practice needed to be improved. We formed a Garden Society and
held Flower Shows, and this finally led to my writing a book on gardening in Malaya”. In
the meantime he was communicating with Christensen and Copeland, the great fern
taxonomists, and studying the ferns of Malaya, and during the Japanese occupation when
relieved of administrative responsibility, he prepared a systematic account of the ferns of
Malaya with detailed drawings which ultimately appeared as Volume 2 of The Revised

lora of Malaya, the introduction to which can be profitably read by many of our members.

In 1949 he resigned from the post of Director of the Gardens and was appointed Professor
at the new university. His experience with students who were almost totally ignorant of

botany led him to consider how the subject could be introduced in terms of local plants
which they could see, and as a result he wrote Plant Life in Malaya as a simple introduction
to the subject which had never been taught adequately in local schools. In 1954 he returned
to England and settled at Kew where he has devoted most of his time to ferns, and those

of our members who have visited Kew with the Society have enjoyed the benefit of guided
tours by him, and always, as well as his passion for scientific exactitude, we have been -
aware of his feeling for the ferns as a plantsman.

At the Kew celebrations his portrait was presented to him and other gifts came from all
over the world. The reception and dinner were completely informal, speeches were few and
brief, but everything expressed admiration for his achievement and the affection that those
Present had for Mrs Holttum and himself. At the dinner the Professor turned the tables on
the two speakers by turning his deafness to his advantage, for he began his reply by saying
“as you know, | have not heard a word that the speakers have said so | can say what | like”,
and he did and everybody was happy.

AMONG MALAYAN FERNS WITH PROFESSOR HOLTTUM
Jack E Craig

Three years ago | had the most honoured experience of meeting Professor R E Holttum,

the venerable dean of Malayan ferns and monocots. Being a horticulturalist and a bit of a
Plantsman with a keenness for ferns, his book Ferns, published as Vol 2 of the Flora of
Malaya, had |ong been my constant guide in the study of these fascinating plants.

The week preceding Professor Holttum’s arrival from Kew in connection with his work on
fern sections of Flora Malesiana, my wife and | with some members of the Penang
Botanical Garden staff made a collecting trip to Kaki Bukit, a country village in Northern
Malaya near the Thai border. The object of our trip was to photograph and, if possible, to
collect a few specimens of Platycerium wallichii which was reported to occur in that
locality. We found it growing around the village on huge rain trees on which it seems to
have a special fondness for bare horizontal limbs 70 feet or more above the ground. We
hired an Indian climber to bring down some specimens for us, a slow and dangerous task
as the limbs of the rain trees, even at 70 feet, were so large that a man can scarcely reach
half way round them. We found few small plants because commercial collectors had
ravished the area a few months before our visit. Left were a good number of enormous
specimens with nest fronds 40 inches high, clinging with such tenacity that removing them
intact was impossible without-the use of a knife to scrape them loose from their lofty
Perches. From time to time we observed one on more vertical limbs which had been
swamped with growths of other ferns and epiphytes. In every case these plants were sickly
and stunted, probably from too much water. One of the twice annual rainy seasons was
just drawing to a close and the old fronds of even the healthy plants were heavily covered
with brown spots. As any horticulturalist who has had experience in growing the larger
more drought resistant platyceriums knows, such spots are danger signs produced by too
much water. If a water-logged condition continues the plants soon rot away. This fern is
unknown further south where there is more or less continual rainfall with no pronounced
dry season. It seems certain that the limiting factor in its range is the presence or absence

107

A mature specimen of
Platycerium holttumii
growing on a 70 ft, high
limb of an old rain tree,
The nest fronds would
measure at least 40 in. high.

Professor Holttum points out the reduced pinnae of Pseudophegopteris paludosa,a rare but locally
abundant Thelypteroid species, On the right is his past student, Cheang Kok Choy, now Curator
of Penang Botanic Garden. On the left is a group of Mr Cheang’s students, In making herbarium

specimens the Professor’s predecessors often took the end portion of the frond only. As he oe
out, the frond aes of } Treiypnrest ferns are quite similar, The lower portion showing the abse
of th g more important clue to classification.

of such dry seasons although Professor Holttum says he has grown specimens in Singapore
for years in a quite exposed location. Below the rain trees ran a drainage ditch, its grassy
banks kept neatly trimmed like a lawn, and among the clipped grass grew many plants of
Hemionitus arifolia, Collecting this fuzzy fern with arrow-shaped fronds was a satisfying
treat as we had collected the only other member of its genus, H. pa/mata, at Vila Hermosa
in Mexico some years previously.

The country around Kaki Bukit is covered with huge limestone outcroppings which stand
like gigantic ships across the landscape. These limestone mountains are covered with a
tangle of tropical vegetation which continually drops leaves to replenish the humus supply
of the rough limestone pockets and crevices, an important factor considering the very
short time that humus lasts in the lowland tropics due to stepped-up bacterial action. The
soil of Malaya is a thick yellowish clay, ideal for tin-mining but intolerable to the roots

of most plants, expecially during the rainy season. It is only in such pockets and crevices
in the limestone that many rare and choice plants find the conditions of perfect drainage
and adequate fertility for their liking. On the limestone Doryopteris ludens grows in
association with a wealth of orchid, begonia, gesneriad, alocasia and kaempferia species.
From time to time occurred a clump of the delightful miniature fern previously known as
Adiantum flabellatum, now called A. malesianum. The Malayan plants are very fuzzy
compared with South African plants of A. flabel/ulatum which | grow. In the clay soil
between the limestone outcrops in deep shade grew Lygodium polystachyum with very
hairy most un-lygodium like fronds, and in more sunny locations L. circinnatum with
broad waxy pinnules. The largest member of its genus, it often grows 30 feet high into
the trees.

Professor Holttum’s arrival in Penang created much excitement and his presence was in
great demand. As past Director of both the Singapore and Penang Botanic Gardens and as
author of a host of books on Malayan gardening, ferns, orchids, gingers etc, his name is a
legend to all involved with the study of the Malayan flora. On a tour of Penang Batanic
Garden he proclaimed that the two large platycerium specimens from our Kaki Bukit
trip are properly termed P. ho/ttumii. All previous accounts of P. grande and P. wallichii
occurring in northern Malaya were false and such plants are properly attributed to this
recently described new species which bears the Professor’s name.

We met Professor Holttum at Cameron Highlands, a mountain resort at 5000 feet in
elevation with a climate of perpetual spring. The area is a fern lover's paradise with many
rare and interesting species occurring in abundance. The highlight of our visit was a trip

to a cloud forest with the Professor and Mr Cheang Kok Choy, one of his previous students
who is now curator of Penang Botanic Garden. At 77 years of age the Professor is spry and
sure footed. He was not to be left behind by younger members of the group even on steep
mountain trails. He had visited the same mountain peak 34 years previously and remem-
bered its every detail. His knowledge of Malayan flora is encyclopaedic and it rather leaves
one agasp to realise that he was here studying the flora before one was born! He generously
shares his knowledge and experience freely with those interested. He is now working on
the Thelypteroid ferns of which there are nearly 500 species in Malaysia and the Pacific.
His task of classifying this large group is an arduous one. Many of its members are weeds,

inhabiting sunny roadsides and clearings. My wife and | recognised several of the Cameron
Highland species as being identical to common roadside ferns we were familiar with from
our years in Japan. To add to the confusion of classification, it appears that some are
complex hybrids in a state of flux.

As we climbed the mountain, epiphytic rhododendrons, A. javanicum, R. malayanum
and A. jasminiflorum made bright and often fragrant spots of colour in the trees along
with a host of epiphytic orchid and fern species. The Professor spotted a gigantic
specimen of Cibotium barometz sending up 15 feet fronds from a large prostrate
crown thickly matted with russet wool. Clinging to the moss-covered tree trunks and
branches were elaphoglossums, crypsinus, lindsayas, polypodiums, vittarias and many
other ferns in variety. Along the trail numerous species of Thelypteroid ferns were
the Professor’s main interest. Fascinating when viewed in detail beneath a lens, their
value to the horticulturalist is decidedly limited.

Patches of sphagnum moss now appeared in larger and ever increasing numbers and
Professor Holttum explained that we were now in the cloud forest proper. Cloud
forest appears on breezy mountain ridges almost continually swept by clouds which
keep everything wet with their condensation. The moist cool conditions create a
fairyland of exotic flora. The weird fern Lecanopteris carnosa covered the twigs and
branches of the dwarf trees with its ant-inhabited strangely swollen rhizomes.
Dischidia coccinea, another ant-inhabited plant, was also present. Its fuzzy purplish
cup-shaped leaves with red lily-of-the-valley bud shaped flowers encrusted twigs and
branches of the dwarfed vegetation in full sun. The slightest disturbance of either
plant sent droves of ants swarming over one, stinging and biting with all their might.
Nepenthes sanguinea also grew in great profusion, its ample greenish pitchers splotched
purplish or maroon in the shade of the scrub. On vines sent up into full sun the
same plants produced striking snow-white pitchers, rimed and specked rose-pink.
Such bizarre flora offers wonderful examples of adaptation to rain-leached, nitrogen
deficient conditions of such mountain ridges. In full sun grew heavy clumps of
strikingly colourful Blechnum vestitum with new waxy coppery red sterile fronds.
The fertile fronds were tall, scaley and stiffly erect with narrow pinnules. Another
exotic fern, Plagiogyria tuberculata, with its crown and new fronds covered with a
layer of slimy gelatinous substance appeared here and there. The stems of its new
fronds extended whitish aerophore breathing tubes through the jelly-like covering.

Professor Holttum is a staunch conservationist. He frowns upon the wanton destruction
and unscrupulous collection of rare plant species. In Malaysia the danger signs are
already at hand that much of the exotic flora which he has spent his life classifying
may soon become extinct. Best wishes to Professor Holttum on his work on the
Thelypteroid ferns for Flora Malesiana.

110

HOLTTUM FERNS AT KEW J R Woodhams

In this year of Professor R E Holttum’s 80th birthday it is interesting to record some of
the plant material collected by him to enrich the living collections of the Royal Botanic
Gardens at Kew.

Amplifying his wide interests and enthusiasm for the plant kingdom the accessions donated
to Kew are by no means all ferns, although these make up the main bulk, and in checking
through the master ledgers for the tropical department it would appear that the first item
attributed to him was a seed sample of /mpatiens oncidioides collected at Frasers Hill,
Malaya and recorded as received on 15 April 1929. This was followed by an entry for
two roots of Zingiber ottensii after which came varied collections of nepenthes,
rhododendron, senecio and gesneriads. The first record of fern material would appear
to be spores of four ferns received on 10 September 1946, accompanied by a letter
giving ecological notes and stating temperature requirements, etc. One specimen,
Oleandra neriiformis, was obviously of more than passing interest to him at that time
and | quote — “The young plants of oleandra | have never seen. They might be
interesting and show ancestral characters -——. They do not like Singapore or | would
try to grow some there’. Closely following this consignment were spores of six more
fern species received on 18 November 1946, comprising plants in the genera cyclopeltis,
cyclosorus, drynaria, osmunda, pleocnemia and stenochlaena.

During the years 1951-1953 further pteridophytes arrived, some as spore samples but
the majority as young plants. Many interesting species were included though it must

be said that some, through their intolerance of cultivation, were destined for a some-
what premature end, Schizaea digitata and Gleichenia linearis, both received in 1951,
being two such plants. The following year five separate consignments arrived at Kew,
originating from the Professor’s field collecting around Frasers Hill and the Taiping
Hills area; the last sending had some 109 different taxa included. Among those sent
in 1953 were Christensenia aesculifolia, Lemmaphyllum accedens and Schleroglossum
debile. \n 1954 a further collection of fern plants came from the neighbourhood of Tahan
River in Pahang, Malaya, from Kedah Peak and from the Cameron Highlands.

With the exception of a few young sporophytes received from the University of Malaya in
956 we had to wait for further material until the Professor’s return to the tropics at
the end of 1957 through to the spring of 1958. Plants arrived from Boger in Indonesia,

Padang Highlands in Sumatra, Cameron Highlands in Malaya and Kuching in Sarawak.
One of these sendings contained 100 specimens and another more than 70, and plants
other than ferns sent included nepenthes, orchids, gingers, globba and alocasia species.
The spring of 1960 saw the Professor back in Malaya, and Kew was to — once
more from a shipment consisting of eight genera, including Asplenium

Cyathea trichoderma, Loxogramma subcordata, Lygodium salicifolium and Skies
Pinnatum. An interesting gesneriad, didymocarpus, also arrived plus a plant of
camptandra (Zingiberaceae). One specimen was credited to him in 1962, Pyrrosia
petiolosa, initially entered as drymoglossum. This may well have originated from
material sent to the herbarium and grown for identification.

111

The tropics were again visited during 1963. This time New Guinea came in for scrutiny
and from this country so rich in the Filicales we received four consignments of young
plants. Collections were made from several areas ranging from sea-level to an altitude of
8000 feet. On 15 August the first parcel arrived with approximately 16 genera, varying
from tree ferns to the more lowly microgramma. The second followed on 22 August with
collections made at Edie Creek near Wau in the Morobe district. A plant of Dipteris
novoguineensis arrived with this parcel but it did not like our efforts in cultivation. Eight
other genera were represented as well as a plant of Viola betonicifolia subsp. novoguineensis.
A rich and varied package of epiphytic and terrestrial specimens came on 13 September
containing plants of angiopteris and dicksonia through to pteris and tectaria, together with
zingibers, cordylines and orchids. The last sending from New Guinea was a seed sample of
an impatiens from the Western Highlands district. As this trip continued material of
Syngramma pinnata came in from Queensland, Australia and in November 1963 a sending
was received from China containing Brainea insignis, Cyathea podophylla and other genera
including woodwardia, lindsaea, osmunda, onychium, etc.

Our records next show a couple of entries for 1965 and one for 1966 comprising equal
numbers of ferns and orchids. On then to 1969 when a return visit was made to New Guinea
and Malaya. We received two shipments from the former, the plants collected in the vicinity
of Lae township and from the Mount Kaindi area near Wau, and also two batches from
Malaya. Frasers Hill and Genting Highlands were re-visited for the first batch and the
second came from Cameron Highlands, Taiping Hills and Penang Hill. Nearly 50 plants
came from New Guinea and 70 from Malaya. The parcels from both countries contained
epiphytic and terrestrial species including gleichenia, lindsaea, dipteris, lecanopteris and
grammitis, again difficult species to cultivate but a happier state of affairs exists with other
genera such as cyclosorus, davallia, tectaria and thelypteris.

A couple of rhizomeous species, Phymatodes scolopendria and Rumohra adiantiformis

were propagated from material sent in for identification via Professor Holttum in 1972,
while later in that year 10 spore samples comprising members of the Thelypteridaceae were
brought back from his visit to India. The last recorded material to date is that of Phymatodes
sinuosa and Pyrrosia adnascens retrieved from a sending of dry orchid material to the
herbarium at Kew from Malaya.

Through Professor Holttum’s work with the pteridophytes at Kew, a number of his
colleagues and friends both here and overseas have sent in living material for cultivation
in the fern section. Once established and the fertile stage reached, herbarium specimens
are made and the names checked and verified. Much material has come in since his work
on the revision of the Thelypteridaceae, with plants received from Michael Price —
Philippines, Clive Jermy — collections from West Indies, New Guinea, Celebes, Java etc,
Tony Braithwaite — collections from New Hebrides, F Badre — collections from La
Reunion and Mauritius, plus a number of others.

Many of the Professor’s introductions have grown on and flourished at Kew and a few are
discussed below. Of some we have not managed to keep for longer than a few months or
so, this time may well have proved long enough for herbarium specimens to be taken and
verification of genera and species made.

112

Those who have visited Kew’s tropical fern display glasshouse in recent years will have
seen the large specimen of angiopteris at its centre, This originated from a sporeling
included in the last sending from New Guinea in 1963. Also on display from this same
consignment is a plant of Goniophlebium subauriculatum. From other despatches in that
same year we have Diplazium proliferum with its many small plantlets produced along
the upper midrib of the fronds, Microsorium fortunei, Diplazium donianum, Lomogramma
sinuata plus Bolbitis rivularis and B. naumanii among others still growing well. From the
Malayan consignments we have plants of Asp/enium paradoxum, Cyclosorus megaphyllus,
Davallia divaricata, Lomariopsis cochinchinensis and Microsorium pteropus, to enumerate
but a few. Of the Sarawak shipment received in 1958 we have Asp/enium batuense,

A. nidus, Aglaomorpha splendens and another beautiful angiopteris which is receiving

the Professor’s attention at present. As mentioned earlier, the first record of ferns sent
was in September 1946 and one plant, Oleandra neriiformis, we still have in cultivation
growing quite happily on the peat block walling of the chapel section in House No 2.

Through the period from 1925 to 1940 when the war years brought disruption, various
consignments of plants were sent to Kew from the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, and are
credited thus in the records. This period covers the greater part of the Professor's
Directorship of the Singapore Gardens and | gather from him that whenever members of
his staff took a spell of home leave a Wardian Case, no doubt bulging with plants of all
descriptions, accompanied them on the voyage to this country. | also learned that a
number of small plants of Dipteris conjugata were specially potted and prepared for Kew,
and that as a result of these efforts a good specimen of this rather curious fern was
established in the tropical fern house at Kew. Sadly, it became one of the many species
lost to cultivation during the war years.

| have learned much from Professor Holttum’s weekly and at times more frequent visits
to the fern section. For those of us who strive to maintain the collection he renews our
enthusiasm and constantly reminds us of the importance he places on being able to
examine and scrutinize the living plant.

FERNS, THE FERN GAZETTE, AND THE FUTURE OF gaat and
c age

For the past 16 years the Fern Gazette (then the British Fern Gazette) has been ably

edited by A C Jermy. Under his guidance what was formerly a magazine of around 30 pages
devoted largely to British ferns and the culture of their varieties, has grown into a journal

of world-wide ferns and fern allies, of high and much respected international standing. No
such achievement could have been made without much hard work and sacrifice on his part
and it is ample reflection on his unfailing enthusiasm to note that in this time the size and
Circulation of the Gazette have increased steadily year by year so that it is now °

Page journal reaching 500. fern enthusiasts throughout the world. In doing so Clive Jermy
has also helped stimulate and encourage many of a new generation of pteridologists, amongst
whom the author is honoured to be able to number himself.

The changes in pteridology — notably the introduction of cytology into taxonomy and
the increasingly strong general scientific interest in the group — has been reflected in the

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content of the Gazette. Thus whilst establishing an international reputation, many of the
growers have rightly raised criticism in finding the content less easily digestible than
formerly. The advent of the Bulletin has, to a large extent, filled an important gap here.
But the interest of the scientist and the non-scientist are not, however, as divorced from
one another as they may at first seem, for pteridology has reached a stage where amateur
and professional can both contribute valuable knowledge.

Clearly, there are certain research areas which, because of the specialised facilities needed,
are best left, or can only be left, to the professional to pursue. Such fields as cytology,
laboratory culture, and the finer points of nomenclature probably belong here. But one

of the greatest dearths of information in the literature is the recording of observations
made in the field. These are observations on the habitats in which ferns grow, the situations
and communities in which plants occur, and how the habitats differ, if at all, from those o
other species locally. This lack of fundamental information on ecology of ferns is probably
one of the biggest blanks in our knowledge of pteridophytes not just in Britain, but of the
world as a whole.

| am aware that such observations on the ecologically extremely complex wet tropics will
undoubtedly be equally complex to make. But field observation is an area where the non-
professional pteridologist, closely knowing his plants or even some of them, can make
valuable observations. For often he has more time to spend in the field than the professional,
more time to just simply stop, look, observe and record what he sees. Many important

and valuable observations have been made this way and many more should thus be not
beyond the reach of the non-professional to make.

It is significant to point out that good observational work on ferns in the field has long
been made by pteridologists, amongst whom Copeland and Holttum, on Philippine and
Malayan ferns respectively, as well as Christ earlier, stand in pre-eminence. Field
observations anywhere, and especially in the tropics, need the backing of good taxonomy —
@ position which Copeland and Holttum were able to give it. But the situation in most
temperate floras, especially in Europe, is now at the stage where much of the taxonomy
already exists. Adequate field data do not. The acquisition and recording of field informa-
tion is likely to be one of the most important directions in which pteridology must go in
the next ten to twenty years and this work, if done with accuracy, is as much open to the
amateur as to the professional pteridologist to pursue.

As well as filling more gaps in academic knowledge, there are good practical reasons for
urging a greater stress on ecological aspects of pteridology. Today there is in many parts
of the world a real awakening of interest in the natural environment — together with a
generally increasing ss world-wide of the importance of conservation of natural
resources of all kinds. Yet forests are still being removed wholesale in many of the better-
and especially wet tropical parts of the world, often long before any inventory of
their species has been established, let alone any adequate knowledge of the biology of
many of their animals or plants. Recently, it has been rightly said that one man with a
bulldozer can now in one day undo the results of many millions of years of evolution and
the World Wild Life Fund has appropriately chosen 1975/76 as the Year of the Tropical

114

Rainforest to draw the attention of the public at large to the world’s decreasing natural
forests

Ferns, because of their diversity and predominance in the wet tropics and their general
preference world-wide for woodland and forest habitats, are perhaps, almost more than
any other group of plants, in an extremely vulnerable position for survival, and strong
efforts are almost certainly to be needed in the near future if fern vegetation is to be
conserved wisely. The Fern Gazette provides a medium for the recording and reporting
of such field observations and has a significant role to play too, in pointing to such
areas where information is most needed. In taking over as Editor-in-chief of the Gazette,
| would like to encourage members to make good use of this facility.

Maintaining the high standards of accuracy and international repute to which the Fern
Gazette has been raised by Clive Jermy, professional pteridological papers on morpho-
logical, cytological, taxonomic and phylogenetic aspects of pteridophytes will, of course,
continue to be as welcome for publication as they always have been, But notes or
articles on floristic, ecological and biogeographical aspects of ferns and fern allies, and
their field biology, worldwide, are especially desirable. For adequate communication
and knowledge in this area is likely to be one of the most valuable tools we are likely
to have to ensure the survival of the very group of plants which we all, in one way or
another, must consider ourselves fortunate to be able to study. Only with adequate
recorded field knowledge will pteridology have a sufficiently accurate and well-
informed voice to attempt to ensure that another generation of pteridologists can
still say the same.

THE WAY THAT I WENT —
With Acknowledgement to Robert Lloyd Praeger H L Schollick
The Presidential Address given at the Annual General Meeting on 4 October 1975.

The non-botanists among you may wonder who this man was. Born in 1865 he died in
1953 and he published a book with this title in 1937, and it has been a favourite of mine
since its publication. In the appreciation of him by Farrington published in 1954 it is
described as a book of great beauty which will live on its own merits. It tells more of
Praeger than all his mass of scientific writings. If you look at Simpson's Bibli hy of
the British flora you will see that on practically every subject of Irish botany he made
some considerable contributions. He was a descriptive botanist and an amateur, but it was
to him that Ireland owes its Topographical botany which he organised and carried through
in five years. To me he is typical of so many of the people our fern cult is indebted to. A
survivor from those early botanists who made The Phytologist in the 1840s and 50s such
a treasure house, he himself admitted ‘I have constantly felt the want of laboratory
training in the natural sciences’, and then goes on to admit his debt to the Belfast Field
Club listing its members, their occupations and hobbies: Stewart, a trunkmaker, a
geologist and a botanist; a linen manufacturer who was a geologist, a commercial traveller
a palaeontologist, a doctor a microscopist, a photographer a natural historian, and of
course the inevitable canon. How many parson pteridologists have contributed to the
story of ferns ?

115

Praeger apparently was stimulated to an interest in ferns as a result of holidays in the
Lakes and in 1885 was awarded a prize by the Belfast Field Club for the best collection
of Ferns, Equisetums and Lycopods. In 1885/6 he collaborated with W H Phillips on a
list of the Ferns of Ulster which was published in the Transactions of the Field Club. He
and Phillips said in their introduction that they were the only people seriously interested
and would welcome enquiries. This account reflects the sort of thing which goes on in
our own Society. Phillips later published a list of his finds, many of them very fine things.
Phillips was born in 1830 and died in 1923 so he and Praeger cover the whole history of
the fern craze. They must have known many of the founding fathers. E J Lowe records a
Carriage excursion with Praeger and Jones (of A.ff.’Clarissima’ fame) into South Devon
and they must have passed through Bristol so they must surely have called on Fox of
Brislington, Gill of Lynton and probably Elworthy at Nettlecombe, and many of the
others who were resident in the south-west. The connection with Lowe suggests that
Praeger at this date had the sort of correspondence with other enthusiasts which Phillips
mentions in his Fifty Years of my Hobby. Did Phillips introduce him to the new
Pteridological Society in which their names follow the first Kendal group in the list of
members? At that time our Society produced occasional papers which were read at the
annual meeting and later published; Phillips produced in 1894 ‘Some results of fern
hunting in Ireland’ and this was followed with notes by Praeger on some Irish finds.
Praeger’s last contribution to our Gazette was in July 1949 ‘Ferns in Ireland’ — a brief
article on their distribution and his final publication was a short note in 1951 on ‘Two
puzzling horsetails’.

In Gazette Volume 1, no. 2, Stansfield gave some brief biographical details of the great
enthusiasts of the nineteenth century. In July 1949 in the issue containing Praeger’s final
note, Robert Whiteside wrote of the founding of our Society in 1891 with some account
of the individuals concerned. | have always been interested in the personalities of a
Particular discipline, whether it is history or theology, and now of pteridology and botany,
and | wish that from time to time we would publish accounts of the nurserymen and
amateurs of our times.

As you know, | have made a collection of fern books. These were for horticultural
information and identification at first, and then | realised that classification also had a
history and so | set out to collect the authorities. They did not cost quite so much ten
years ago as they do now, and so | have Schuhr, Ray, Pres!, Mettenius, Milde, Fee (the
fifth volume only but it does cover what were known as the polypods), Moore folio and
octavo nature printed, all the Hooker books and John Smith. The next stage was the
realisation that the distribution of ferns was interesting and so | looked abroad and have
Eaton’s Ferns of North America, Beddome’s works on Indian ferns, two of the earliest
books on New Zealand ferns, Collins and Field, and of course Holttum’s Ferns of Malaya,
and no matter whether one is a scientist or a horticulturalist, | commend the introduction
to that work as something that everyone ought to have read — a monument of lucidity and
learning.

All this grew out of a bargain parcel of twelve hardy ferns for 25 shillings from Taylors of
Bracknell, or in other words Mr and Mrs Healey. (1 saw a male fern the other day at a

116

garden centre offered for £1). A year or two ago Jack Healey visited me with the Society
and on leaving told me that he had seen ferns in my collection which he thought had gone
out of cultivation. | can think of no greater praise. A nineteenth century historian wrote
‘The British acquired an empire in a fit of absence of mind’ — | got a fern garden by
accident! The bargains flourished and | bought more from Bracknell and then | discovered
Reg Kaye while visiting him to buy dwarf conifers.

Fortunately | have one or two early fern catalogues from the nineteenth century, great
prizes although not of great monetary value, in which | have marked all the ferns | have
had. Some very choice things which | am hardly likely to see again except by the kindness
of friends, have been lost, and this brings me to emphasise one of the oldest traditions of
the Society and its predecessors. If you have a treasure which can be divided, share it with
someone else; if you think you cannot grow it successfully lend it to somebody who might
do so. Even as early as 1895 Lowe was mourning the great collections that had disappeared.
Only too often when they are offered to national institutions they gradually disappear
because a generation ariseth that knows not Joseph . Carbonell’s collection went to Kew,
but compare the Kew fern list of 1895 and 1906 and see how much has been lost, Fox’s to
the Bristol Botanic Garden which now has one osmunda and a few male ferns in the penguin
cage. We all grow old and find our gardens too big. Cranfield’s account of the rescue
operation of Moly’s ferns from Langmore shows what can happen (Gazette Vol 1 no 11). |
have benefitted from older members of our Society such as Bernard Hayhurst, Jack Healey
and Miss Tetley by the gift of choice things from their collections; but where do | put them?

The main axis of the garden is east/west and the garden area is 100 yards by 70 yards.
Behind the house on the north and slightly west is a barn 75 feet long lying north to south
with a large copper beech at the south end. There was, when | started, a large walnut tree
on the west side about half-way along. Beneath the beech there was an L-shaped yew hedge
12 feet high, and underneath the walnut a great pile of rotten Cotswold slates thrown down
by the builders who had re-tiled the roof. Along the west side of the barn were three large
dung pits which probably contained about 15 tons of old compost. Underneath the walnut
tree my predecessor, and we ourselves at the beginning, kept poultry; there was also a great
pile of weathered boiler ash. This was flung over the slates without any attempt at levelling
and on top was thrown the old compost. The soil is alluvial with a ph value varying from
7.0 to 7.4, and there was a supply of water from a spring giving 120 to 150 gallons an hour,
so | installed a secondhand Stewart Turner pump and a 250-gallon tank but | was endlessly
moving sprinklers and hosepipes whereas the water was always available. Eventually | put
in a 500-gallon tank to add to the reserve supply and a polythene 2 inch pipe was taken
round the perimeter of the garden with nine standpipes. It might be said that this watering
system has cost a lot of money — in fact rather less than a double package trip to Majorca.

During this summer | have been pumping up to 1000 gallons a day but it has the disadvan-
tage that the light soil is washed down, leaving the crowns 6 to 8 inches out of the ground
after a few years. To get spring colour | planted primulas and smal! bulbs but | now think
this is a mistake because | am unable to put on the compost dressing which should be
applied annually, and am now faced with the task of digging the ferns up for the third
time. The watering system made it possible to develop a long bed on the south side of the
garden where the ferns grew well under the mist sprinklers but so did the convolvulus, the

117

nettles and the buttercups and this is having to be replanted this year.

Amongst the ferns under the walnut tree | introduced Adiantum venustum and this has
grown like a weed, even smothering small polystichums by ruining their crowns. In
another part of the garden a single plant of this fern in 15 years has covered 16 square feet.
Behind the yew hedge | planted a narrow border of scolopendriums which had formerly
been with the other ferns and fragments of the venustum transplanted with them have
again grown rampantly. | now think it is advisable to keep the varieties of a species
together and not to mix them with other species. | had intended to make a collection of
all the British species, not the varieties, as | know of no such collection where they can
be seen together in a small area, so | brought in some tons of loam, but the need to save
the polystichums from the strangler fern pre-empted the old dung pits into which the
loam was put. Now, three years later, | have had to dig them out as they were smothering
one another and many of them were degenerating into a mass of small crowns, so they
have been divided and planted on the alluvium of the river meadow where the water-
table is about 2 feet below the surface, and it is my hope that one day | will be able to
put a fern girdle round our fine Norman church.

At the other end of the garden at right-angles to the holly hedge border | built a low wall
for polypodies. These came mainly from Reg Kaye, Noel Brookfield and Bernard Hayhurst
and at one time | had about 20 varieties but many are now lost. This past summer looked
particularly disastrous but with the onset of damp autumn days they have come away and
the fronds have never been bigger or greener.

| have tried propagation by all methods except apospory, but | am not methodical enough
to go about it in the manner of the nineteenth century enthusiasts and not ruthless enough
to destroy unwanted plants at an early stage: on the other hand, neglect sometimes does
the butcher’s work for me.

There is much more | could say but | will end with my thanks to the nurserymen (so
appropriately named) who introduced me to the hobby, to the botanists among you who
have tolerated my ignorance and instructed me and trusted me to see rarities | would
never have seen otherwise, and to this Society whose traditions of friendship and
generosity have given a new interest these past 20 years.

I think you will now have some idea why Lloyd Praeger has such an appeal for me and |!
quote the verse from which he borrowed his title —

| have lain in the sun

| have toiled as | might

| have thought as | would
And now it is night.

My bed full of sleep

My heart of content

For friends that | met
The Way that | went.

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SPORE AND PLANT EXCHANGE
ORGANISER — R F Cartwright, 13 Perry Mill Road, Peopleton, near Pershore, Worcs.

Dick Cartwright has got the Spore Exchange working again and we enclose with this
Bulletin a list of the spores held by him. We thank the members who have contributed to
the collection and hope that others will help, not only abroad but in this country. Growers
in Britain welcome spores from other countries but are apt to overlook that overseas
growers are just as keen to get British fern spores as we are to get theirs.

In the last two issues we listed bodies and individuals interested in the exchange of spores
and plants. Space forbids the repetition of the list in this issue although we hope to publish
it at intervals. Additions to the list are —

David Wagner, Dept of Botany, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99163,
USA, would like to receive pressed specimens of polystichums from anywhere in the world
in exchange for plants of the Pacific North-west. He also has limited material from the
Himalayas to offer in exchange.

Stuart L Williams, 226 Upton Road South, Bexley, Kent DA5 10QT would like a division
of the sterile cultivar Adiantum raddianum ‘Goldelse’ (NOT ‘Brilliant Else’).

Members with plants to dispose of can send lists to the Secretary for circulation with the
next publication being sent out — similarly, “Wants” can also be circulated.

THE SOCIETY IN AUSTRALIA

We are pleased to record that our membership in Australia is growing and there seems to
be an upsurge of fern interest “down under”. Some members correspond with me and |
have made a point of putting them all in touch and have mooted the suggestion that they
form an Australian branch or chapter of the Society. | have gone so far as to say that if
the interest continues to increase at the present rate our friends could even consider
forming an Australian Fern Society. Indeed, things seem to be already going that way for
in his latest letter Chris Goudey of Werribee in Victoria tells me that a Fern Study Group
has been started in New South Wales with a membership of 59 scattered throughout
Australia — too scattered to hold meetings but they will have newsletters, a spore exchange
and specimen identification to help beginners. We wish every success to the new venture
and gladly offer any help we can give them.

While Ray Best, another Australian member, thinks the idea of an Australian Fern

Society a good one, he is more in favour of forming a branch of our Society and thinks
their approach should be what can they do for us rather than how they can benefit from
us. While | appreciate his sentiments | do not agree that the giving should be all one way —
we must also give as well as receive. He congratulates us on the way the Society is run

and finds the Bulletin very interesting, particularly our meetings reports. He is in active
Correspondence with several other Australian and New Zealand members with whom he
exchanges spores and fern information — he has also sent spores for our Exchange.

An article from Ray follows giving his methods of growing from spores in Australia.

119

GROWING FERNS FROM SPORES R Best, Australia

Growing ferns from spores is not a difficult procedure but requires a little care, patience
and close observance. Materials are not expensive and space requirements are small. To
start with you will need two plastic 6 inch diameter squat pots (ordinary plant pots), but
two plastic ice-cream cartons with drilled drainage holes are quite satisfactory, one
shallow 1% to 2 inch deep plastic tray large enough to take two or three 6 inch pots, two
sheets of clear durable plastic, a few solid rubber bands (old car inner tube cut in slices is
ideal for a 6 inch pot), one grease pencil (royal sovereign chinagraph) to mark pots with
date and variety, a quantity of sieved crushed sandstone which | find superior to well-
washed coarse sand, and a small amount of German peat moss (Detorf) which has proved
superior to all other kinds and is imported into Australia and used by all our nurserymen.

Prepare a mixture of two parts crushed and sieved sandstone to one part sieved peat moss
and mix well. Heat it in an oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes (an old metal
baking dish in the oven will do) and allow to cool thoroughly. Place small pieces of sand-
stone left over from sieving in the base of the pots and fill with the mixture to within 1 to
1% inches of their tops and soak the filled pots by placing them in a plastic dish with
water up to the level of the mixture. Spores can be grown often with ordinary tap water
but this depends of course on the purity of the water. Tap water in Australia gives rise to
algae growth which in turn assists fungus growth and this blocks the prothallus development.
Water can be boiled but | use rain-water from a tank for best results. While soaking the
mixture in the water stir if necessary to make sure the whole is saturated. Remove from
the water, allow to drain and level the surface of the soil carefully.

Now we select the spores we intend to grow, making sure that we have either neat spores
or a reasonable percentage of spores against sporangium casing and annulus cell remains.
Each sporangium or spore holder has an annulus which contracts like a spring when the
sporangium is ripe, tears it and throws the spores out. Often, the amateur collects only

the rubbish from which nothing can be grown. Some if not most botany books tell us to
collect the spores when the sori are brown; this is generally incorrect and they should be
collected when the sporangia are about to open or are opening. The careful spore collector
checks before removing the frond that the sporangia are full or releasing spores. Each spore
is about one fivehundredth of an inch across which makes them rather difficult to see
without a good hand-glass or a microscope. However, many spores are attractively coloured
which makes them easily discernable when massed. Those of the tree ferns Cyathea australis,
C. cooperii and Dicksonia antarctica are \ike gold dust while Todea barbara has deep green
and Cyc/losorus truncata black ones.

Having obtained our spores we now shake them as evenly as possible over the surface
of our damp mixture, place the sheet of plastic over the pot and fix it with the rubber
band, then stand the pot in the shallow tray with the water level about 1 inch below
the top of the mix. The tray and pots must be placed away from direct sunlight on
a glassed verandah, glasshouse or fern house, protected from wind and rain, but not
in a completely darkened place — some filtered sunlight is necessary. Watch the water
level and top up after evaporation.

In approximately four months, according to the variety, prothalli should develop. Here
fertilization takes place and the first fronds appear. When these have developed a little
the young plants can be removed carefully. | wear my reading glasses and use tweezers,
for up to 200 ferns in a 6 inch pot makes this a dainty procedure. The sporelings are
spaced out in trays which are watered by immersion, in a similar mixture of sand and peat
only, and covered with a sheet of plate glass leaving an air gap, When a number of fronds
have developed the ferns will be much stronger and can be potted on. One cannot hurry
the growth of ferns and often with tree fern varieties twelve months pass before we can
remove them from the original pot. The use of fertilizers in these early stages is fatal to
development and the food available in the soi! mixtures is quite sufficient.

FERN EXHIBIT AT THE SOLIHULL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
SHOW — 19/20 April 1975

Our very active Committee member, A R (Matt) Busby put up an excellent exhibit of
ferns at the above Show, held at the Sydenham Notcutt Garden Centre, Stratford Road,
Monkspath, Solihull, Warwickshire. All the ferns, hardy ones, were shown in pots, and he
also included a spore germination display which aroused much interest. Packets of spores
were given away with a typewritten sheet briefly outlining the fern life-cycle and containing
instructions on how to grow ferns from spores. On display he had recently published fern
books and the Society’s publications. Many people were attracted to the exhibit and
several new members have resulted. Congratulations, Matt, on a very good job well done.
He is putting on a similar display next year — see our Meetings Programme — and we hope
that members in the area will make a point of paying a visit to his stand and encourage
Matt on his good work for the Society.

SOUTHPORT FLOWER SHOW 1975 JW Dyce

There was better support for the fern competitive classes at the Show this year and 9
different names appeared on the show cards, which is a big improvement on recent years.
We hope this upsurge of interest will continue and that even more competitors will enter
next year to make this Show, the only one in the country with a comprehensive schedule
for ferns, more and more attractive not only for exhibitors but for visitors interested in
ferns — this is the only place where they can get an opportunity to see what good fern
varieties really look like.

As usual Noel Brookfield carried off our Society’s Silver Trophy with his fern display in
Class 6 which is for a group of hardy British ferns arranged in a natural manner in an
area not exceeding 100 square feet. Two other competitors in the class, Rodney
Brookfield and W H Howarth won second and third prizes respectively. Unfortunately,
the very hot weather this summer has not been kind to ferns, particularily lady ferns,
and sun scorch was evident in all the groups which otherwise were very good. a
first prizewinner’s Polypodium vulgare ‘Cambricum’ and its other varieties were particu-
larly fine. Both the Brookfields used many fine lady ferns in their groups, all of them
excellent apart from the unfortunate scorching. Mr Howarth showed smaller plants with
again many lady ferns and a very mixed collection of other species.

121

The other prizewinners are listed below in order of winning —

Class 7 Six hardy British ferns (dissimilar)

R Trippitt, N Brookfield, R Frost.
Class 8 Six greenhouse ferns (dissimilar)

N Brookfield, W H Howarth.
Class 9 Three foreign ferns, hardy in Great Britain

N Brookfield, R Coughlin, J W Dyce.
Class 10 Three scolopendriums

yce, R pace ae R Coughlin.

Ciass 11 Three polypodiu

N oe eae R F Brookfield, R Trippitt.
Class 12 Three polystichums

R Coughlin, R Trippitt.
Class 13 Three athyriums

N Brookfield, R Coughlin, R Trippitt.
Class 14 Three dryopteris

R Trippitt, R Coughlin, N Brookfield.
Class 15 Three plants gymnocarpium, phegopteris and/or thelypteris

R Trippitt, N Brookfield, R Coughlin
Class 16 Three aspleniums, excluding Asplenium scolopendrium

JW Dyce, R Coughlin, R Trippitt.
Class 17 One British fern

N Brookfield, R Coughlin, J W Dyce.
Class 18 One greenhouse fern

N Brookfield, L Bayley, R Coughlin.

The Brookfields had some excellent large pans of Adiantum venustum, Davallia
canariensis and polypodies, some good scolopendriums and a fine stagshorn fern; they
also had some very good plants of Athyrium filix-femina ‘Clarissima’. Ray Coughlin had
some well-grown exhibits, including Blechnum tabulare, Scolopendrium ‘Crispum’,
Polystichum aculeatum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’ and P.a. ‘Pulcherrimum Gracillimum’. Bob
Trippitt did not have so many outstanding plants this year but his P.a. ‘Pulcherrimum
Drueryii’ was very good as was Scolopendrium ‘Crispum Nobile Bolton’ and ‘Laceratum
Kaye’. This year | ventured to join the ranks of the exhibitors and was very successful
with my aspleniums, A. fontanum, A. ruta-muraria and A. septentrionale, Reginald Kaye
was the judge for the fern classes.

The Society’s Stand was well organised by Matt Busby who had a fine exhibit showing the
of ferns from the spore onwards. It proved a great attraction and brought many
otherwise uninterested spectators to the Stand. Ferns in pots and a large collection of
varied fronds decorated our tables and it was noticeable how two large ‘Crispum’ varieties
of Scolopendrium brought passers-by to admire and ask questions. We had several willing
part-time helpers to assist Matt and myself — Henry Schollick, Norman Robinson, Dick
Cartwright, Bob Trippitt and others. Many members called on us and we were particularly
pleased to welcome our new President, Dr Stanley Walker, who made the journey from

Liverpool for the express purpose of visiting us. We gathered in 3 new members and hope
to have more in due course from among our many callers.

REVIEWS
DR WARD’S CASE by D E Allen in the British Medical Journal, 10 May 1975, pp 324-326.

For those who would like to know more about Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791-1868) and
his Wardian Case, here is the biggest and best statement, together with portrait, that | know.
It amplifies David Allen’s equally erudite but brief information in his book The Victorian
fern craze (London: Hutchinson, 1969).

J A Crabbe
FERNS by Roger Grounds, Pelham Books, London. 1974 (March 1975), 264 pages, with
22 plates in colour, 61 black-and-white line-drawings and nature-prints. £5.50.

The author, an enthusiastic gardener, plantsman and author, tells us of ferns, their life-
cycle, geographical distribution, identification, cultivation, with descriptions of particular
habitats and kinds — maritime, mountain, succulent, wet places, water, filmy, woodland,
tree-ferns, epiphytes, climbing and hybrids. There is a glossary, a bibliography, a list of fern
societies, and an index of common and Latin names. In spite of its dust-jacket wild claim to
be “‘the first definite book to appear on this subject since the height of the Victorian fern
craze”, it is an excellent complement to our English-language fern books of recent years
(eg: Foster, Kaye, Macself, Swindells) which form a nucleus of guidance.

Owing to unfortunate printer’s errors, the following corrections are necessary to the
coloured plates — facing p. 49 (top) = Asp/enium trichomanes; p. 144 = Dryopteris
raph Seagate Furcata’; p. 169 = Athyrium filix-femina ‘Plumosum’; p. 216 (lower) =
m interjectum, \ooks more like P. australe; p.240=Polystichum setiferum
fs rita p. 241 = Polystichum aculeatum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’ or ‘Pulcherrimum

rue
be J A Crabbe

THE WILD FLOWERS OF GUERNSEY by David McClintock, 150 x 230 mm, 288 pages.
1975. Collins, London. Price £4.75.

David McClintock has been associated with Guernsey for some 30 years. This book is the
result of 185 days on the Island plus a lot of hard work in corresponding and compiling
back in England. His aim is to interest and stimulate a wide variety of people and this he
should achieve. This book is not a conventional County Flora, in my opinion it’s much
more interesting. Almost every one of the 1340 specific entries contains an anecdote of

the folklore, history or biology of the plant in question. There are 44 entries for ferns
covering 10 pages and many species eg: Asp/enium X sarniense, A. X microdon, Anogramma
leptophylla, Isoetes histrix and Ophioglossum lusitanicum get a full write-up. A brief history
of botany and collecting on the Island is given, and the meeting in 1971 of our own Society
is recorded and acknowledgement is made of several members’ observations.

You do not have to go to Guernsey (although the reviewer recommends it strongly) as a
stimulus to buy this book: all you need is an interest in plants and a desire to learn more
about them

AC Jermy

123

MEMBERSHIP LIST — Additions and amendments

New members
BANNISTER W David, Lime Grove, Royston, Herts
BEST Ray 15 Orana Road, Kenthurst 2154, New South Wales, Australia

ST mond,

BIOSYSTEMATICS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Library Plant Research,
Res Br Agric Canada No 49, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0C6

BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA, Government of India Department of Science and
Technology, 14 Madan Street, Calcutta — 13, India

BROSNAN Miss ¢ Cynthia, 84 Boundary Road, Indooroopilly, Queensland 4068, Australia.

BROWN Mrs B A, Hartley Farm, Rocky Lane, _— _— HP22 6PR

BUCKERIDGE Tom, “ide Farm, isfield, Uckfield,

CAUS Robert, Bismarckstrasse 75, 593 H peachy baie West Germany

CLAY Glynne, Lower House Farm, Nantyderry, Abergavenny, Gwent NP7 9DP

CLOUGH Peter, Rowesfield, Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall TR24 0QQ

CORBETT-GRANT Leonard H, 2145 First Avenue, Napa, California 94558, USA

CORNESS Miss Catherine, 110 Ranstone Gardens, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

COTTON RG, Farnham Road, Handsworth, Birmingham B21 8EQ

COULTON Mrs M E, 446 Duffield Road, Allestree, Derbyshire

CRADDOCK John M, 1 Mervyn Road, West Ealing, London W13 9UW

as Dr J E, BDS (Univ Syd), 75 New South Head Road, Vaucluse 2030, Sydney,

New South Wales, Australia

CRONK QC B, Church Farm House, Horsmonden, Kent

CULLINANE John, Botany Department, University College, Cork, Ireland

DENTON Paul A, 9410 Forest Springs, No 103-11, ged as 75231, USA

EGYETEMI KONYVTAR, POB 483, 1372 Budapest, H

ELLIS David E, 41 Tweedholm Avenue, Walkerburn, Peeblesshire EH43 GAP

EVANS Paul, 1 Park House, Powis Castle Park, Welshpool, Pow

FERNY GU LLY NURSERY, C and J Haden, North Street, North Tamborine,
Queensland 4272, Australia

FIELD Mrs MB, 1 Beechhill Road, Eltham, London SE9

FISHER SCIENTIFIC COMPANY, Stansi Biology Division, Route No 1, Box 47A,
Clear Lake, WI 54005, USA

HEARN Dr George, 130 Salisbury Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JZ

HEKI Masaomi, Asahi-cho 5, Kajiki-cho, Kagoshima-ken 899-52, Japan

HUNTLEY Neil, Low Gill House, — iene CAS 3BL

JAMES Lloyd, 64 Dunyeats Road, Broadstone, Dorset BH18 BAH

JONES John E, 6 Bryn YEithin, peng pola Gwynedd, Wales

KNIGHT JV, 5 Cornwall Drive, Ollerton, Newark, Notts NG22 9AJ :

LING Gordon F, Dip Ag Sci, Woods Point Road, Warburton, Victoria 3799, Australia

LOMAS RA, 4 Pr rospect Road, eet: Merseyside L42 8LF

LUCKY S NURSERY, Mrs C L Smith, 8001 Noroad, Jacksonville, Florida 32210, USA

MARTIN Mrs Christine L, Willowdene, Treroosel Road, St Teath, Bodmin, Cornwall

MASARATI Miss Devon, 34 Archdale Road, London SE22 9HJ

MEAGHER Walter L P, Watson’s tae Harberton, Totnes, Devon.

MAYER Martin, c/o Miss J R Newman Mockbeggar, London Road, Benson, Oxford.

MILOS Thomas A, P O Box 273, Eastfor d, Connecticut 06242, U

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY, Acquisitions Department, Mitchell Memorial Library,
Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA

O’BRIEN Liam, Sacred Heart College, Western pee Cork, Ireland

PEARCE Christopher A, 22 Cairn Avenue, London

PECK Ms Dee, 8813 Patton Road, Philadelphia, PA pre 18, USA

PHILLIPS John L, 6 Calais Street, Myatts Fields, London SE5

REYNOLDS Thomas L, 248 Ivy Street, Chico, California 95926, USA

124

RICE Daniel me itd Blue Ridge Boulevard, Independence, Missouri 64052, USA
ROSTRON V H, 33 Ryder Crescent, Hillside, Southport, oe PR8 3AE

RUBE Dr ak Nurnbergerstrasse 71, D- 644 Bebra, West Germ

SAINSBURY Lady (Robert), The O Old Vicarage, Bucklebu iy Meaads $

SARASOTA GROWERS INC, W R Walden, 5335 Calle Ae Florida, Sarasota,
Florida 33581, U

SIMON Stuart J, 337 Wellesley Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19119, USA

SMITH R J, 184 Solihull Road, Shirley, Solihull, Warwickshir

SNELL Stephen C, Knoll House, Upper Langwith, Collingham, Yorks LS22 5DQ

STOKOE Ralph, 4 Fern Bank, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 ODF

SUTTON Donald R, 9121 Clearwater Drive, Dallas, Texas 75231, USA

SYKES Robert W and Mrs Susan M J, Underwood, Queens Road, Kendal, Cumbria

TONGE Mrs Gwladys, Old Post Cottage, Main Street, Withybrook, Coventry CV7 9LT

VASUDEVA SM, Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, India

VICARY Paul M, Laurel Cottage, Cricket Green, Hartley Wintney, Basingstoke, Hants
RG27 8PJ

VISSER J, 4612 Bradner Road, Bradner, British Columbia, Canada Vox-1BO

WAGNER David H, Department of Botany, Washington State University, Pullman,
Washington 99163, USA

WATSON Alan, Ivy Cottage, Torpenhow, Carlisle, Cumbria CA5 1HT

WILKS John M, 2 Holly Road, Uttoxeter, Staffs

WILLIAMS Norman B, Bilberry Cottage, Somerford, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 4SW

ZEUNERT David W, 839 West Lill Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA

Changes of Address
BENNERT Dr H Wilfried, Ruhr- chi Bochum, Universitatsstrasse 150, D-463
chum- -Querenburg, West Ger

BRAITHWAITE Dr A F, 31 War oor Clo se, Bramcote Hills, Beeston, Notts

BRIGHTMAN Mrs Eileen M, 5 Duvards ‘etn Borden, Sittingbourne, Kent t MEQ 8LJ

BROWNSEY P J, Botany Department, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland,
New Zealand

CLARK P S, 2 Hilltop View Road, Borras Park, Wrecsam, Clwyd, North Wales LL13 9NL

CRANE Dr M D and Mrs R HB, 6 Frederick Place, Bristol BS8 1AS

DELENDICK Thomas J, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn,
New York 11225, USA

FAIRWEATHER Graham and Mrs Janet, 15 Wellesley Street, Lowerhouse, Burnley,
Lancs NA

GABE Dr Howard L, IPB Comercio de Sementes Ltda, Av Dr Vieira de Carvalho 172-8,
Andar 01210, Sao Paulo, Brazil ;

GIBBY J Michael and Mrs Mary, Department of Botany, British Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD

HALL Neill D, 1230 N E 88th Street, Seattle 15, Washington 98115, USA

HALL Mr and Mrs PC, Almar, Fairmile Lane, Cobham, Surrey KT11 2BX

HILL Christopher R, Department of Palaeontology, British Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD

HOME Miss H M Logan, Silverwells, Coldingham, Eyemouth, Berwickshire

KAWAKAMI Syohgo, Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University,

i senda-machi, Hiroshima 730, Japan
LAWRENCE D W, Overghyll, Horam, Heathfield, Sussex TH21 OBG
LINDSAY D C, Leicestershire Museums, Art Galleries and Records Service, New Walk,
16TD

Leicester LE :
LONDON NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Lyon Playfair Library, Imperial College,
London SW7 2AZ
MASUY AMA Shigeo, Tokyo Womens Christian College, Junior College, Mure 4, Mitaka,
Tokyo 181, Japan

125

PALMER A D, 67 St Donatt’s Road, New Cross, London SE14
PETTY JSF, Kingsley, 75 Preston New Road, Southport, Merseyside PR9 8PA
POWER Miss Teresa K, Flat 5,5 Cambria Road, London SE
PUGH-THOMAS A, 12 Castello Avenue, Putney, London SW15 6EA
RICKARD Martin H and Mrs Hazel, 9 Hammond Close, Pampisford, Camb:
RIPLEY Mr and Mrs Paul H, Thurgarton Research Station, The Priory, Thurgarton, Notts
ROBLES Thomas C, Colossal Cave, Vail, Arizona 85641, USA
SCOTT Dr and Mrs Hugh P, 130 Osprey Drive, Groton, Connecticut 06340, USA
STAUFFER Lynn E Jr, 142 Washington Street, Apt 1, Norwich, CT 06360, USA
THOMAS Graham S, VMH, Briar Cottage, 21 Kettlewell Close, Horsell, Woking,
Surrey GU21 4HY
TINNE Mrs A M, Lochwood Cottage, Gartcosh, Glasgow G69 8AX
TULANE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, Serials Section, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA

Changes of name

Delete — Gilmour JS L Re-insert as — CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY BOTANIC
GARDENS, Cambridge, CB2 1JF
Delete — Kirkland Miss A F Re-insert as — MARCHANT Mrs Alison F, 82 Victoria
Road, Bournemouth, Hants
Delete — from Members List Re-insert as — Honorary Members —
DYCE James W
KAYE Reginald
Amend — Mrs Kaye in Members List to —

KAYE Mrs Marion
Delete from Membership List

D Agostinelli DWL ete Panjab University
Mrs B E G Allen S W Harr Dr A Patzak
Miss S Aspinall Mrs A Hill Mrs H

‘ FC Banton Mrs | Hodson Dr J Ramsbottom
Bletchley Grammar School Mrs E J Jenkins oy member)
A JP Butters Mrs P M Jones G F L Rigbey
J B Cranston Dr E Kavlie-Jorgensen DrA Schumacher
Mrs | Eglin Mrs R Lilley Wilfred Scott
D A J Farthing London University, Sir To Sitwell
J E Fitzharris Goldsmiths College D A Stu
G Gilbert H E Norback T ean
F G Hardy F C Organ Mrs E Wilson

Miss V L Wood

MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS

We are happy to make the following announcements —

Marriages: Graham Fairweather — Janet Beardsell on 27 — 1975
Alison F Kirkland — now Mrs Alison F Marcha

Births: Dr Christopher god Dr Pauline Page — a son, Angus — on 3 December 1974
Christopher and Mary Potts — a daughter, Kathrine Joyce, on 4 September 1975
Kenneth and Katie A i — a daughter, Jennifer Claire, in Edel spring 1974

OBITUARIES

It is with great regret that we have to announce the followind deaths —

Dr Albert Schumacher of Waldbrol in West Germany whose death has just been advised
to us, joined the Society in 1962 and has always taken an active interest in our affairs.
Reprints from his fern papers appearing in various journals have always been sent to the
Secretary. We extend our sympathy to his family.

126

Geoffrey Gilbert died in September 1974 but we were able to give only a brief
announcement of his death in the 1974 Bulletin.

In the latter part of his life Geoffrey was a journalist and commercial photographer
renowned for his portraits of politicians, including the one for the Winston Churchill
Campaign. He was a keen traveller in his earlier years and visited China and Tibet where

he took a great many photographs, and worked in the USA. He invented a flash gun and a
camera and wrote a book on the subject, Photo Flash. A keen botanist and gardener and a
Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society, he joined our Society in 1964 and built up a
collection of ferns in his garden which contained over 2000 kinds of plants, including
orchids for which he had a great love. Bottle gardening was another interest and also
experimental Wardian Case structures on which he wrote in the Gazette Vol 9 part 7 in 1966.

His garden was an ecological one where the plants were carefully chosen to balance and
complement each other, and this aspect of gardening he developed further in 1970 when
with the support of Sir Julian Huxley, he led a campaign to have Hampstead Heath restocked
with wild flowers. He was emphatic that the plants should not be planted at random but

that first the reasons for the decline in the wild flower population should be examined, and
then only plants ecologically suitable should be re-introduced. He wrote a delightful book,
The Lazy Gardener’s Guide, which explains his ideas on ecological gardening and exudes

his endearing dry drawlish humour and philosophy. At the time of his death he had just
finished another book on indoor gardening.

Geoffrey was a keen and active member of the Society, not a regular attender at field
meetings but frequently appearing out of the blue in his old motor caravan. With his lazy
bearded smile, twinkling eyes and constant good humour, he was a very popular and highly
regarded member whom we all miss very much. He is survived by his son who is endeavour-
ing to carry on his good work.

J A Crabbe and J W Dyce

John Ramsbottom, 1885-1974, the eminent mycologist who died on the 14 December

last year was made an honorary member of our Society in 1948, at the time when AH G
Alston was Head of the Fern Section at the British Museum (Natural History) and also
Editor of our Gazette. Ramsbottom was Keeper of Botany at the Museum and thus Alston’s
head of department, so it was natural that, when Alston was ill, he stepped in and edited
Gazette Vol 7 No 8. In his Editorial on page 189 he expressed the wish to see our Society
develop along scientific lines while retaining the characters which endeared it to its members,
and he went on to say that collectors and cultivators have much to offer the trained botanist
and much to gain from his co-operation.

. Obituaries and tributes have appeared in The Times 17 December 1974 (by R Ross, Keeper
of Botany at the British Museum) and 28 December by E F Allen; 8.S.E. News (The
Newsletter of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh) No 15:11-13, February 1975 by J R
Matthews; Bulletin of the British Mycological Society 9:58, Spring 1975 (by Mary Noble);
and Transactions of the British Mycological Society 65:1-6, with portrait and specimen of
handwriting, July 1975 by P H G(regory). 7

127

MEETINGS PROGRAMME 1976

Meetings Secretary
Meetings Committee

Saturday
7 February

Saturday
7 February

Saturday/Monday
17/19 April (Easter)

Saturday
22

May

Friday/Sunday
4/6 June

Saturday
12 June

Friday/Sunday
18/20 June

Sunday
25 July

Saturday /Saturday
31 July/7 August

Thursday/Saturday
19/21 August

Saturday /Saturday
4/11 September

Sunday
19 September

Saturday
9 October

A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambs CB2 50N
R F Cartwright, J A Crabbe, J W Dyce, J W Merryweather,
M H Rickard, J R Woodhams

Indoor Meeting at the British Museum — History), Cromwell
Road, London SW7 5BD at 2.00 pm

Annual General Meeting to be held at the British Museum (Natural
History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD at 2.30 pm

Fern Exhibit by A R Busby at “Welcome to Spring” ricead Show
at Sydenham Notcutts Nurseries, Monkspath, Solihull, West
Midlands.

Visit to the Fern ee and outside fern borders at Kew Botanic
Gardens at 2.30 p

Weekend Meeting in the Lake District.

Leaders: Michael and Mary Gibby.

Centre: The Mortal Man Hotel, Troutbeck, Windermere,
Cumbri

Visit to Cambridge Botanic Gardens at 2.30 pm.

Leaders: Roger and Tony Worland.

Weekend Meeting in West Yorkshire.

Leaders: James and Margaret Merryweather.
Centre: Bankfield Hotel, Shipley, West Yorks.

Day Meeting in Wyre Forest, Bewdley, Worcestershire.
Leader: Matt Busby. Meet at 11.30 am in forest car park on
A456.

Week Meeting on Isle of Arran.
Leaders: James and Margaret Merryweather.
Centre: Corrie Hotel, Corrie, Arran.

Southport Flower Show.
Many fern classes showing selection of best varieties.
Visit the Society’s Stand in the Societies’ Tent.

Week Meeting at Ilfracombe, North Devon.

Leader: Jimmy Dyc
Centre: Langleigh Park House, Langleigh Lane, Ilfracombe.
Day Photographic Meeting in Sussex
: Photography — Tom toy cag
Ferns — Jimmy Dyce

Meet at 11.30 am at Tyes Cross, 1% miles east of West Hoathly.
Garden and Indoor Meeting at Chelsea Physic Gardens, Royal
ital Road, London SW3 at 2.00 pm.

REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS
Suitable dates to be arranged by direct personal contact with organisers —

South-west England:
Yorkshire:

Chris and Mary Potts, 4 Montpelier, Weston-super-Mare, Avon.

James and Margaret Merryweather, Ferniehurst, Station Road,
Bubwith, Selby, Yorks.

A R Busby, Department of Biological ae University of Aston
in Birmingham, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 TEN

British Pteridological
Society

Missouri Botanical Garden Library
St. Louis, Missouri

CONTENTS .

Secretarial Notes a ee ag a ee ee ee
Treasurer's Report = = & = x ef > 5 ors
Financial Statement .. aS -< 3 a i e Ps r= S.

Annual General Meeting —.. = se a % = = fs ee

oS tes 0 E
3 Regional Day Meetings =.

Weekend Meetings

F

- -

the Fern Gazette and the Future of Pteridology =

President
Dr Stanley Walker
Vice-Presidents
Professor R E Holttum
Professor Irene Man
Secretary

J Davidson
R Kaye

and
Editor of the Bulletin
JW Dyce

46 Sediey Rise
Loughton, Essex 1G10 1LT

eee. Treasurer

New. Cross, London

Meetings Secretary
A J Worland

102 Queens Close
Harston, Cambridge CB2 50N

BRITISH PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE 1975—75

F Jackson

Biological Depa
. University of eee Goldsmitte’ | Clie
SE14 6NW

details Ries) dng

THE
BULLETIN

Vol 1 1976 No 4

SECRETARIAL NOTES

These notes are begun while sitting on a high promontory near IIfracombe overlooking
the Bristol Channel with the Welsh coast dimly visible through the haze. A recent leg
injury has prevented me from taking an active part in the hunt for ferns during the
meeting held here this autumn, but my frustration is somewhat allayed by being able
to write about them. Consequently my time is not being wasted and progress in the
Preparation for this issue of the Bulletin is benefitting accordingly!

CORRECTION — In the report on the Argyll Meeting published last year in the
Bulletin Vol 1 No 3, the name Kilfinan erroneously appears as Kilfillan on pages 92,
96, 97 and 98. Please make the necessary corrections in your copies.

FERN COLLECTION AT WISLEY — Members will be interested to know that there is
again a collection of hardy ferns in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens at Wisley
in Surrey, smaller than the ill-fated Cranfield collection certainly, but containing many
fine varieties. It has been gifted by our member Graham Thomas and those of us who
visited his garden at West End, Woking some years ago will remember the many good
ferns he had there. They can now be seen at Wisley and we sincerely hope this collec-
tion fares better than the previous one. At least, while Mr Thomas is on hand to watch
over it, it will flourish and, it is hoped, increase by the addition of other ferns from
various sources.

MEETINGS — Meetings Cards for 1977 are enclosed with this Bulletin to all inland
members. Overseas members, visiting Britain, can obtain them on application to the
Meetings Secretary.

It has come to my notice that some members may be labouring under the wrong
impression that unless they inform the Meetings Secretary of their interest in or intention
to attend meetings by completing and sending to him the Form attached to the Meetings
Programme, they cannot come to the meetings. This, of course, is entirely wrong — ALL
members (and their friends) are welcomed at ALL meetings, whether or not we are
informed in advance. We warn, however, that should a meeting be cancelled or changed
in any way, you will not be advised unless we know you are interested — this is one of
the chief reasons for having this form. Another reason is that it gives some guidance to
the leaders when planning the details of meetings if they know what the om if
any! — is likely to be. With the small numbers we often get at some meetings the
unexpected appearance of another member is hailed as a welcome bonus!

129

PUBLICATIONS BY AIRMAIL — Many overseas members find that the time required
for our journals to reach them by seamail, particularly when they live halfway round the
world in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc, is far too long. Unfortunately, the vicious
increase in postal rates precludes us from sending all publications by airmail, but we shall
be happy to accommodate members wishing for this speedier delivery, for an airmail fee
of £1 annually. Please advise the Secretary if you want this facility, and the £1 fee should
be added to your annual subscription when remitting the amount due to the Treasurer.
This fee of course will be subject to increase if the upward trend in rates continues.

FERN NAME CHANGES - There have been more changes in the names of ferns and
fern allies and the following are coming into use — Dryopteris abbreviata is now
changed to D. oreades, Lycopodium selago to Huperzia selago, Lycopodium inundatum
to Lycopodiella inundata and Lycopodium alpinum to Diphasiastrum alpinum.

AUSTRALIAN MEMBERS — Interest in ferns continues to increase in Australia and
our membership there is growing fast — we have now got 19 members and subscribers.
There is also a Fern Study Group in the Society for Growing Australian Plants and | am
informed that the Group has now over 80 members and is making rapid progress. |
understand they circulate a newsletter, give help to members in the identification of
ferns and have a spore bank. The Secretary is Mr Steve Clemesha, 18 Wesson Road, West
Pennant Hills, New South Wales 2120. We send greetings and our good wishes to the
roup.

READING CIRCLE — The American Fern Journal, a quarterly containing much infor-
mation for those seriously interested in ferns, is circulated to Reading Circle members. |
will gladly add new names to the list.

TALKS ON FERNS — After my appeal last year | now have a list of a few members
who are prepared to talk on ferns to horticultural and other societies in their areas. More
are needed from different parts of the country to enable us to provide this useful service
to the cult. Please advise me if you are willing to help. All arrangements, financial and
otherwise, will of course be between speakers and the bodies concerned.

MEMBERS VISITING MADEIRA. Major C H C Pickering of Casa Velha da Casa Branca,
Funchal, Madeira advises that he will be happy to act as our local correspondent and give
help to any members who are interested in visiting Madeira. He can help in many ways,
provided he gets plenty of warning —
Fe Inexpensive accommodation.
2. Car Hire. He will act as chauffeur if necessary; after 26 years residence he knows
the best places, many of which are difficult to find and inaccessible.

. tie B. and B. basis, where to buy food etc: prices vary enormously.
‘ axis.

He adds that if members want to stay at expensive hotels, such as Reids, Savoy or Sheraton,
there is no problem except the price, £20 a day plus or minus. Major Pickering writes in
September 1976, and no doubt in 1977 this Price will be very much £20 PLUS !

GARDENS TO VISIT — This annual booklet published by the Gardeners’ Sunday
Organisation, lists gardens opened to the public. Obtainable from bookshops or from the
Organiser, Mrs K Collett, White Witches, Claygate Road, Dorking, Surrey. The cost of the
1977 issue has not yet been fixed but will be around 25p.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS — | thank our contributors who continue to ensure that | have
a plentiful supply of material in a wide variety of subjects, and those members who have
given me guidance and help, especially Jim Crabbe whose valuable assistance does much
to ensure the success of this journal. | thank, too, the many members whose letters of
appreciation give me encouragement and a pleasing realisation that my labours are not
wholly in vain. It is time, too, that | acknowledged the great debt | owe to our printers,
Metloc, who have always given us an excellent production at a most reasonable price. We
have “grown up together” — Valerie Metcalfe started the business in 1967 and one of her
first jobs was the first issue of our Newsletter. Her interested help and co-operation are
greatly appreciated and do much to ensure that the publication date | always strive for,
mid-November, is never much over-stepped.

TREASURER’S REPORT

This report covers the financial period from July 1975 to December 1975. It can still be
treated as a full statement because this was the extent of the membership subscription
and during this period two publications were issued as normal. Nevertheless the relatively:
short period of time has produced a few anomalies in the accounts. The income from
subscriptions is apparently lower but this is because so many members take longer than
six months to pay. The deposit account interest is less as are certain of the sales, but this
is simply a result of the shorter ‘year’ which has also slightly reduced our administration
expenses.

The account shows nearly £350 as special donations to the Holttum Gazette and | should
like once again to thank those members who so kindly gave money for that purpose. The
financial year ended with the Society showing a slight excess of income over expenditure
but this would certainly have not been the case without the donations.

| am reasonably optimistic about the 1976 accounts, for the new subscription rates have
Caused very few people to resign and our total membership appears to be still increasing.

| hope that the society may be able to ‘make money’ for a couple of years so that we can
subsidise following years before being forced into another round of subscription increases.

THE GREENFIELD FUND — It will be noted in the Financial Statement that there is

a balance of £824.20 in the above Fund. Accrued interest on the sum amounts to £46.

No action has yet been taken on the use of this interest in the manner laid down when

the Fund was established, that is, to give help to projects by members, such as approved
research work, Society publicity projects, or awards for meritorious achievements; workers
eligible for university grants or similar support are, generally speaking, precluded from
Participation.

Members who consider they may be suitable candidates for help from the Fund when it is
decided that the accumulated interest is sufficient for disbursements to be made, are

invited to write to the Secretary. All claims will be submitted to the Administrators of the
Fund for their consideration. +0

Expenditure

£184.00
460.00
52.61
191.10
14.00
5.00

Income

Expenditure

ORDINARY ACCOUNT

Subscriptions
Donations
Special donations to the Holttum Gazette
Sales —
Gazettes, Newsletters, Bulletins
Victorian Fern Craze
Beginners Guide

International Directory of Pteridologists

Reprints

Sundries
Profits from the sales of Guernsey stamps
Interest on Deposit Account

Metloc a/c Bulletin Vol 1 No 3
Econoprint — Gazette Vol |! part 3
Printing and Stationery
Administration Expenses

Meetings expenses

Bank charges on current account

Excess of income over expenditure
Balance carried forward from June 1974

Balance in hand

PUBLICATIONS ACCOUNT
Balance carried forward
Metloc — reprinting Gazettes

Balance in hand

GREENFIELD FUND
Balance carried forward

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1975

£824.20

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING — 7 FEBRUARY 1976

Owing to the change in our year from July/June to January/December it has been
necessary to change the date of the AGM from the autumn to the spring. In consequence
the 73rd Annual General Meeting of the Society was held only 4 months after the
previous one and the “year” under review was a period of 6 months only. A good
attendance of 41 members attended the Meeting and the Indoor Spring Meeting which
followed, held in the Conversazione Room at the British Museum (Natural History) on
the afternoon of Saturday 7 February 1976.

We were very sorry not to have our President, Dr Stanley Walker, with us. He was a
victim of the flu which was raging at the time and his place was taken by Henry Schollick.
The short “year” helped to speed up the proceedings and the Secretary's report wasa
brief one. The recent rise in the subscription rates made any definite statement on
membership figures impossible as we still did not know how many members would be
resigning. A figure of 500 was stated from which has to be deducted the number of those
dropping out, but the intake of new members continues unabated and is likely to more
than offset the wastage, so at the end of 1976 we shall probably have a good increase
which will continue the upward growth of the Society.

Our new Editor, Dr Chris Page, was unable to be present but submitted a report in which
he outlined his future plans for the Gazette which will closely follow those of his
predecessor, Clive Jermy. He has decided to work to a spring publication date annually
so that the Gazette and the Bulletin will be spaced at roughly 6 month intervals. He was
able to assure the Meeting that preparations for the coming 1976 issue are well advanced.

One important matter of interest was discussed — the future of Reginald Kaye’s book
Hardy Ferns. The publishers ceased publication of the book in 1975 and with the euthor's
approval the unbound material left in their possession, sufficient for about 900 copies of
the book, was gifted to the Society. It was planned to have them bound by the
publishers’ binders in the same format and to offer them for sale to members at a figure
well below the publishers’ price. Henry Schollick is undertaking the organisation of this
venture which should bring in some welcome funds for our coffers.

the last election of Officers and

In view of the short period which had passed since
resent

Committee in October 1975 it was agreed not to have another election and the p
governing body is to continue unchanged until the 1977 AGM.

The Meeting closed with the presentation to the Secretary of the Stansfield Memorial

Medal which had been awarded to him at the last AGM. We were sorry that jai cantt
Kaye could not be present to receive his Medal and it was sent on to him with a suitable
letter,

MEETINGS 1976

In conjunction with the AGM at the British Museum (Natural History) on 7 February we
held the Spring Indoor Meeting. This was attended by about 40 members and friends. We
had a full programme commencing before the AGM at 2 pm with exhibits and informal
chatting, and followed afterwards with a talk on plant photography by Tom Buckeridge
who was able to impart much useful information on the subject to those of us who are
interested in making pictorial records of our ferns and other plants. John Woodhams
followed with an account, illustrated by slides, of his visit to California where he and his
wife met many of the keen fern growers of the area and were well entertained by them.
We have to thank Joan, his wife, for her work in the preparation of a very nice buffet
meal which was enjoyed by all of us.

The Autumn Garden and Indoor Meeting on 9 October was held at the Chelsea Physic
Garden and attended by 32 members who were welcomed by the Curator, Allen Paterson.
The meeting commenced with a talk by Mary Gibby on “The Buckler Fern complex” in
which she reviewed the problems involved and explained some of the many mysteries still
remaining in the complex, accompanied by a large selection of herbarium specimens. After
a look round the Garden a buffet meal, beautifully prepared by Joan Woodhams, was
enjoyed and we finished with a showing of slides by John Woodhams, Bert Bruty and
Connie Jensen.

We had the usual well-attended Kew Meeting on Saturday 22 May when 34 members and
friends gathered at the Fern Houses. First we had an interesting and informative talk by
Professor Holttum on the Gleichenias, with a talk on their propagation by Barrie Castell.
This was followed by a tour of the Fern Houses and a commentary on various ferns of
interest by the Professor and John Woodhams to whom we are also indebted for the
article which appears in this issue on the Gleichenias and their cultivation. In their usual
hospitable way the Professor and Mrs Holttum invited the party to visit their nearby
home for tea after the meeting. Many accepted and we thank our hosts for this most
refreshing and enjoyable finish to our day.

DAY MEETINGS

Cambridge Botanic Garden — 12 June. We had 21 members and friends at this meeting
and we were welcomed by the Director of the Garden, Dr Walters, who led us on a sight-
seeing tour, pointing out things of interest and telling us about recent developments and
planned future development. Afterwards we continued to explore on our own and spent
some time among the ferns in the fern borders and in the rock garden where many of the
smaller ferns can be seen. Our leader, Tony Worland, and his wife Barbara provided a
welcome cup of tea and cakes which was much enjoyed and appreciated.

Wyre Forest, Bewdley — 25 July. Led by Matt Busby, this meeting provided a leisurely
walk through the picturesque Wyre Forest with 7 members present. Along the path from
the car park to the Dowles Brook Nature Reserve situated in the centre of the Forest,

several fern species were noted; Athyrium filix-femina and Blechnum spicant were in
abundance and the three usual dryopteris species, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas
were seen, also a small plant of Oreopteris limbosperma in the rather dry ditches alongside
the footpath. As the forest is managed by the Forestry Commission on commercial lines it
is inevitable that the old deciduous trees are slowly giving way to the regimented lines of
conifers, but the Dowles Brook area is kept as a nature reserve and much of the old oak,
beech and birch is retained. A short search along the brook found all the afore-mentioned
species together with both Polystichum aculeatum and P. setiferum. A small colony of
Polypodium vulgare was seen on the bole of an oak tree. Of the allies, 2 species of horse-
tail were noted, the rather dainty Equisetum sylvaticum forming long colonies in the shade
along the fire rides, and at Dowles Brook one which the consensus of opinion thought to
be £. palustre. Matt considers that Dowles Brook provides an excellent opportunity for
fern-hunting and it is his intention to survey its whole length sometime in the near future.

Photographic Meeting in Sussex — 10 September. We were pleased to have nine members
at this meeting which made it a worth-while exercise for Tom Buckeridge who led the
meeting to give instruction in plant photography. The weather remained dry and bright,
an essential for this kind of activity. In the morning a deep valley at Philpots Farm near
West Hoathly was visited and good photographic experience was gained taking pictures of
the fine colonies of Hymenophylium tunbrigense growing on the sandstone rocks and

the other ferns along the banks of the stream. We went on to Newbridge between Forest
Row and Crowborough in the afternoon and explored along the stream and finished the
day in Tom Buckeridge’s garden and greenhouse in Isfield to see his many ferns and enjoy
a welcome cup of tea from Joyce Buckeridge.

REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS

This year we had fewer weekend meetings and decided to give more emphasis to day
meetings in the regions. In this way we have succeeded in coaxing more members “out of
their shells”, but only when regional organisers have gone to some trouble to contact
them; speaking generally, it seems obvious that members left to themselves are not prepared
to take the initiative, but when approached are quite pleased to attend small local
gatherings if they can. We need more willing horses in various parts of the country,
Prepared to undertake what is probably regarded as a thankless task, but if they will read
the notes below from Mary Potts reporting on her regional meetings in the West Country
this year, they will realise that there are rich rewards — getting to know other fern
enthusiasts, visits to their gardens and places of local plant interest, and in the exchange
of plants and fern know-how. Those who would like to have a try and do not have
complete membership lists (this list was published in the first issue of the Bulletin and
additions and deletions have been advised annually in the following issues) can obtain
from the Secretary area lists of members whom they can contact.

Yorkshire. Once again members in this region have shown a lack of interest in these

meetings and no enquiries have been received by James and Margaret Merryweather who
volunteered to organise these.

135

Midlands. Matt Busby has been even more active this year, working from his centre in
Birmingham and in constant touch with many of the members in the area, welding them
into what can be loosely called a branch of the Society with Matt available to answer
questions and thus relieve the Secretary of some work.

On Saturday 27 March he held a meeting at the University of Aston in Birmingham which
was attended by nine members and three visitors. Informal chat was accompanied by a
brisk trade in fern plants and books and a visit was paid to the Fern House which is one
of Matt’s charges. He wishes to thank all those who came along to give support and special
thanks are due to his wife, Margaret, who provided us with tea and cakes. The sale of
plants realised £6.05 and a cheque for the amount was forwarded to the Treasurer.

On 10 March Matt gave a 2% hour talk on ferns to the Solihull Horticultural Society,
illustrated by colour slides and potted ferns. It was warmly received by a meeting of

7 people who were most attentive and asked numerous questions. He has also been
invited to address the Midland Gardeners Association on 8 November.

Ray and Rita Coughlin kindly opened their garden to Midland members on 4 July and
10 members with their families took the opportunity to see this beautiful garden with its
many fine ferns and other interesting plants. The extensive fern collection was at its very
best and much fern discussion accompanied the stroll round the garden. Ray invited
members to bring along fronds from their own plants and a small competition was held
with some of Ray’s own ferns as prizes for the best fronds. With help from Audrey
Cartwright, Rita laid on a splendid cold lunch, helped down with some of the excellent
Coughlin home-made wines. Thank you, Ray and Rita, for a most enjoyable day.

South-west England. Early in the year Mary and Christopher Potts of Weston-super-Mare
sent out to all members in their area a programme of meetings which they were planning
for the summer. Mary reports on the three which were held.

The Potts At Home — 26 June. Our fern day fell on the first day of intense heat with
temperatures of over 90 degrees and though nine members were expected only five arrived.
A great many different species of ferns were exchanged, including two water ferns, though
by far the most ubiquitous was the Lady Fern, and many ‘Victoriae’ and ‘Frizelliae’ sports
are lodging with us and still awaiting good homes. (I feel like charging for the water!).
After lunch we travelled to Bristol Botanic Gardens where Mark Smith took us on a really
excellent tour and was able to point out many interesting and rare plants. The fern
collection is expanding fast and | was pleased to see a plant of Dryopteris cristata which |
have not seen before in cultivation or the wild. Most members departed for home from
Bristol and in spite of the heat spent a rewarding day. To anybody living in the vicinity of
Bristol the Botanic Gardens are well worth visiting and whatever the time of year there is
always something of interest.

Philip Coke’s Fern Day — 17 July. Nine members met at Philip Coke’s home at
Stinchcombe — again in tropical heat and though some of us were certainly wilting the
ferns were in splendid condition. Philip has maintained his entire collection on waste
water and carried it up the steep gradient of the garden by hand; the flourishing state of

136

the plants showed that this labour of love has been well rewarded. Some of the
plantings looked particularly good with variegated ivy as ground cover. A lot of Philip’s
plants have been grown from spores and we were able to see some interesting forms of
Athyrium filix-femina and some polystichum varieties. A number of plants were
exchanged and most members benefitted from Philip’s generosity and left with car-boots
stocked with ferns.

Kenneth Adlam’s Fern Day — 29 August. Only 4 other members (in addition to the Potts,
| presume — ED) attended this meeting but again, despite extreme conditions, Kenneth’s
garden and fern collection were well-worth seeing. Some of the more moisture-loving
species were showing brown fronds and the Lady Ferns were withered but the rest of the
collection was growing well. Kenneth has been able to water some plants, but to maintain
even a small portion of his garden would have been impossible using only water carried

by hand. Even small newly-planted coniferous trees, completely unshaded, and growing in
rough grass were still alive; Kenneth’s policy of really good planting with adequate root
space and constant maintenance has paid off and preserved those plants through rigorous
conditions. Many ferns were growing in pots, the aspleniums and polypodies showing
their usual luxuriance at this time of year. A visit to Knighthayes Court during the day
was rather depressing as far as ferns were concerned, and many of the plants were dead or
dying, particularly some fine stands of adiantum and Blechnum penna-marina, also Lady
Ferns and some Male Ferns. Polystichums appeared to be faring better and in some areas
of woodland all the undergrowth was in good condition, possibly due to underground
culverts or greater soil depth. Despite the drought there were large numbers of unusual
and interesting plants and shrubs to admire.

WEEKEND MEETINGS

The Lake District — 4/6 June. It was pleasing to have a good attendance of 15 members
and friends at this meeting led by Michael and Mary Gibby, and centred at the Mortal
Man Hotel in Troutbeck near Ambleside. In the party were two Americans, Victor and
Ethelyn Williams, members of the American Fern Society, whom it gave us the greatest
of pleasure to welcome — before they left they were (without any persuading from us!)
also members of our Society, and we hope that we shall again in the not too distant
future be able to enjoy their cheerful company in the field and (dare | say it?) in the
hotel bar!

On the Saturday morning we visited Old Brathay and explored the neighbourhood which
is very ferny but no unusual finds were made except for a fine colony of Onoclea
sensibilis on some marshy ground. The afternoon was spent in the Duddon Valley, some
distance away, where we hunted along the river. By the side of a waterfall there is a
magnificent colony of Osmunda regalis which it would be hard to better anywhere. Other
ferns here were Cryptogramma crispa which is one of the very common ferns of the Lake
District, the common species of dryopteris and Phegopteris connectilis. It rained all day
but fortunately, not heavily so it did not restrict our movements. Sunday remained dry
and was spent on Whitbarrow Scar, a name well-known in the early days of the Society
for the many fine fern varieties collected from its limestone scars. We recorded 20 species;

the spleenworts were in force, A. ceterach, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes
and A. viride, along with other limestone ferns Cystopteris fragilis, Dryopteris villarii,
Gymnocarpium robertianum and Polystichum aculeatum. \n piaces on the top from which
the lime had been leached there were colonies of Blechnum spicant, and other ferns seen

in shady corners were P. connectilis and even D. carthusiana, while a colony of Equisetum
fluviatile was seen in a small pool on top of the Scar.

West Yorkshire — 18/20 June. Only five members attended this meeting but among them
was Dr Anne Sleep from Leeds University and it was really good to have her along with
us and to see her becoming more active again after a long spell of illness. Although the
meeting was centred at Shipley, our first day’s hunting under the leadership of James and
Margaret Merryweather was far removed, to the south of Huddersfield on Saddleworth
Moor where a steep rocky valley below Raven Stones Brow was explored. It was an area
of millstone grit which proved inhospitable where ferns were concerned and we found
only 7 common species in very small numbers. Following this disappointing morning we
moved north past the newly flooded Scammonden valley to Booth Wood stretching along
the sides of a deep ravine where the main rock was also millstone grit, but made more
acceptable to plant life due to the influence of base-rich water flowing over it. One basic
flush was carpeted with beautiful acres of Equisetum sy/lvaticum which was also seen on
the roadside verge above, with odd plants of Dryopteris filix-mas and D. austriaca. On the
more open heath above Athyrium filix-femina, Oreopteris limbosperma and Pteridium
aquilinum were found and in the shady valley bottom other species included Blechnum
spicant, D. pseudomas and E. arvense. We saw only a fraction of this mile-long wood with
its profusion of lime-loving plants in a region of dry, acid, barren habitats. Further visits
could easily augment the species record and there is always the hope of finding a filmy
fern here; not only have hymenophylium species been frequently recorded locally but
even the very rare Trichomanes speciosum was once known in the Scammonden valley!

Sunday morning was spent at Leeds University Botanic Garden to see Anne Sleep’s
experimental plants. She showed us many of her polystichum hybrids and other ferns of
interest, and in the glasshouses were many more. It was most exciting to see so many
unusual plants but one got overwhelmed trying to sort them all out in the mind. The
afternoon was quiet after most of the members had set off for home but there was still
plenty of time for the Secretary to be shown Spring Wood near Baildon by Margaret
Merryweather who cut her pteridological teeth there. A small colony of Ophioglossum
vulgatum was seen in the meadow near the wood which has a marshy margin with
Equisetum palustre growing happily among the other marsh plants. The wood grows on
the banks of a robust stream and contains a large number of ferns — D. austriaca,

D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, Oreopteris limbosperma and

P. aquilinum, also E. arvense and a large colony of E. sylvaticum. One of the most
abundant ferns was D. austriaca, very \arge growing, but in one part of the wood it
appeared to be very different from the expected. Description is difficult but the frond
colour wes a delicate yellowish green, not that of starved plants but fresh and vivacious.
The venation was prominent and the pinna/pinnule surface almost planar and the normal
downward crimping was only hinted at. The rachides were clothed with a dense covering
of ginger scales. In some ways they were rather suggestive of D. assimilis but were not this
species and no explanation for their relationship to the type could be agreed upon.

138

The following are records for the weekend meetings not included in the At/as of the
British Flora or which appear as pre-1930 records —

Nat Grid Ref. The Lake District
34/29. 2297 Duddon Valley, below High Tongue — Dryopteris abbreviata.
34/48. 4386, 4486 Whitbarrow Scar — Cystopteris fragilis, D. carthusiana.
4486/87 Whitbarrow Scar, top plateau — Asp/enium ceterach, C. fragilis,
D. carthusiana, Equisetum fluviatile, Oreopteris limbosperma.
4386 Witherslack Hall — A. ceterach.
35/40. 4102 Troutbeck — C. fragilis, D. abbreviata.
Yorkshire
44/00. 0304/05 Raven Stones Brow, valley below — Athyrium filix-femina,
D. pseudomas.
44/01. 0317 Booth Wood — D. pseudomas.
44/14. 1540/41 Spring Wood, Baildon — D. pseudomas.

WEEK MEETINGS

Arran — 31 July/7 August. We paid a third visit to Arran this year. The findings of the
Previous visits in 1968 and 1969 have not yet been published as it was recognised that
more work had to be done on the ferns of the Island. Consequently this will be a composite
report, but an interim one, for it is considered that more has still to be done to complete
the survey. The visits were inspired by some wishful thinking that the rare Killarney Fern,
Trichomanes speciosum, could still exist on the Island in spite of the fact that it had
disappeared a very long time ago due to uncontrolled collecting in the days of the
Victorian Fern Craze when many of the books published gave detailed descriptions of

the known habitats on Arran and other places. For this reason the fern is now extremely
rare, if still existing, in Killarney, the area in Ireland from which it got its name, because
of its one time abundance there. We reasoned that Arran is off the beaten track for fern
hunting, and during the many years which have elapsed since the Craze some overlooked
bits of the plant may have survived and helped to spread it once again. Let me say straight
away that hunting in all its old known haunts and in a large number of other places on the
Island likely to harbour it, has failed to rediscover the fern although we still feel strongly
that it may have survived, hidden away in some inaccessible place — and if during future
visits we DO find the Killarney Fern, rest assured it will remain a closely guarded secret,
like that of the rare Slipper Orchid in its one known habitat somewhere in the north of
England.

Only 4 members attended the first meeting but the second attracted 14, among them
some of our most active younger members who did a lot of good work penetrating into
the more difficult places. This year the attendance was again low and we were 5 in all,
Bert Bruty and Jimmy Dyce staying at the centre, the Corrie Hotel in Corrie, and Etta
Sommerville, Dr Doreen Milne and Joan Loraine staying at guest houses near by. Etta
Sommerville spends time on the Island every summer collecting data for a Flora of Aavan
which occupies much of her spare time. We have been very fortunate to have her with us
on all three visits, for her knowledge of the Island and its plant life has been invaluable to

139

us. We were sorry that the leaders of this year’s meeting, James and Margaret Merryweather,
had to drop out at the last moment, but their prepared notes as well as some from Clive
Jermy who visited Arran earlier in the year, were very useful to us. Our plans were to

hunt in as many of the places not previously visited as we could during the week, but even
so we are still far from having completed the survey of the Island.

A feature of Arran along a large part of its coastline is the raised beaches backed by cliffs
about 100 to 300 feet inland. These cliffs, many of them red sandstone, are eroded into
caves and deep gullies, many of them very wet, and they were the habitats in which the
Killarney Fern enjoyed a sheltered existence until disturbed by man. During our first two
visits we concentrated a lot of time on these cliffs, especially on the east coast from Brodick
to Sannox and on the west from Catacol in the north to Drumadoon Point near Black-
waterfoot. Most of the Island’s ferns grow in the lush conditions along the foot of these
cliffs, well sheltered in places with shrub and woodland combined at times with moss
covered boulders, and in others by boulder screes. Particularly in the east and north this
is the home of Arran’s most beautiful fern, Dryopteris aemula, which flourishes so
abundantly that | always think of Arran as the Aemula Isle.

The road up the coast from Brodick to Sannox follows the line of the cliffs which run
along on the left with a stretch of boggy ground between them and the road for parts of
the way. At their base the trees, shrubby growth and mossy boulders give protection to
some of the richest fern flora and we have noted 25 species from the area, many of them
growing in profusion and to a large size, such as Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris
austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, along with Blechnum spicant, in more open places

by Hymenophyllum tunbrigense and H. wilsonii, the latter much the more common.
Through it all grows the lovely D. aemula with its crispy fronds of rich green, on the rocks,

some Cystopteris fragilis can be seen. On the cliffs at Sannox is A. marinum and near here
also, the horsetails E. arvense, E. palustre and E. sylvaticum can be found.

Another very rich fern area is the north coast from Lochranza to the Cock of Arran and
round to Laggan. The road from Sannox to Lochranza cuts inland over the high shoulders
of the northern hills, leaving this rather wild corner of the coast to the walker. There is
now a public pathway right round this Part of the coastline, a magnificent walk of some

8 to 10 miles, but very rough in parts. An intermediate Path cuts across the hills direct to

140

Laggan from Lochranza, but most of the way is bare hillside with only bracken and a few
scattered ferns, 8. spicant, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, P. vulgare, O. limbosperma and
also Gymnocarpium dryopteris which can at times be found in the most unlikely spots.
For fern hunting the preferable route is from South Newton on Loch Ranza. The way for
the first mile or so is easy going with the rough sloping ground well back from the sea, but
then the hills draw right up to the water-line and the way, except at low tide, is over the
piled huge rocks of a vast boulder scree, extending for about a mile, called An Scriodan.
Round the Cock the high cliffs tower up from near the water but there is a path under
them which is easy again for the rest of the way.

Near South Newton ferns are not prolific, only some of the more common species being
noted, but there is a patch of H. wilsonii on some wet rock. In the North Newton area the
terrain becomes rougher with some narrow corries in which P. setiferum grows, along with
A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes and P. vulgare. On the more open
ground A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D, pseudomas and O. limbosperma become
more plentiful and D. aemula makes itself evident again but in small numbers. Beyond
Rubha Creagan Dubha speedy movement is impossible over An Scriodan, and the scramble
over the boulders — preferable for the fern hunter even at low tide — discloses a wealth of
ferns in all the crevices and hollows. P. setiferum is abundant and the conditions are
perfect for A. sco/opendrium, the dryopteris species, including some D. filix-mas,

A. filix-femina, and O. limbosperma which all grow strongly, as well as some A. adiantum-
nigrum, A. trichomanes and P. vulgare, while a patch of H. wilsonii was noted struggling
for existence on some dry rock. A pleasing discovery was a small colony of Ophioglossum
vulgatum growing happily in a small grassy patch. At the Cock of Arran there are deep
corries in the cliffs down which streams cascade, ideal places for 7. speciosum but none
was found in these, some of its erstwhile abodes on the island. The area is rich in other
species and in addition to those already recorded from An Scriodan, G. dryopteris,

P. connectilis and A. marinum are to be found. The conditions in the corries suit H. wilsonii
which is widespread on the wet rocks, but the great feature of this part is the super-
abundance of D. aemula. With P. aquilinum it is the dominant fern, growing thickly and
extensively on all the slopes, under the bracken as well as in the clearings, in the corries
and on the rocks which are festooned with young plants. Nowhere have | seen such a
prolific growth of this most beautiful of our British fern species. Beyond the Cock the
ground becomes more sloping again with scattered woodland and while ferns conurase to
be numerous the number of the species are fewer. D. aemu/a continues as 4 dominant one
all the way round to some rough wooded and rocky slopes to the north of Laggan where
it is in very strong competition with the bracken but so far is managing to survive SUCCESS
fully. In places the sheltered rocks support good colonies of H. wilsonii. South of Laggan
the steep slopes are cut by occasional shallow corries which contain good fern populations.
In them and along the open hillside and in the shelter of boulders 14 species were noted,
A. adiantum-nigrum, A. marinum, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina,

B. spicant, D. aemula, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, E. arvense, H. wilsonii, O. limbosperma,
P. vulgare and P. aquilinum. Along this north and north-east coastline we recorded a total
of 18 species, but there was a marked scarcity of D. filix-mas and a total absence of

P. aculeatum. An old record exists for H. tunbrigense but we have been unable pe find
this fern. One non-fern find by Etta Sommerville was the tiny Pinguicula lusitanica, a
delightful miniature butterwort which also grows on the west coast near Catacol.

141

Little exploration has been done between Laggan and North Sannox due to lack of time
but where we have hunted at the Sannox end in the Leac Gharbh woods and rocks, only

a very few fern species, the more common ones, were noted along with some P. connectilis.
At the Fallen Rocks and beyond to Corloch where the cliffs form a half circle away from
the coast along the top of a steep rise of about 700 feet, there is possibly good fern
country which will repay investigation.

To the west of Lochranza along the cliffs between Coillemore Point and Catacol ferns
are abundant and 18 species can be seen along this short part of the coast. The common
species are all present including, of course, D. aemu/a while D. filix-mas is not quite so
retiring. O. regalis can be seen on the cliffs well out of reach of acquisitive hands, both

P. interjectum and P. vulgare are there and some H. wilsonii, P. connectilis and

P. aculeatum. The lovely little Selaginella selaginoides grows in damp places and at
Catacol Bay a flourishing colony of Lycopodiella inundata can be seen near the bridge.
A short distance inland from here a small stream flows into the main burn from the
south side through a narrow wooded corrie which has a rich fern flora; A. filix-femina,

B. spicant, D. aemula, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, H. wilsonii and

P. connectilis all grow in abundance and where the main stream is joined A. adiantum-nigrum,
A. trichomanes and P. vulgare grow on the stone walls, with O. /imbosperma on the open
slopes.

Further south there are very promising habitats which were once occupied by the Killarney
Fern. All of them have been searched along the stretches of the west cliffs which are so well
protected by barriers of bramble, nettle and bracken as to be well-nigh impenetrable without
the aid of a machete to hack a way through. Between Catacol Bay and Immachar Point more
of the low lying ground is cultivated so ferns are fewer. We have noted 13 species from this
area, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. aemula, D. austriaca,
D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma, P. interjectum, P. vulgare, P. aquilinum and at
Immachar Point there are some good colonies of A. marinum on the cliffs. From here to
Dougarie the slopes are steep and densely wooded making hunting very difficult. Near
Balliekine there is abundant P. setiferum in a deep ravine and along the slopes, and with it
are P. aculeatum, A. scolopendrium, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas,

D. pseudomas, P. connectilis and the hybrid D. X tavelii.

Fern species are more numerous again, although scattered, in the stretch between Dougarie
and Machrie and all those listed in the previous paragraph can be found with the addition of
A. ruta-muraria at Machrie where also, A. marinum is found on the sea rocks, and E. arvense
is to be seen. Sandstone cliffs run for some miles along the coast to the south of Machrie
and are another of the old recorded haunts of 7. speciosum. Again we have forced our way
through the jungle of growth guarding the wet chimneys, caves and other likely places in
search of the missing fern, but all in vain. Other species are abundant in this area from
Tormore to Drumadoon and 18 have been recorded by us: A. marinum, A. scolopendrium
and A. trichomanes are plentiful on the rocks all along, as is P. interjectum but we noted a
complete absence of P. vulgare which is almost exclusively the common polypody in other
areas we have visited. There is some A. adiantum-nigrum, O. limbosperma and P. connectilis,
and a few plants of D. aemula and P. aculeatum while O. regalis is found in damp cliff
crevices. The other species are A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, the
very occasional D. filix-mas, E. fluviatile, E. palustre and the ubiquitous P. aquilinum.

142

Drumadoon to Slidderywater Foot has always appeared to us to be an uninteresting fern
part of the Island and we have tended to pass over it quickly. Certainly, a stop at
Slidderywater Foot gave us a list of only 3 ferns — and one of them was bracken! — plus
the two common horsetails. For a part of the way the road runs close to the coast but on
the high ground, and it may be there is good fern ground on the rocky slopes by the
water’s edge. Inland on Corriecravie Moor and along the Allt Duilleachry which drains
the moor, a few of the more common species grow but near Torr a’ Chaisteil, an ancient
Celtic fort, marked ‘’‘Dun”’ on the map, there is a fine stand of E. te/mateia.

At Lagg ferns become abundant again and the Kilmory Water inland from the hotel flows
through a fern paradise. The number of species present is modest, only 14, but among them
are A. scolopendrium in super-abundance, P. aculeatum common and strong-growing, and
a large colony of E. hyemale which is the dominant form of plant life on an island over
100 feet by 30 feet formed by the division of the stream’s course for a short distance. The
surrounding water seems to contain the horsetail to the island where its growth is very
congested. Near the hotel A. adiantum-nigrum, A. trichomanes and P. vulgare grow on the
walls, and along the Water the woodland ferns A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas,
D. pseudomas and the hybrid D. X tavelii, along with B. spicant, flourish luxuriantly but
in places are swamped by P. aquilinum. On the steep banks of the Water P. acu/eatum
looks very happy and A. sco/opendrium is in profusion while in some places P. interjectum
is to be seen, chiefly on trees. The terrain gets rougher further inland until in about half a
mile the junction with Allt Mor Cloined is reached. This secondary stream emerges from a
deep narrow corrie which is exceedingly difficult to penetrate after about 100 feet but the
fern riches consisting of the same species continue in even greater abundance. This corrie
continues for some way until the stream is accessible again near Cloined but in its hidden
depths many other rarer ferns may be lurking. It is only this year that this place was dis-
covered and if we had had some of our young vigorous members with us it is possible that
the corrie could have been fully explored. Further up near Cloined where the stream
becomes open again, more E. hyemale grows along with E. arvense, E. sylvaticum and
E. telmateia. Ferns are scattered, consisting of some of the more common species. At
Kilmory Church A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and both

P. interjectum and P. vulgare grow on the walls, and nowhere else on the Island had we
seen the first two spleenworts growing in such profusion. Alas! the walls have now been
re-pointed, and the ferns are not now so abundant, although still there in goodly numbers.

The south and south-east coasts have also been very little explored, again possibly because
the fern interest seems to be lacking, but in this we may have erred. Short visits were paid

to Bennan Head to look in vain for Botrychium /unaria in its only recorded Arran station,
and to Levencorroch where the ferns seen were the common ones, few in number, but they
did include another colony of E. te/mateia; this also grows on the banks of a stream behind
Whiting Bay, another area we have dealt with only very sketchily. At Lamlash the old ruined
Kilbride Chapel has many ferns on its walls and on the stone dyke surrounding the church-
yard but the species are few, consisting only of A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and

P. vulgare, with some A. filix-femina, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas growing in oddcorners.

The only other part of the coast fully explored by us is the Corrygills area to ay south of
Brodick. The roadside and a large wood at South Corrygills support an extensive fern popu
lation although only 10 species are to be found, A. scolopendrium, A. filix-femina, B. spicant,

143

D. aemula, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma, P. connectilis, P. vulgare and

P. aquilinum. Along a stream in the wood it was noticed that D. austriaca was dwarf in

size and many plants had a crispness which suggested hybridity with D. aemula. At Corrygills
Point, reached by a rough steep track running down to the coast, the species are much the
same but on the side of the track £. sy/vaticum grows, also some D. carthusiana not
characteristically tall but short and more triangular as it often appears in many places. This
fern has also been found along the coast nearer Brodick.

Although most of Arran’s ferny places are to be found round the coast there still remain
many other localities with abundant fern populations, chiefly along the many burns which
flow from the interior, some of them in narrow deep valleys and, in places, inaccessible
corries. The best of them are in the south half of the Island, chiefly on the east side, below
the dividing line from Brodick to Machrie. Arran can be likened to a miniature Scotland
with high mountains to the north of the dividing line and flatter undulating land, much of
it arable, in the south. The road across from Brodick to Machrie marks roughly the division
and north of this no roads penetrate the mountainous interior which is a granite massif as
wild and impressive as any scenery in the Western Highlands, with high serrated peaks and
precipitous crags and the shapely peak of Goat Fell standing out as the highest point. Two
ways lead into these mountains, up Glen Sannox and further south near Brodick, by Glen
Rosa. Neither of these open glens is good fern country and in the former only 12 species,
none of them in abundance, have been recorded. Among them are G. dryopteris and

P. connectilis and on the high slopes at the head of the Glen leading to the jagged peak of
Cir Mhor (which means “Great Comb’’ — a most suitable name) and Caisteal Abhail, is the
Island’s only recorded (albeit pre-1930) habitat for Cryptogramma crispa, a record we were
able to re-establish; Huperzia (formerly Lycopodium) selago and S. selaginoides can also be
found in the Glen. A smaller glen leading into the hills from the east side is that of the
Corrie Burn. An exploration up this is memorable because of the rain which poured merci-
lessly down and drove us back cold and soaked through, but not before we had noted 13
species with the realisation that there are probably several more awaiting more propitious
weather conditions to be found. Those seen by us were A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. aemula,
D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, E. arvense, E. palustre, O. limbosperma, P. vulgare, P. aquilinum
and also D. assimilis and both hymenophyllums. This glen runs up to the foot of Goat Fell
and a climb up this mountain revealed only very few ferns, D. assimilis, B. spicant,

O. limbosperma and P. connectilis as well as H. selago, but again it was a wet day which
discouraged enthusiastic fern hunting.

In the north an exploration up Gleann Easan Biorach again produced few results but this
may be because the best part for ferns up a deep narrow corrie down which the burn drops
in a series of waterfalls for half a mile is impassable and cannot be searched. Only

A. scolopendrium, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas and O. limbosperma
were noted, along with H. wilsonii on the rocks at the lower end of the corrie. Nearer
Lochranza E. fluviatile grows in Loch a’ Mhuilinn. Penetrating inland up Glen Catacol 8
species were seen on the hills and the screes on the west side of the Island, A. filix-femina,
8. spicant, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, H. selago, O. limbosperma, P. connectilis and

P. aquilinum. These records show that ferns appear to be fewer in numbers in the interior
of the northern half of the Island but we cannot say definitely that they present the true
picture. Certainly, they have been pretty consistent from the various places we penetrated

144

all round the massif, but there is a lot of ground in the area, high and low, exposed and
sheltered, dry and wet, which could support many other species.

In the south interior, sheltered lush conditions suitable for ferns are more common except
on the west which is flatter and more exposed and has fewer burns. The only long one is
Sliddery Water which is very open with few ferns. Up its valley the Ross Road crosses the
Island to Lamlash and a journey across it revealed only A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca,
D. pseudomas, E. arvense, O. limbosperma, P. interjectum and P. aquilinum. Further north
Clauchan Glen is very much better. From Pien, a few miles inland from Blackwaterfoot, it
penetrates into the southern hills and on the south side a stream drops down from the high
Loch Cnoc an Loch in a narrow wooded valley with waterfalls. A scramble up this very
ferny place produced 14 species, but very much the usual mixture, A. adiantum-nigrum,

A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas,

D. pseudomas, E. arvense, O. limbosperma, P. vulgare and P. aquilinum with in addition

H. wilsonii and P. aculeatum. On the open ground in Clauchan Glen there is a larger selection
of species along the burn and on the hillsides and 20 were recorded, much the same as in

the wooded ravine below but there was no A. ruta-muraria and H. wilsonii, and additionaily
C. fragilis, D. aemula, D. assimilis, E. palustre, E. sylvaticum, G. dryopteris, P. connectilis,
and P. interjectum. The D. assimilis was found high up, some of it dwarf and some in rock
crevices with long stipes.

On the east Glen Cloy runs inland from Brodick and nurtures a large selection of ferns
which are equally abundant on the lower ground and on the hills at the head of the Glen —
22 species were recorded. In the sheltered lowland conditions along the wooded banks of
the river grow A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, O. limbosperma,

P. connectilis, P. vulgare and of course plenty of P. aquilinum. The Glen is a long one with
long heather clothing the hillsides at the top end, in which G. dryopteris is rampant along
with B. spicant wherever these ferns have a chance to see daylight, and at the foot of the
cliffs can be found A. trichomanes, P. connectilis, P. vulgare and P. aculeatum, while on
the way up the Glen D. carthusiana appears at times. Skirting round the cliffs and up the
bed of a stream to a higher plateau below Craig nan Fitheach there are calciferous sandstone
exposures in which D. villarii possibly grows as it is recorded from this area but we did not
find it. An old record for A. viride was re-established, and C. fragilis, D. assimilis and

H. wilsonii found. On the high ground also, H. se/ago and S. selaginoides grow with
dwarfed but well-established £. sy/vaticum, seemingly quite happy in its exposed habitat
on the plateau. Lower down there is D. aemula in some woodland. This whole area proved
most interesting and should repay further visits.

The Benlister Burn comes out in Lamlash Bay and the Glen which runs inland on the north
side of The Ross has an interesting fern flora. The Burn flows in places in open wooded
country and in others through deep ravines which fortunately during visits by us have been
accessible enabling us to examine the damp shaded rock walls in their cool depths. A. viride

is a fern which we have found far from common on Arran and has been seen by us in only
three places, one already mentioned at the head of Glen Cloy and another to be commented
on later, on the south side of The Ross. Here in the Benlister Burn corries it grows "
quantity, along with A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes,
H. wilsonii, P. connectilis and P. vulgare. The larger ferns are common all along the Glen,

A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, and in the sheltered ravine
conditions abundant P. aculeatum. On the open ground is plentiful 8. spicant, O. limbosperma

145

and P. aquilinum and the horsetails E. arvense and E. palustre are also there. Higher up the
Glen D. aemula and G. dryopteris can be added to the list along with more P. acu/eatum.
Further up still at the waterfalls near the top 16 species have been found, A. trichomanes,
A filix-femina, B. spicant, C. fragilis, D. assimilis, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas,
E. sylvaticum, G. dryopteris, H. selago, H. wilsonii, O. limbosperma, P. connectilis,

P. interjectum and P. aquilinum. On the crags at the top the numbers are reduced, only 6
species being seen, 8. spicant, D. abbreviata, D. assimilis, G. dryopteris, P. connectilis, and
of very great interest C. crispa which we have only found previously at the head of Glen
Sannox where the find re-established an old record; the Benlister Glen find is a new record
for Arran.

The older series of the one inch Ordnance Survey map shows an interesting area a little over
a mile inland from Lamlash Bay on the south side of The Ross road. A many-branched
stream flows north from the hills, all of the branches marked as narrow wooded valleys.
The latest edition of the map shows the whole area as a large Forestry Commission forest
and the detail of the narrow valleys is lost in the general green colour on the map. A road
runs through the forest, open to the public, but to get off it and down to the streams is

like fighting through a tropical jungle. Where there are no closely planted conifers there is
equally close growing bracken and to force a way through to the stream nearest the road
was all we could accomplish. We followed it down to the main burn, finding it in places
almost impossible to negotiate, but it is good fern country and presumably the other
adjacent valleys are equally good although possibly containing no other species than the
ones we found, 13 in number, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, B. spicant,
D. aemula, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, H. wilsonii, O. limbosperma, P. connectilis,

P. aculeatum, P. aquilinum and a polypody which we were unable to determine. Some

very deep and narrow parts where the stream had cut its way into the rock seemed ideal
places for H. tunbrigense and other ferns which are probably hidden away somewhere

along these small valleys.

Further up The Ross road a stream flows north from Urie Loch between the hills Gar
Bheinn and Squiler. It is a hard tiring walk from the road through long heather to reach
the burn which is a typical hillside one with waterfalls and narrow ravines. In the heather
G. dryopteris and E. sylvaticum are common and on some of the open ground D. assimilis
grows, also D. carthusiana in the wetter places. We also recorded A. filix-femina, B. spicant,
D. austriaca, D. pseudomas and the inevitable P. aquilinum. On the rocks higher up

C. fragilis was common, growing profusely in places, in company with A. trichomanes,

P. vulgare and in one place quite a good colony of A. viride. Some of the wetter rocks are
covered with H. wilsonii.

Much more of Arran remains to be explored although | think we can claim to have sampled
pretty fully the different types of habitat existing on the Island. In all we have recorded

31 ferns and 10 allies, a really excellent bag for any part of the British Isles. Many of them
are new records and old records re-established but there are many speces we have not seen,
A. ceterach, G. robertianum and P. australe which have not been recorded but may be
found in several suitable localities, A. distentifolium, B. lunaria and Diphasiastrum
—* Lycopodium) alpinum and of course T. speciosum all pre-1930 records awaiting

irmation, and D, villarii, lsoetes lacustris and Lycopodium clavatum for which up-to-
date records exist.

146

| append a list of species found by us which are new to their 10km squares in the Atlas of
the British Flora or appear as pre-1930 records.

Nat Grid ref.

16/83.

16/84.

16/92.

16/93

16/94.

16/95.

8639,8739
8935
8829/30
8832

8934

8831/32
8948

9449
9146/47
9452

——

Balliekine — Asp/enium scolopendrium, Dryopteris X tavelii,
Phegopteris connectilis, Polystichum aculeatum, P. setiferum.

Dougarie/Machrie — A. scolopendrium, Oreopteris limbosperma,
Polypodium interjectum, P. vulgare.

King's Cave/Drumadoon Point — A. scolopendrium,

Equisetum fluviatile, P. intersectum.

Leacan Ruadha — A. scolopendrium, E. palustre, O. limbosperma,
P. connectilis, P. interjectum, P. aculeatum.

Machrie — A. scolopendrium, O. limbosperma, Osmunda regalis,
P. interjectum, P. vulgare, P. aculeatum.

Tormore/King’s Cave — A. scolopendrium, O. regalis, P. interjectum,

Craw — D. pseudomas.

Rubha Glas — D. pseudomas.

Allt mor Cloined — D. X tavelii.

Clauchan Glen, south — P. connectilis.

Gar Bheinn/Squiler, burn between — A. viride, Cystopteris fragilis,
D. assimilis, D. carthusiana, Gymnocarpium dryopteris,
Hymenophyllum wilsonii.

Kilmory Water — D. X tavelii.

Benlister Glen, high — D. aemula, P. vulgare.

Benlister Glen, waterfall — D. assimilis, P. interjectum.

Benlister Glen, crags at top — Cryptogramma crispa, D. abbreviata,
D. assimilis.

Clauchan Glen — A. adiantum-nigrum, D. aemula, D. assimilis,

P. interjectum, P. vulgare.

Craig nan Fitheach — A. viride, D. assimilis, P. vulgare. .

Gleann Dubh — D. carthusiana.

Gleann Dubh/Glen Ormidale — P. vulgare.

Gleann Dubh, top — D. aemula, D. assimilis.

Pien — A. adiantum-nigrum, P. vulgare.

Catacol Bay — A. adiantum-nigrum, D. aemula, D. pseudomas.

Gleann Easan Biorach — A. scolopendrium, D. pseudomas.
Glen Sannox — G. dryopteris.

Glen Sannox, screes at head of — C. crispa, D. pseudomas.

Goat Fell, top — D. assimilis.

Loch a’ Mhuilinn — E. fluviatile.

Meall nan Damh — D. pseudomas.

An Scriodan — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium, D. aemula,
D. pseudomas, Ophioglossum vulgatum, O. limbosperma,
P. setiferum.

147

16/95. 9150 Catacol, 1 mile north of — A. adiantum-nigrum, D. aemula,
D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma, O. regalis, P. connectilis,
Selaginella selaginoides.
9552 Cock of Arran — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. marinum, A. scolopendrium,
D. aemula, D. pseudomas, E. arvense, G. dryopteris,
O. limbosperma, P. connectilis.

9651 Cock of Arran, east of — D. aemula, E. arvense.
9750 Creag Ghlas Cuithe — D. pseudomas, G. dryopteris, O. limbosperma.
9750 Laggan — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. marinum, A. scolopendrium,

D. aemula, D. pseudomas, E. arvense, O. limbosperma.
9651,9751 Laggan, 1 mile north of — D. aemula, O. limbosperma, P. setiferum.
9250 Lochranza/Catacol road — A. adiantum-nigrum, D. aemula,
D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma, P. connectilis, P. aculeatum,
S. selaginoides.
9350/51 Lochranza/South Newton — A. adiantum-nigrum, D. pseudomas.
9351 orth Newton — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium, D. aemula,
D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma, P. connectilis, P. setiferum.
26/02. 0129 Forestry Commission forest, south side Monamore Glen —
A. trichomanes, D, aemula, D. pseudomas, H. wilsonii,
O. limbosperma, P. connectilis, P. aculeatum.
0021 Levencorroch — D. pseudomas.
0425 Whiting Bay — D. pseudomas.
26/03. 0030/31 ) Benlister Glen — A. viride, D. pseudomas, E. palustre, H. wilsonii,
0130 ) O. limbosperma, P. connectilis, P. aculeatum.
0136 Brodick — D. pseudomas.
0235,0335 Brodick Pier, shore south of — D. carthusiana, D. pseudomas,
E. palustre, E. sylvaticum, O. limbosperma.

0239 Carlo, south of — D. aemula, D. pseudomas, H. wilsonii,
O. limbosperma, O. regalis, P. connectilis.

0035 High Glencloy — D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma.

0332 Kilbride Chapel, Lamlash — D. pseudomas.

0231 Lamlash, north — D. pseudomas,

0335,0435 North Corrygills — D. aemula, D, carthusiana, D. pseudomas,
. limbosperma, E. sylvaticum.
0334,0434 South Corrygills — D. aemula, D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma,
P. connectilis.
26/04. 0241/42 Corrie, south of — O. /imbosperma, O. regalis.
0242 Corrie Burn — D. aemula, D. assimilis, H. wilsonii,
O. limbosperma, P. vulgare.

0046 Glen Sannox Road — O. /imbosperma, P. vulgare.
0145 Mid Sannox — O. limbosperma.
0144/45 Mid Sannox, south of — C. fragilis, H. wilsonii, O. limbosperma,

P. interjectum, P. vulgare, P. aculeatum.
0145/46 Mid Sannox/North Sannox, sea cliffs — A. marinum, C. fragilis,
D. aemula, H. wilsonii, O. limbosperma, P. vulgare, P. aculeatum.
0146 North Sannox — D. aemula, D. assimilis, E. sylvaticum,
O. limbosperma, P. vulgare.
0046,0146 = North Sannox Woods — D. aemula, O. limbosperma, P. vulgare.

Ilfracombe, North Devon — 4/11 September. The drought conditions affecting the whole
country, and particularly the west where the water shortage was very serious, made us
seriously question if ferns would be sufficiently alive to make the meeting worth our
while. Nevertheless, we set off hopefully for the West Country and we were not dis-
appointed. Our centre was the Langleigh Park House Hotel in extensive wooded grounds
in the south-west of Ilfracombe, and for once it was most pleasing to find our complete
party all staying under the same roof. It was most gratifying too to have an attendance of
12 members, Win Baines, Eileen Brightman, Bert Bruty, Marjorie Castellan, Jim Crabbe,
Jimmy Dyce, Margaret Kingston, Martin and Hazel Rickard, Peter Temple and his sister
Pauline Temple-Simmonds,and Gwladys Tonge who all foregathered at the centre on the
Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday morning the party set off to explore the local cliffs with Adiantum capillus-
veneris very much in mind. This fern was to be found occasionally in bygone days all
along the cliffs of this south-west coastline but the uncontrolled depredations of the
collector virtually wiped it out of existence, and only rarely is it now to be found in
some of the more inaccessible places. Ilfracombe was one of its well-advertised habitats
and the last positive records we can trace of its continued survival are all from about the
middle of the last century. However, there are hidden recesses in the cliffs and in one of
these, extremely difficult to reach except by the most agile, we found a flourishing
colony with fronds much larger than any we have found in any of the few colonies we
know in different parts of the country. In fact, the specimen frond collected was so large
that the Secretary, incapacitated by a recent fall and unable to venture on the cliffs, at
first refused to believe that it was collected from a wild plant and thought he was being
the subject of a leg-pull! This find on our first day was a tremendous fillip to our morale,
added to the discovery that ferns in the area were not nearly so badly affected by the
drought as we had feared; they could still be found growing well, fresh and green, in most
of the many ferny places we visited. Along the cliffs other ferns seen were Asplenium
adiantum-nigrum, A. marinum, A. scolopendrium, Athyrium filix-femina, Blechnum
spicant, Dryopteris aemula — a single plant rather damaged, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas,

D. pseudomas, Polypodium interjectum, P. vulgare, the hybrid P. X mantoniae, and of
course Pteridium aquilinum, common here as elsewhere in the country. A subsequent
short visit to the area on the following day revealed the presence of another colony of
the Maidenhair Fern further along the cliffs but it was completely inaccessible. In
\lfracombe itself we noted Polystichum setiferum on banks and other places and also

A. ruta-muraria. Later in the day we moved along the coast to Lee, a few miles to the
west, and the road down to this small place tucked away in a deep hollow by the sea,

led through a wooded ravine valley, still unaffected by the drought, where in damp
conditions ferns revelled. Hunting along the road and up the nearby Borough Valley we
found 14 species, the large woodland species being the common ones, along with

A. scolopendrium, B. spicant and also D. X tavelii. The smaller ferns were not so
common and included A. adiantum-nigrum — a few plants only, A. trichomanes,

P. interjectum and along the roadside a colony of the horsetail, Equisetum arvense. Quite
a good specimen of A. scolopendrium ‘Cristatum’ was collected. A short visit to Morthoe
completed the day and there we noted A. bi//otii on the churchyard walls, accompanied
by A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria and P. interjectum.

149

On Monday we hoped to have Christopher and Mary Potts from Weston-super-Mare with
us but they had unfortunately to change their plans. We spent the morning on Braunton
Burrows, an extensive area of sand dunes and, in nqrmal seasons, marsh on the north side
of the River Taw estuary to the west of Barnstaple. We were joined by Mrs Tulloh, one of
the very active botanists in the area. She was able to lead us to interesting plant habitats
on the Burrows, in particular to a place where Ophioglossum vulgatum grows but the fern
had already gone below ground for the year. In the same place, however, E. variegatum
grows, very dwarfed by the dry state of the ground, and near it was some F. arvense. Both
polypodies, P. interjectum and P. vulgare, were also seen growing strongly side by side in
the sand.

In the afternoon a visit was paid to the Barnstaple Public Library which houses several old
herbaria, among them one of ferns donated by Miss Amelia Griffiths over 100 years ago.
We browsed through this and other herbaria for some time, hoping to find some information
on the whereabouts of some of the rarer ferns in the area but we got no real help from
them. It is of interest to record that stacked away among the old books was a bound copy
of the 6th series of the Jones Nature Prints, an unique publication by Col A M Jones in
the seventies of last century depicting impressions of actual fern fronds from the varieties
in existence at the time. We travelled back via Muddiford through a deep wooded valley
and at Milltown turned into a steep and narrow lane leading to Whiddon. It was full of
ferns and provided some good hunting; all the more common species were there with
quite a lot of A. adiantum-nigrum and both the usual polypodies on the steep banks,

A. scolopendrium was everywhere and on the higher ground P. setiferum became quite
abundant. An interesting but minor variety of the last-named fern was seen, very soft

and setose with semi-imbricate pinnules, but it was not collected.

On another fine fresh morning we set forth on Tuesday to explore further eastwards in
the Simonsbath district. Our first stop was at Kentisbury, a quiet little place lying in a
hollow of the hills, to follow up a very old record for A. ceterach on the churchyard
walls. It is still there but with its fronds well curled up to conserve its scanty water
supplies; with it were A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and P. interjectum, and other
ferns seen around the church were A. filix-femina, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas,

A. scolopendrium and P. aquilinum. A short distance before Simonsbath a stop was made
to visit the colony of Cryptogramma crispa which grows in the River Barle valley but in
the absence of the Secretary who was comfortably installed in one of the cars writing
these notes and was the only one in the party who knows the exact location of the
colony, it was not found. In the same area are two colonies of Phegopteris connectilis
which with the previously mentioned fern are two of the rarest species in the West
Country. This time a road leads right up to within a few yards of our objective and every-
one was able to admire this lovely creeping fern growing strongly in some boggy ground.
A very fine large clump of A. filix-femina ‘\Incisum’ af more than ordinary quality was
found in the same place and a few crowns were collected. Still in search of rarities,
another fern of the area, Gymnocarpium dryopteris which with C. crispa and

r Connects is far from rare in other parts of the country, was visited in its one and
only station in the West Country. Two very small clones with only a few fronds each were
seen and one is left with the feeling that this fern is on its way out in this part of the
cnnry. Not many other ferns grow near it and we recorded only A. filix-femina,

B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, O. limbosperma, P. vulgare and P. aquilinum.

150

A reduced party, joined once again by Mrs Tulloh, travelled to Lynton on Wednesday to
hunt around Waters Meet in the deep ravine where the East Lyn River and other streams
join forces. This wooded valley is full of ferns although the number of species is limited,
and only 10 were noted, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, B. spicant,
D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, Hymenophylium tunbrigense, H. wilsonii and

P. setiferum. The find of H. tunbrigense re-established an old pre-1930 record; it was
seen as One large patch and H. wilsonii as one rather dried up small colony. The most
abundant fern was P. setiferum, growing in large numbers and varieties were looked for
in vain. There is an old record for A. septentrionale in the Countisbury district to the
east of Lynton but the area is large with so many walls which could harbour the fern that
it was like hunting for a needle in a haystack, and, needless to add, our limited search did
not reveal it. Only very few ferns were found in this dry and bare spot. The Valley of
Rocks near Lynton was little better although more productive of species, but the slopes
are well covered with bracken already quite brown and late-autumny looking. The species
seen were A. adiantum-nigrum, A. marinum, A. scolopendrium and P. vulgare on the rocks,
and elsewhere A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas.

Thursday was a free day when we all went our various ways but fern-hunting was still the
main activity for some of us. During the morning the extensive grounds of the hotel

were explored and 11 fern species recorded, none of them exceptional except that

D. pseudomas and A. scolopendrium were in great abundance. Later, some of us hunted
along the coast eastwards and another colony of A. capi//us-veneris was noted high up on
the cliffs, well removed from collectors’ clutching hands. It would certainly seem that this
fern has not been so completely wiped out of existence on this part of the coast as has
been thought.

In Henstridge Wood in a deep valley inland from Combe Martin ferns luxuriate, growing

to a very large size in a lush terrain which is a jungle of bracken and bramble. The common
ones are the woodland species A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas

and some P. setiferum, along with B. spicant and A. scolopendrium, and on the trees

P. interjectum and P. vulgare. \n a short scramble down through the wood the D. pseudomas
and A. scolopendrium were noted in great abundance. Another very ferny place is the
Sterridge Valley to the south of Berrynarbor. In its upper reaches the lane drops steeply
down to the north from the high ground and both banks are liberally festooned with

ferns, albeit somewhat pruned back by the hedgecutters to make room for traffic. Here

the dominant fern was A. sco/opendrium, draping the banks and growing to a large size,
accompanied by A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and
some P. vulgare and P. setiferum. An exploration off the lane and along the stream

revealed these species in greater numbers and along with them were D. X tavelii,

P. interjectum and most pleasing of all quite a good colony of D. aemula, Our prev
find of a solitary plant near Ilfracombe was a new record for this square so it was most
satisfactory to reinforce the record with a good colony of the fern. Some A. adiantum-
nigrum and A. trichomanes completed the list for this lane. Further on we were pleased
to add another new record in the shape of A. ceterach seen on a wall as we passed
through Berrynarbor where we also noted A. ruta-muraria, a fern we did not see much of
in this square.

ious

151

Thursday was a day of cold wind and showers, a big change from the weather of the
previous days, but although still cold, Friday was brighter, drier and less windy. Our
hunting started at Trentishoe Down to the east of IIfracombe, in search of the fern allies
Huperzia (Lycopodium) selago, Lycopodiella (Lycopodium) inundata and Lycopodium
clavatum, all pre-1930 records for the area. We searched the open north-facing hill slopes
but the only pteridophytes seen were a few fern species in scanty numbers along the
roadside, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. pseudomas, P. vulgare and
P. aquilinum. At Hunter’s Inn a few miles further on in the deep wooded valley of the
River Heddon the story was very different and ferns were in abundance in very
congenial surroundings. We recorded 14 species, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium,
A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. aemula, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas,
D, pseudomas, D. X tavelii, P. interjectum, P. vulgare, P. setiferum and P. aquilinum.
The P. setiferum was abundant all up the road leading inland along the river valley, and
also lower down below the Inn. The spleenworts were few in number except A. sco/opendrium
which was almost as abundant as the polystichum and a good crested variety was collected.
There were not many polypodies and the common woodland species were in goodly
numbers. The D. aemula consisted as one fine colony below the Inn. There is an old record
for Osmunda regalis in a side valley above Milltown but we did not find the fern. Still
moving eastwards a short stop was made at Martinhoe Church. On the churchyard walls
were three spleenworts, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria and A. trichomanes, and in
the lane the more common species adorned the banks along with P. setiferum in fair
numbers. On one part of the bank which was dry and crumbly the variety find of the week
was made, looking very sorry for itself, starved and holding on with only a few roots. It was
a very promising young P. setiferum ‘Acutilobum’, the type that grows with prostrate
curving fronds, looking rather like a star-fish. This should be a very fine fern when it grows
to its full size with 2 feet long fronds, and tiny bulbils are already noticeable on its present
small fronds. We continued on our way to Lee Bay where ferns are prolific along the road
and in the woods above the bay. Down on the cliffs A. marinum was found, and higher up
11 species were seen, among them very large-growing A. scolopendrium and fine
P. setiferum. There was some A, adiantum-nigrum, P. interjectum and P. vulgare, and the
common ferns were A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas
and P. aquilinum. Retracing our steps to Woody Bay, very well named, a final hunt for the
week resulted in 10 species, A. sco/opendrium, A. trichomanes, B. spicant, D. aemula,
D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, D. X tavelii, P. vulgare, P. setiferum and P. aquilinum. The
aemula colony was the finest of the week with large-growing fronds.

In all, during the week we found 25 fern and 3 allied species which is the best bag we
have had during our many visits to the West Country. !t should have been larger, for the
C. crispa and a colony of Cystopteris fragilis not far away from it on some ruined walls
which were seen during our last two visits were not seen this time, nor did we find any

D. carthusiana or P. aculeatum — we certainly expected to find the latter. Old pre-1930
records list other species, such as O. regalis and there are both pre- and post-1930 records
for the allies H. selago, L. inundata and L. clavatum, as well as other species. It is very
seldom we find any worthwhile varieties in this one-time very rich fern-variation part of
the country, but this time we found three, A. filix-femina ‘\Incisum’ (very much superior
to the usual incisums seen fairly frequently in the wild), A. scolopendrium ‘Cristatum’

152

(a few plants, one of them really good) and P. setiferum ‘Acutilobum’, the best find of
all and the finest it has been the Secretary’s luck to find in the West Country during his
many years fern hunting in that region. All the more pleasing was the fact that it was
growing within a few yards of the parked cars and rewarded one of the few very short
and somewhat painful walks he was able to undertake.

We had expected to find the ferns in the area so overcome by the prevailing drought that
few would be left in a condition likely to give us much encouragement in our hunting
but we found this was far from being the case and in most places they were, with some
exceptions, looking remarkably fresh and green. P. setiferum appeared to be coping
particularly well wherever we found it, but in many places the story was very different
with D. filix-mas and A. scolopendrium, both of them tough ferns which one would
expect to see resisting more strongly; the male ferns were completely prostrate with
shrivelling fronds and large growing scolopendriums were lying in a state of collapse in
woods and hanging limp and yellow in colour down roadside banks. Wall ferns of course
were also suffering greatly but again it was noted how many of them were succeeding in
keeping their fronds fresh, while A. ceterach was playing safe with its normal dry
weather procedure in some of the colonies we saw, its fronds well screwed up, dry and
dead looking, but only awaiting the first refreshing rains to “blossom” out again. On the
whole there was little to detract from the pleasure of the week and its success was very
much due to the excellent leadership of Martin Rickard who knows the area well and was
tireless in his endeavours to ensure that we made the most of the time we spent there.

In the evenings we planned our activities and had discussions on various topics, with an
innovation by Jim Crabbe, of a mini-herbarium comprising a specimen of each British
Pteridophyte which helped to illuminate our thoughts and words.

| append a list of the species found by us which are new to their 10km squares in the
Atlas of the British Flora, or appear as pre-1930 records —

Nat Grid Ref.

21/44. 4846 Lee — Dryopteris austriaca, D. pseudomas, D. X tavelii.
4545 Morthoe — Asp/enium billotii.
21/54. 5546,5646 _ Berrynarbor — A. ceterach, Polystichum setiferum.
5844 Henstridge Wood — P. —
5147 Ilfracombe — P. setiferu
5146 ilfracombe, Langleigh ai House Hotel — D. X tavelii, P. setiferum.

= \\fracombe area, sea cliffs — Adiantum capillus-veneris.
5544,5545_—s Sterridge Valley — D. aemula, D. X tavelii, P. setiferum.
5047 Torrs Walk, near Ilfracombe — D. aemula.
21/64. 6547,6548 Hunter’s Inn — D. X tavelii.

6949 Lee Bay — A. marinum.
6748 Woody Bay — D. X tavelii. :
21/74 7448 Waters Meet, Lynton — Hymenophylium tunbrigense.

ADIANTUM CAPILLUS-VENERIS and
HYMENOPHYLLUM TUNBRIGENSE in NORTH DEVON M H Rickard

The records for Adiantum capillus-veneris and Hymenophyllum tunbrigense made during
the Ilfracombe meeting were the first published from native habitats in Vice-county 3
(N Devon) for many years.

According to the more readily available literature A. capi//us-veneris was last recorded
from the area in 1865 in Bellair’s Hardy Ferns. Subsequently, both Larter in Botany of
North Devon (1897) and Palmer in Fauna and Flora of Ilfracombe (1946) presumed it to
be extinct in the vice-county. This was blamed on the depredations of local people selling
roots to Victorian tourists. It was all the more surprising, therefore, to find this rare and
sought-after fern near Ilfracombe, in a locality clearly described by G S Gibson in 1846,
and again later in the week, in another spot reported in 1847 by the Rev W T Bree (famous
for Bree’s Fern — Dryopteris aemula).

The discovery of H. tunbrigense was also unexpected. It was found flourishing in a much
botanised area in exactly the locality described by Ravenshaw in Flowering Plants and Ferns
of Devonshire (1860) and again by Larter in 1897. After Larter no local botanist seems to
have seen it in this area although there is a more recent vice-county record from near
Okehampton in 1926.

These finds are of particular interest. They illustrate the surprising ability of rare ferns to
survive the Victorians’ trowels even in much publicised localities. Also they show the
value of very old literature records without which these colonies might have remained
unnoticed for another 100 years!

RLANTS OF GLEICHENIACEAE IN CULTIVATION AT KEW
R E Holttum and J R Woodhams

The principal thicket-forming ferns of the tropics belong to this family. Plants of several
species were seen by members of the Society who visited Kew on 22 May 1976. The
following is a brief summary of the growth-habits within the family, and a statement on
problems they present to the cultivator; we have seen no published statement on the latter
subject.

The three universal features of growth-habit are: (a) the plants have a long slender branching
rhizome, so that they spread rapidly when well established; (b) each frond grows by stages,
its apex remaining temporarily dormant while a new pair of branches develops, each pair of
branches being the same size as the previous pair; (c) the main rachis of the frond is not
strong enough to support this continued growth, so that the fronds form a tangled thicket,
or if opportunity offers they can use the support of tree-branches on the edge of forest to
climb to a considerable height.

These ferns only flourish in the sun. They form thickets when forest has been felled and

the ground is otherwise unoccupied; if trees grow up again the ferns are weakened and
finally die in the shade.

154

— showing various types of branching in Gleicheniaceae.
Gleichenia subgenus Diplopterygium, with drawing of the venation of a leaflet-lobe,
Gleichenia subgenus Gheichenia, with drawing of a leaflet-lobe for aieeuedy with A.

ta (ultimate branches longest); E, G. mi/nei (alternate inequality).
FGH: vated linearis. F, typical form; G. var montana (accessory branches present at
ultimate forks); H, var. a/ternans (showing a condition comparable to fig. E).

TES 7
Bacco

The family comprises four distinct groups of species which are sometimes ranked as genera.
But three of them have characteristics in common by which they differ from the fourth,

so that here two genera are recognised: Gleichenia with three subgenera, and Dicranopteris.
In all but the first subgenus listed below, frond-branches have repeated bifurcations, with

a permanently dormant apex in the fork. The genera and subgenera are distinguished by
the following key.

1. Young parts of the plant covered with flat scales having fringed edges, and small
stellate hairs; sporangia large, almost spherical, 2-5 in a sorus Gleichenia
2. Branches of the frond bipinnatifid (each similar in form to a whole frond of

Thelyp teris palustris);
3. Main branches of the frond never bifurcate; leaflet-lobes commonly 10-15 x 3-4mm,
with main vein and forked lateral veins subgenus Diplopterygium
3. Main branches of larger fronds often irregularly bifurcate with some permanently
dormant apices; leaflet-lobes 2 x 1mm with simple veins ..... subgenus G/eichenia
2. Branches of the frond forming a precise series of forks with a permanently
dormant apex in each fork .. subgenus Mertensia

. Young parts of the plant covered with hairs which are branched at their base and
sometimes above the base, scales lacking; sporangia smaller, distinctly stalked, 8-15
or more in a sorus Dicranopteris

a

Gleichenia subg. Diplopterygium. There are about 20 species, most of them on mountains
in the Malayan region, with a few in mainland Asia and Japan. A young plant of the
Japanese species G. glauca is now in cultivation at Kew. The Malayan species sometimes
form very large and dense thickets.

The lateral branches of these ferns are very like the pinnae of a tree-fern; they are never
forked. If the Gleichenia frond-apex did not remain dormant temporarily while each pair

of branches develops, each pair could not attain the same size as the preceding one (the
food-supply would have to be shared with the continued apical growth) and the frond would
ultimately have the same shape as a tree-fern frond. The controlling factor in this, as in all
other members of the family, is the temporary dormancy of the frond-apex.

The species of this subgenus are thus more like ordinary ferns than any other members of
the family. for which reason Diplopterygium is regarded as a basic group from which the

rest of the family could be derived.

Gleichenia subg. Gleichenia. There are about 10 species, in South Africa, on mountains
in the Malayan region and in Australasia. No plants are in cultivation at Kew.

The early fronds of a plant of this subgenus are like a miniature version of subg.
Diplopterygium, but branches of later and larger fronds develop various different ways of
forked branching, apparently in a rather irregular manner. The details of this on individual
plants have never been fully observed.

Gleichenia subg. Mertensia. This includes many species, growing in all parts of the tropics,
but few plants of large size. Each frond-branch develops by a series of forkings, with a
permanently dormant apex in each fork. In each species the pattern so formed is distinc
tive, due to variations (a) in the lengths of each growth between one fork and the next (all

156

may be equal or the later ones longer) and (b) in a development of alternate inequality at
successive forks. In all cases the whole pattern of development of a pair of branches is
completed before the main axis of the frond resumes growth. Three species from New
Guinea have made good growth at Kew.

Dicranopteris. Plants of this genus are the principal thicket-forming ferns in the lowlands
of the Malayan region, with some mountain species also, Most of them are usually ranked
as varieties of D. /inearis. Plants of two distinct varieties are grown in the tropical fern
house at Kew. These varieties differ in their branch-patterns and in the characters and
distribution of hairs. The branch-patterns all involve a series of forks and thus show some
resemblance to G/eichenia subg. Mertensia, but there are two differences. In Dicranopteris
only the ultimate branchlets are leafy, and there are a pair of deflexed short accessory
branches just above every fork. In G/eichenia subg. Mertensia several axes of the branch
system are leafy (not only the terminal ones) and deflexed accessory branches are lacking.

The branch-pattern in each species or variety of Gleichenia subg. Mertensia and in
Dicranopteris is very precise, and depends on the presence of a permanently dormant
apex in each fork; growth is continued by development of a branch on each side of the
dormant apex. This growth-habit involves a complex system of controls which has never
been investigated experimentally. The behaviour of plants brought into cultivation at
Kew appears to indicate that if one of the ultimate branchlets of a frond is damaged, the
dormant apex at its base may sometimes develop new growth and thus alter the pattern.
Dormancy might also be broken by application of kinetin or some other growth-
Promoting substance. There is scope for some interesting experiment by both methods.

Cultivation

Many rhizomatous ferns are easily propagated by cutting a branch off the rhizome with a
growing apex. But such cuttings from plants of this family do not survive. The only way
to secure a plant for cultivation from the wild state is to find a very young one which can
be dug up as a whole with its roots intact; the plants at Kew were all brought in this way.
Mr Barrie Castell, propagator in charge of the fern-units, plant-raising and stock-houses at
Kew, has found that it is possible to propagate this group vegetatively in two ways. The
method giving the greatest degree of success is to peg down the rhizome of an old plant
by a process similar to that of layering a branch of a tree. The rhizomatous growth is
secured to the compost surface in a container placed alongside the plant to be propagated
and left until it has formed a good new root system of its own. Once this has been
achieved its connection with the parent plant may be severed, but if the cut is made too
soon the severed part will die even though it appears to have enough roots. The second
method adopted entails the removal of a section of rhizome and substrate from a mature
specimen somewhat in the fashion of cutting a slice of cake, and potting the removed seg-
ment separately. The prime consideration with this latter method is to select a section
having active rhizome growth with one or more young fronds expanding. The cut section
of substrate into which the rhizome is rooting needs to be of generous proportions to the
rhizome growing on it.

Of the utmost importance when attempting to cultivate members of G/eicheniaceae is
Provision of the correct medium into which they can root. Fibrous bracken peat (the

157

top 6 inches or so of roots and litter built up where Pteridium aquilinum flourishes on
heathland) is the ideal substrate and,in fact, the only material in which these plants have
been found to grow satisfactorily. Nothing extra is added by way of fertilisers or compost
material, and indeed the plants will not tolerate applications of liquid plant foods which
promote the growth of most other ferns. This was discovered some years ago by Mr H J
Bruty at Kew.

Ultimately most plants in cultivation become very large and need to be replaced by others
propagated from them. The old plants do not take kindly to pruning. In their native
environment they grow continuously throughout the year; temperatures in the equatorial
tropics are about the same every day. Gleichenia plants flourish in the summer at Kew but
the winter months have resulted in some losses, perhaps from the combined effects of poor
light and occasional low temperatures. In common with the majority of ferns in cultivation
it is essential that the correct watering regime is adopted. Although gleichenias are
rhizomatous by nature the rhizome is not developed as a water storage structure and the
plants are very vulnerable to irregular watering. We have incurred losses through the plants
suffering stress due to excessive moisture loss; indeed once these plants reach a flaccid
condition the chances of recovery are slim.

The following table sets out analytical results from laboratory tests on three substrate

samples. Column 1 gives results from a bracken peat sample used for growing gleichenias.

Column 2 gives figures for a soil sample in which Gleichenia milnei and Dicranopteris

linearis var. montana were rooting at the time of their collection in New Guinea as young

plants for cultivation at Kew. Column 3 gives results for a sample of general potting compost

in use during the period in which these tests were carried out.
(1)

(2) (3)

pH 4.1 5.6 5.0

available P ppm 21 0 116

. K " 360 76 359

- 90 900 290

nitrate nitrogen = 20 8 94
extractable copper 3 6.0 22 1.5
exchangeable manganese ” 9.2 28 12.8

The pH values for all three are fairly low and it is interesting to note the levels of nitrate
nitrogen and phosphorus are very much higher in the general potting mix than in the
bracken peat or New Guinea soil sample. In Malaya these plants flourish on soils which are
known to be deficient in phosphates. In Java, where the soils are mostly of volcanic origin,
plants of Gleicheniaceae are much less abundant and do not develop in quantity on newly
exposed earth as they do in Malaya.

The above soil analyses were carried out by Mr R R Charlesworth, soil chemist of the
M.A.F.F. Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, at the South-east Regional

-Sub-centre, Wye, Ashford, Kent; we express our grateful thanks to him for this service
and for the interest he has taken in the subject. We thank also Mrs Joanna Lowe for
Preparing the diagram showing types of branching in the family.

158

A PTERIDOLOGIST IN SCANDINAVIA C R Fraser-Jenkins
Radley College, Abingdon, Oxon.

As a schoolmaster with a passionate interest in ferns, | am in the very fortunate position of
being able to spend most of my holidays travelling the length and breadth of Europe and
Western Asia in search of those eye-gladdening delights. My main stamping ground has
long been the lush wet forests of North-Eastern Turkey and the Caucasus — where exciting
finds such as Dryopteris caucasica arch gracefully up from the deep moss-beds of every
ferny glade; however, in all this travelling | had only made two short visits to the
northernmost parts of Europe, so in the summer of 1975 having returned early from
Turkey, | decided to make a visit to the north of Finland and Norway in order to see a
few of the special arctic and boreal species that grow there. In particular | had never seen
three rare and interesting species, namely Woodsia glabella, Diplazium sibiricum and, most
exciting of all for me, Dryopteris fragrans which is restricted to a very few clumps in one
small valley in the most arctic part of Northern Finland.

On the evening of August 21st | set off by car across the channel on the night ferry to
Oostende, and by hard driving was able to camp just outside Stockholm the next night.
The following morning on my first day of collecting | was thrilled to find many superb
plants of the hybrid Dryopteris X uliginosa (= D cristata x carthusiana). \t was growing
with its two parents in a boggy and mosquito-ridden Alder wood near Nortalje along with
Thelypteris palustris and it was a very pleasing moment when | stumbled across it. Pressing
fronds later on plastered with mosquito bites was only a trifle less so!

Proceeding across the Gulf of Bothnia to Finland | took the opportunity to visit Helsinki
Herbarium, and | was fortunate enough to meet Mr J Sarvela who discovered the only
plant ever known of the hybrid Dryopteris assimilis x carthusiana, and he very kindly
took me to see it in its natural habitat in Espoo province near Helsinki. The plant was
growing with large quantities of both parents in the complete absence of D. austriaca ina
boggy and mossy place under pine trees, and had three crowns. It certainly looked inter-
mediate between its parents but | was most impressed by the good eye for ferns that Mr
Sarvela has, as so many fronds of either species look somewhat intermediate — yet only
these three crowns are the real hybrid, which is triploid and has abortive spores.

From Helsinki | made my way slowly northward via Lahti and Kuopio through the rain-
storms and endless pine forests and lakes of Central Finland, finding many fine stands of
interesting species such as Lycopodium annotinum, L. clavatum, Diphasiastrum
complanatum — a species which with D. iss/eri is not found in Britain though it is
superficially similar to the wide branched D. alpinum var. decipiens sometimes found here;
Equisetum hyemale; E. sylvaticum; E. pratense; Phegopteris connectilis; Gymnocarpium
dryopteris; Dryopteris assimilis; D. carthusiana and Polypodium vulgare. | continued
northwards towards Ivalo near the Russian border, passing through a landscape where

the conifers gradually became shorter as birch trees increased in number and where
reindeer were often to be seen crossing the rough roads. | was exhilarated and fascinated
by the long sunsets seen across the multitude of small tree-lined lakes, and the bird life too
was exciting with Siberian jays coming in small groups to feed on cheese | threw to them,
by the car and even sitting on the bonnet!

159

ryopteris fragrans — Kevojoki, Utsjoki, a Sites across the Lyngen-Fijord,
N. Finland. N. No

Cystopteris montana, N.W. Norway.

re sapsetgs sibiricum, Gudbrandsdalen,
ingebu, Norway.

160

My main goal was to visit the colony of Dryopteris fragrans in the Kevojoki valley near
Utsjoki, and on August 28th after a longish walk around the Kevojarvi Lake | found myself
at the bottom of the valley with high hopes and face set to the west. It was not long before
| came across a likely looking scree and saw above me what I first thought was a Woodsia,
but indeed it was none other than that little gem — the hoped for Dryopteris fragrans !
There were just two clumps surviving there; the tufts of plants were a delight to the eye, a
gorgeous rich green colour with contrasting russet scales clothing the stipes and very small
stitt upright fronds, no more than 5% inches high and with glands on the axes glistening in
the sun — the whole plant smelling sweetly and strongly of lemons. | do hope people will
not be tempted to damage this population which must surely be in a precarious state.
Photographing it is so much better than collecting plants, which are anyway extremely
difficult to grow, and it is so unnecessary to place whole plants of it on herbarium sheets

as has been done in the past.

The next day it was a great contrast to come to the mountains and fjords of the north
coast of Norway at the Tanafjord. Immediately there was a multitude of species which
are able to live near the coast due to the warm Gulf-stream, but which are more or less
absent from the northern part of Finland — Dryopteris assimilis, D. carthusiana and
Matteuccia struthiopteris soon appeared along with some mountain species such as
Athyrium distentifolium and the delightful Cystopteris montana, whose feathery leaves
enhance roadside and woodland banks all over north-west Norway. Travelling westwards
along the winding and sometimes rather rough Arctic Highway one soon reaches the very
impressive Lyngen peninsula with snowcaps and blue glaciers hanging down the flanks of
the mountains towards the sea and making a most remarkable sight across the waters of
Lyngen. Near there is Sagelvdalen where there are two steep waterfalls above the lake of
Sagelvvatnet on highly calcareous rock. There are some interesting species by the upper
waterfall such as Gymnocarpium robertianum, the wisp-like Equisetum scirpoides and
another most interesting fern, the tiny Woodsia glabella. This last was growing among
Polystichum lonchitis clumps and is a very small narrow fronded Woodsia |ooking most
like Asplenium viride which grows with it. It is only when one looks closely that the
more dissect pinnae enable one to distinguish it. It is worth mentioning here that two
other species of Woodsia, W. ilvensis and W. alpina are common in Norway, Particularly
the former which can be seen on nearly every silicaceous rock cliff and is sometimes very
luxuriant with fronds up to eight inches long. A contrast to its rarity in Britain !
(Rickard 1972). One fern | did not see which might have been expected was D, oreades
but having investigated all the published reports from Scandinavia and Iceland (Love
and Love 1961; Sahlin 1962; Lye 1969 and Jalas and Suominen 1972), | can now definitely
state that it has not been found in the northern areas so far.

Regretfully | soon had to leave the far north and on my way down | was rather pleased to
‘find Dryopteris austriaca north of Grong, a good deal further north than any records in

the Atlas Florae Europaaae. Apart from many random stops and visits on the way, my next
main port of call was the little town of Ringebu near Peer Gynt’s stamping ground in the
Gudbrandsdalen which leads to Oslo as it is here that Dip/azium sibiricum grows on a hill-
side across the river from the town. It is a fairly common species in eastern Finland we
north west Russia but is only known from two nearby localities in Norway, and having not

161

seen it in Finland | was particularly keen to see it at Ringebu. It turned out to be quite
difficult to find, but eventually | spotted it in a narrow, shaded gully near the edge of the
forest, the sort of habitat where Dip/azium caudatum lives in the western Canary Isles.
The plant itself consists of a thin branching underground rhizome creeping through the
soil and giving rise at intervals to the large triangular fronds with remarkable shiny black
scales on the long stipe. It is really most unlike any other European fern.

From Ringebu | went post-haste back to Stockholm to visit the herbarium in the
Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet which is a most important place with some very interesting
collections from central Asia and a good fern collection. | was also very privileged to
meet Professor Hulten, at present working on a major new treatise on the distribution of
circumglobal plants of the northern hemisphere. He had some fascinating stories of being
shipwrecked in southern Kamchatka during the Russian revolution with a party of
Bolsheviks and of his subsequent travels in the area for several years in the 1920's. | was
also most interested that he knew the great Russian pteridologist Aleksandr Fomin very
well, as the more | have come across Fomin’s work the more outstanding | realise he was,
and it was pleasing to hear what a nice personality he was too.

In the herbarium | came across one specimen of a most unusual hybrid of Dryopteris
austriaca x filix-mas or D. assimilis x filix-mas, but most likely the former. The
specimen came from Hogkullen, a hill on the south side of Lake Vanern in southern
Sweden, and is quite unique, being utterly distinct from the fairly common species
Dryopteris remota of south central Europe, which | have seen in the field and in many
herbaria. D. remota has often been recorded under the names of hybrids, such as

D. carthusiana x filix-mas, D. carthusiana x pseudomas, D. austriaca x filix-mas or

D, austriaca x pseudomas. However these all refer either to D. remota, or in one case to
genuine D. carthusiana x filix-mas, and | had never before seen a genuine specimen of
D. austriaca x filix-mas. Unfortunately on making a fairly careful search of Hogkullen |
was unable to find the plant from which the specimen had been collected by J A O Skarman
in 1929, but it was pleasing to have found the herbarium specimen all the same.

My last excursion before returning to England was to see Asp/enium adulterinum growing
on the Serpentine at Taberg near Jonkoping: | had not seen this curious little fern in
Scandinavia before though in 1974 | found a good deal of another Serpentine fern
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum ssp. cuneifolium at Halhjem near Osoyra, south of Bergen

in western Norway. Finally on my return towards England | was very pleased to be able
to see the herbarium at Bruxelles, helped by Professor Lawalrée whose interest in ferns
led him to purchase some years ago the very important herbarium of Monsieur J Callé.

| am very grateful to Professor Lawalrée for his help in finding interesting and important
specimens during my visit.

From Bruxelles it is less than a day's drive back to Radley, to which | returned on

September 8th, just in time for the beginning of term, having had a thoroughly enjoyable
and fernful holiday.

162

References

Jalas, J. and Suominen, J. (Ed.), 1972. At/as Florae Europaeae 1. Pteridophyta. Helsinki.

Love, A. and Love, D. 1961. Some chromosome numbers of Icelandic ferns and fern allies.
Am. Fern J. 51 (3): 127-8.

Lye, K.A. 1969. Dryopteris abbreviata (DC.) Newman i Norge. Blyttia 27 (3): 125-131.

Rickard, M. H. 1972. The rarest fern in Britain. Brit. Pterid. Soc. Newsletter 10: 24-26.

Sahlin, C.1. 1962. Dryopteris abbreviata (DC.) Newm. fran Lofoten. Botaniska Notiser
115, 240-1

FERN FRONDS FOR INDOOR DECORATION J W Dyce

| always take a large selection of fronds from my garden for decorating the Society’s Stand
in the Specialist Societies’ Tent at Southport Flower Show. It is always interesting to see
how the different species stand up to the hot stuffy conditions in the tent and this year it
occurred to me that a few notes about them might be of some help to members who are
interested in flower arranging, and would like to introduce the green tracery of fronds asa
foil to the colour of flowers. It is unfortunate that the species and their varieties most
desirable for the purpose seem to be the least lasting and quickly droop in the confined
heavy atmosphere of the tent but in cool fresh conditions no doubt they would stand up
better. However, many flower arrangements will have to survive in adverse conditions and
those of our tent certainly test the lasting properties of fronds to the utmost and show
very definitely which are most suited for the purpose and those to avoid using. My
comments are applicable only to hardy ferns from the garden as | have no experience with
fronds culled from indoor and greenhouse ferns.

It is obvious that the harder strong-growing ferns such as the polystichums and male ferns
will last well, and all the polystichum varieties, even the more divided ‘Divisilobum’ ones,
Were still quite firm and fresh at the end of the three day Show. The dryopteris species,
D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, D. austriaca, D. carthusiana, D, aemula and varieties stood up
equally well, as did Blechnum spicant and the hardy foreign B. chilense. The polypodies
too kept their freshness, but a species which | thought would have lasted well — but did
not — was scolopendrium. Some forms, particularly ‘Crispum’ and the tougher ramose
varieties did keep quite fresh but the cristate forms quickly began to droop.

When | first took fronds to Southport | included a Jot of oak and beech fern which |
thought would enhance the vases with their beauty, but alas! they very quickly wilted
during the first day and proved to be quite unsuitable. Even the tough Adiantum venustum
finds the going hard and does not look too good at the end of the Show. | always take a
lot of lady fern fronds even though | know that most of them will wilt badly and be
almost unrecognisable before the Show is over. There are some good lady fern varieties
which are pretty firm and they come sguiichaedie not too spot be the finely divided
Plumose ones go limp in a matter o tth d of the first day.
These are only a few personal SBlartations about the behaviour of fronds of the more
Common ferns under extremely adverse conditions, but under good ones it is probable
that even the worst doers will prove to be longer lasting. However, the punishing
Conditions in our Southport tent certainly show up survival qualities and these notes on
my findings may prove of some use to flower arrangers.

SURVEY OF THE FERNS ALONG THE BIRMINGHAM CANALS
A R Busby

In response to my son’s many requests | found myself, one grey Saturday afternoon,
walking along a canal towpath showing him the colourful narrow-boats in Birmingham’s
Gas Street Basin. From Gas Street we were walking along the canal in a northerly direction
to Farmers Bridge Junction when rain which had been threatening all day drove us
hurriedly to shelter beneath an old bridge. Glancing casually at the brickwork | found
myself staring at a rather stunted hartstongue fern, Asp/enium scolopendrium. This was a
surprising find as, apart from cultivated plants in local parks and gardens, there are no
records for the fern in the Birmingham area. This aroused my curiosity about the flora of
the City’s canals and | decided to make a systematic search for ferns growing along them.

In an industrial city the canals and railways provide habitats which do not suffer from
frequent redevelopment and change, and although the canals are becoming more and more
popular for leisure activities it is only a tiny proportion of the population which bothers
to explore them. Consequently, the flora of industrial canal-sides has had some 150 years
to develop. (The Birmingham Canals were built between 1770 and 1830.)

The Ordnance Survey Map (2% inches to the mile) shows that there are some 25 miles of
canals in Birmingham and its environs and in the late summer of 1972 many of my lunch
breaks and most of my weekends were spent on my survey, accompanied by a colleague
who has a passing interest in ferns. Our first excursions took us along the Birmingham-
Wolverhampton Canal where, not surprisingly, the common fern encountered was bracken,
Pteridium aquilinum. \t made long green ribbons against the walls of factories and ware-
houses, accasionally finding a home in the cinders of the towpath or in the crevices of the
walls. Amongst the bracken was the occasional male fern, Dryopteris filix-mas, and one
or two good specimens of the scaly male fern,D. pseudomas, During our first walks a large
percentage of these ferns found were immature and sterile, and so were not reliable for
positive identification other than placing them in the “‘Dryopteris Group”. By the late
autumn we had covered the 4-5 miles of the Wolverhampton Canal as far as Smethwick.
This part of the Navigation is a complicated ribbon of water with Brindley’s original canal
taking a very tortuous route past the factories of Hockley, Soho, Handsworth and
Smethwick. About 1800 a new one, wider and straighter, was built by Telford and the
two canals at different levels are separated by a wide embankment. They pass within a
quarter mile of my home and in the spring of 1973 | began work on this local section in
the evenings. It was on one of these walks that | found the first lady fern of the survey,
Athyrium filix-femina, growing on the brickwork of Telford's Aqueduct. This beautiful
little bridge with its fussy cast-iron work strides across the Lower Birmingham Level
carrying the “Engine Branch” to the higher Wolverhampton Level. The lady fern was
rather stunted but carried fertile fronds. In company with the inevitable bracken and
male fern colonies it added to the charm of the old bridge.

On another visit | explored, about three quarters of a mile north of the Aqueduct, a very
steep embankment topped with a very fine stand of beech trees and found more colonies
of male fern and bracken. Near here is another of Brindley’s bridge masterpieces called
Galton Bridge and the beech trees on top of the embankment marked the place where
Galton House once stood. Demolished around 1916 the site is now occupied by vehicle

164

dismantlers, but in the shade of the trees amongst the debris of modern motoring, fine
specimens of the broad buckler fern, D. austriaca, grow, together with male and lady ferns.
| have searched the area where the garden would have been but, apart from the occasional
fruit tree and rose bush, no garden plants were found and there was no evidence of
cultivated ferns. On the way home, a few yards from Smethwick Top Lock, | stopped to
look at a few stunted dryopteris species growing in the mortar of a low retaining wall and
amongst the tangle of fronds was a solitary plant of the hard shield fern, Po/ystichum
aculeatum. During 1973 we concentrated on this north side and the City centre, noting
the ferns, collecting the occasional frond for pressing and keeping a black-and-white
photographic record.

We next turned our attention to the Fazeley Canal from Farmers Bridge Junction through
Aston and Saltley to Salford Bridge and the Gravelly Hill Motorway Interchange. The
ferns here were rather sparse in a drab environment of rusty corrugated iron walls and the
soot and grime in thick layers covering the brick and woodwork of industrial Birmingham,
yet even this dismal place could provide a surprise. Stopping to examine the brickwork of
the railway bridge which supports Aston station we discovered another “first” for our

list — a tiny plant of the maidenhair spleenwort, A. trichomanes, rooted precariously in
the crumbling mortar. We hunted around the forest of concrete pillars supporting the
motorway but the recent upheaval of construction work had obliterated all the original
flora. On the way back to Aston along the Bordesley Canal to the Digbeth branch we noted
the usual male and broad buckler ferns and found another fine specimen of the scaly male
fern close to the local power station. From the Digbeth branch near Aston begins the
Grand Union Canal but in the two miles or so of this branch’s length only male and broad
buckler ferns were in evidence.

In 1974 we started work on the southern side of the City. What a contrast this was to the
tree-less waste of industry existing on the north side! Just a short walk from Gas Street
Basin is the quiet tree-lined Worcester Canal passing on its way through Edgbaston.
Unfortunately, at this point it has only one towpath which necessitated the use of a small
boat to enable us to investigate the wooded bank opposite. Again only the three usual ferns,
the male, broad buckler and lady, were present. We were interested in the possibility of
finding fern variants amongst the plants still growing in the extensive abandoned gar dene
along the canal banks but our searches revealed nothing but the lady fern species which
must have been very popular and was still there in large colonies amongst the invading
bramble and bracken. Along the sides of the canal through Edgbaston to Birmingham Uni-
versity it was also very much in evidence, no doubt progeny of the garden colontes. The
happy find of a second maidenhair spleenwort was made on the Church Road bridge, and
on the bridge which carries the approach road to the University from Vincents Drive was
our second hartstongue fern. This was particularly pleasing as the first plant found near
Broad Street in 1972 had disappeared. The canal wends its way through Selly Oak and
Bourneville but here ferns were few.

The area chosen for the survey ended at Lifford some 300 yards north of the junction of
the Stratford-on-Avon and the Worcester-Birmingham Canals but a walk down to the
junction and a search on a small adjacent bridge revealed the presence of several colonies
of wall rue, A. ruta-muraria, thriving in the mortar.

Of the allies, only the common horsetail Equisetum arvense was evident throughout the
area and it formed enormous tangled colonies along the canal sides. Where it grows in the
dry ash-like substrate it produces an abundance of fertile shoots in April but in the richer
grassy areas it appears to produce vegetative growth only.

| am now devoting my attention to the Stratford-on-Avon and the Shropshire Union
Canals and | am sure they will provide many happy hours of fern-hunting.

National Grid references

Asplenium scolopendrium — 42/044836, 059868.

A. trichomanes — 42/059856, 089895.
Athyrium filix-femina — 42/024889, 051845, 059855.
Dryopteris pseudomas _ 42/027891, 053871, 097893.
Polystichum aculeatum — 42/025889.

Remaining species common to the area —

Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas, Equisetum arvense, Pteridium aquilinum.

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A NEW FERN FOR EUROPE JW Dyce

In the first week of May this year | accompanied Mary Gibby and Clive Jermy, both from
the British Museum (Natural History), to Portugal to search for a new fern species. The
fern, looking rather like and until recently regarded as one of the forms of Dryopteris
austriaca,occurs in the Canary Islands. During a visit to the Islands in 1968 by Professor

T. Reichstein of Basel in Switzerland and Dr G Ben! of Miinchen in Germany, they noted
that the fern seemed different and specimens were collected. Dr Benl’s plants were sent to
Clive at the Museum and he and Mary recognised it as a new species as a result of cytological
investigation and studies on spore morphology; they named the fern Dryopteris guanchica.
Later, Mary who is working on the dryopteris complexes, visited the Canaries to study the
fern and collect herbarium material. More recently, in a collection of dryopteris herbarium
sheets received on loan from the Botanical Institute at Coimbra, Portugal was a specimen
which Mary recognised as the new Canaries fern; it had been collected in the Serra da
Sintra to the north of Lisbon in 1839, and the question was, did it still grow there — if so,
it was a new species for Europe, and our small expedition was planned to go in search of
it.

A very comfortable self-contained holiday flat was obtained for a week in Ereceira on the
coast about 40 kilometres north of Lisbon, and the small and very beautiful town of Sintra
clings to the steep slopes of a very hilly area,which includes the Serra da Sintra and other
hills up to 1500 feet high and all densely wooded, lying to the south about halfway between
us and the capital city. We hired a small car so we were free to come and go as we pleased
and we crammed a lot into that week, exploring for ferns during the days and sampling

the gastronomic delights of Portugal in the evenings !

The Sintra hills were our Mecca and we were there as soon as possible on our first day. In
Sintra we were met by Dr Maria Ireneia Melo, a plant pathologist at Lisbon University, and
joined her and two companions in their car which took us up some extremely narrow and
very steep zigzagging roads to the high ground above the town near the National Palace of
Pena, a vast building which tops the highest peak, rising from the summit rather like the
fairytale castles of old. Its extensive grounds slope down the hill on all sides and are criss-
crossed with a network of roads and paths like a veritable maze in which it is the easiest
thing to lose one’s sense of direction and become completely lost — which is what we did
on our second day! we each had different ideas about the way to return to our Car which
had been left at one of the entrances to the grounds. In the end we emerged by another
gate some long distance round the hill from the car, but we blessed this confusion which
led us to a magnificent large fern garden in a secluded narrow valley with a stream running
down it. Tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica and one of the cyatheas, were a strong feature
but the large number of fern beds were filled with practically one fern only, a species of
blechnum. However, it was here we found our first D. austriaca which seems to be very
rare in the area and had till now completely eluded us; we read this as a good omen, for
after two days of vain searching we were beginning to feel somewhat despondent. After
all, it was nearly 140 years since the herbarium specimen had been collected from the
area and it was very probable that our fern no longer existed.

Up to now we had been devoting our search to the surroundings of the Palace and other
ferns were here in plenty. One of the most common was Davallia canariensis growing on
the ground, over rocks and on the trees some of which were festooned with the fern up to
40 feet above the ground. Other very common ferns were Po/ypodium australe and
Asplenium onopteris and wherever we went during the week we found them in quantity;
the latter was particularly handsome, growing tall and upright in large clumps. We also
noted A. adiantum-nigrum, A. billotii, A. ceterach, A. scolopendrium and A. trichomanes,
as well as Athyrium filix-femina, Cystopteris fragilis, D. pseudomas and Polystichum
setiferum, all good British species, and it was delightful to see in addition Adiantum
capillus-veneris on the stonework of water-channels in the woods and Anogramma leptophylla
growing on damp stone walls by the side of one of the roads. We also noted Selaginella
kraussiana and a few plants of A, hemionitis while in some places Woodwardia radicans
was growing profusely.

On the third day we moved on to the slopes of the Serra da Sintra proper which run along-
side the Palace grounds. The terrain was more difficult, densely wooded with areas of large
rocks but some narrow walks wound their way through the jungle, sometimes climbing
steeply at others dropping down, with numerous branches running in all directions. The ferns
were the same as on the previous days and eventually we stumbled on a few plants of

D. austriaca once again. This raised our hopes for if this fern was here the habitat was right
for D. guanchica and it was possible it could be here, particularly as this, the Serra da Sintra,
was the locality mentioned on the herbarium sheet. Scrambling up a steep slope we forced
our way into thick undergrowth at the base of huge house-high boulders, and to Clive fell
the honour of discovering the object of our search. He was a little way distant hidden
among bushes when he quietly called “Mary”, but in a tone which sent us both scrambling
towards him, and there it was, the first find of D. guanchica to be made in Europe, four
full-grown plants in a spot where the overhanging trees and bushes had divided slightly to
give some light to the plants below. Nearby, round the corner of a large rock was another
plant, the largest of them. Last year’s fronds were still fresh and green and this year’s ones
were fully grown but lighter in colour. The fern is superficially like D. austriaca but not so
Coarse and heavy looking, and all the final segments are more pointed. Two more specimens
were found in a deep crevice among the rocks and further hunting in the area near the
Paths discovered many more, so it would seem obvious to assume that the fern grows here
in good numbers. In a slight hollow were two plants growing along with D. austriaca so we
were able to compare the two species and obtain interesting photographic records of them.

For our remaining three days we ranged further afield, one day in the woods eastwards of
Sintra to find out if D. guanchica was there but we did not find it; on another day we
travelled north to the limestone hills of the Serra de Montejunto where the spring flowers
were in full bloom and claimed all our attention. A dwarf white cistus was carpeting the

high ground, with abundant Narcissus bulbocodium, the hoop-petticoat daffodil, scattered
through it; there were several orchids, some familiar, others not, and on the slopes were
dotted large plants of a lovely large-flowered peony, Paeonia broteroi. Our last day was spent
On the coastal sand-dunes near Ereceira — again we were tramping over a gaily coloured
Carpet Composed of a magnificent array of blossoms in all colours, a gardener’s — anda
botanist’s — paradise.

LECA AS A SOIL IMPROVER Erik Aarestrup, Denmark

Leca, an acronym from the initial letters of Light Expanded Clay Aggregate, appears as
granules of various shapes and sizes, made of an inner clinkerized cellular structure and
an outside hard and resisting coating. Leca is especially produced for insulating purposes
in buildings but | have now made a lot of experiments with it in the garden and have had
many good results with it.

It is sold in three sizes, Leca gravel 0-3 mm, Leca peas 3-10 mm, and Leca nuts 10-20 mm.
| have used crushed granite in many soil mixtures for ferns, rhododendrons and other
plants with satisfactory results but granite is very heavy and expensive, so | have looked
for other answers. When two years ago | visited the Botanical Gardens in Aarhus and
discussed soil mixtures with Mr Dixen, the Director, he suddenly said — “Why not use
Leca instead of crushed granite? It is light, very easy to handle, very cheap and chemically
inert’,

When I returned home | bought some bags of Leca peas and covered the surface in some
of my frames containing ferns with a layer of %1 inch of Leca peas. What happened? The
Leca kept the humidity in the soil (the earth-worms could work instantly) but allowed
Passage of air and rain. The soil was very loose and the ferns thrived fantastically. Such
different “guys’’ as Cheilanthes marantae, Asplenosorus ebenoides and others grew as if
they were in their normal habitats in nature. Since then | have bought 30 bags of Leca in
all three sizes. | covered the surface in all frames with Leca peas. It was all successful.
have covered the soil about roses, rhododendrons and ericas with Leca peas and nuts. It
seems to be very useful. (There is a problem — the removal of weeds is more difficult, of
course. You have to use your hands instead of tools.)

Leca peas mixed with soil gives a very good mixture, loose and healthy, for the plants.

All soil mixtures used by the Botanical Institute in Aarhus now contain Leca. But there is
a little problem with sterilisation — if you pour boiling water on pots with soil mixtures
containing Leca, the Leca peas or gravel come up to the surface because they are so light.
The smallest size, Leca gravel, is very fine for special soil mixtures. | have tried to cover
the surface in pots, after sterilisation, with a thin layer of Leca gravel before sowing spores.
Until now it has been very successful. By chance | discovered another advantage. If you
want to sow tree seeds, then make a good surface of soil, put the seeds upon the earth

and cover the whole with ‘4-1 inch of Leca peas. The small plants will rush up — no mould,
no fungus. | have never got so many Betula plants as with this method.

MOULD IN SPORECULTURES Erik Aarestrup, Denmark

| have had a lot of trouble with mould in my sporecultures and have tried many remedies
with more or less success. The best remedies also kill the gametophytes. One day | got an
idea, When my wife is conserving (jam, juice etc.) she always puts something in it to avoid
mould. Its name is ATAMON. It is a chemical substance found in red whortleberry but |
am sorry | don’t know the English chemical name. | tried it in my pots — success! No
damage, a fine protection against mould. Quite elementary, of course!

169

JNO. BEVIS — A CENTENARY Peter G Corbin

1976 is the centenary of the finding in the wild by Jno. Bevis at Hawkchurch, then in
Dorset, now in Devon, of that superlative Po/ystichum variant, P. aculeatum ‘Pulcherrimum
Bevis’. ‘Perhaps the greatest discovery of modern times”’ is Druery’s (British ferns and their
varieties, 1910, pl. 53, p. 368) quotation from the notes and descriptions made by Col.

A. M. Jones of Clifton to accompany his collection of nature prints of fronds. Some fern
lovers might question this: the decision of who really deserves the title of ‘Miss World’’ is
always a very personal one for viewers. Others might feel that this supreme tribute should
go to a variant of athyrium, polypodium, etc. There can, however, be no question of the
beauty of ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’. ‘““And there’s my Bevis’’ is the remark of every host to his guests
when conducting them round his garden at a week-end meeting of the Society, or perhaps
if in Jimmy Dyce’s or Reginald Kaye’s garden, it would be “Here are my Bevises’’.

But who was Jno. Bevis? Druery is the only (?) reference in which he is in this way named.
What Christian name does the abbreviation Jno. stand for? There are four other finders
listed in Druery’s plates with this same abbreviation in front of their surnames. This
question, clearly not vital, is one which | feel sure the Society's records will immediately
answer. [Dr F. W. Stansfield writing in 1897, refers to him as John Bevis — ED. |

There is another question. Is Bevis a variant of acu/eatum? “Many and hot have been the
discussions as to the species to which this variety belongs. Mr Wills ... stoutly maintains
that it is acu/eatum. ... Mr Wollaston confesses it is ‘a puzzler’ ... and suggests that it may
be a natural hybrid. ... Mr Fox adds that it has the peculiar shade of green of angu/are.”
These comments were written by Druery, following Col. Jones’ notes. Discussion has long
since cooled and it is now always referred to as acu/eatum. \t would, however, be
interesting to know for certain if it is acu/eatum. Could Leeds University or another fern
res ntre be persuaded to provide this definitive information as a chromosome count
from a root tip squash preparation? It wouldn't take more than five minutes, would it?

Lastly, do we accord to Jno. Bevis the gratitude and respect that he deserves? The Society
has no laurel-crowned bust or commemorative portrait of him. Might perhaps a search of
the Hawkchurch parish register be made to see if Jno. Bevis was born and died there, if

he married there, even if present day descendants of his are still there? It might just possibly
lead to the finding of an old sepia tinted photograph. Nevertheless his name is immortalized,
carved into the annals of pteridology; his fern unfailingly evokes admiration and pleasure.

Col. Jones, annotating his nature print of a Bevis frond, wrote “’... had this plant fallen to
the lot of the most aspiring hunter that ever bore a vasculum, he could scarcely have helped
feeling at the moment of discovery that he had not lived quite in vain;”’. He paused for a
moment and then continued writing ““ — but it was pulled out of the hedge in a ploughed
field by a common labourer who knew nothing of ferns.”

It would, a hundred years ago, have been unexceptionable to describe as a common labourer
a man who possessed no skill or training, who was possibly not in regular employment,
hedging and ditching perhaps only seasonally. And it is certain there was no intended dis-
Paragement of Jno. Bevis when Col. Jones wrote this, He was “the best type of an English

170

gentleman” (Stansfield, 1909, Br. Fern Gz., Vol. |, p. 45). His feelings of admiration for
this new variety were boundless and in striving fully to give due tribute to it, his pen raced
away with him. There was such a world of difference between the gloriously stately and
elegant beauty of this find and the undistinguished lot of its finder.

But Jno. Bevis had come to know the ferns of his road sides very well indeed while hedging
and ditching: not by their tri- and quadri-nomials, not as Polystichums or Athyriums,

perhaps not even as Hard Shields or Soft Shields or Bucklers. His sensibility of form and
beauty distinguished them for him and his keen eye saw them and gave him pleasure as he
cleared and trimmed along the verge. Immediately and instinctively he knew the uniqueness of
this fern clump when he saw it. His bill-hook should never hack down something so graceful.
Surely the gentleman he had seen from time to time slowly walking the lanes, looking intently
at the plants in the banks, lifting a leaf or frond with his stick to see it more closely, and
occasionally trowelling out a plant — surely he too would like it? Hadn't he said one day

that he grew them in his garden and enjoyed their different patterning? The patterning of

this one was different. If another roadman was Clearing this bend of the lane next year, his
hook would hack it out and it would be lost. And so “the whole find — a goodly clump of

six or seven crowns — was handed over to Dr Wills’”’ (Druery 1910).

Jno. Bevis knew ferns and lived not in vain.

SPORE AND PLANT EXCHANGE

Dick Cartwright has been working hard and has amassed a large selection of spores from
many sources throughout the world; they are enumerated in the list sent out with this
Bulletin. We thank all our members and friends who have given us their support and
enabled us to present this list but we are sure there are other members who can help,

so please do not leave it to the conscientious few who year after year ensure that we
have a worth-while and full list of spores to present to you.

Only one member is utilising our “WANTS” service this year — John Phillips, 6 Calais
Street, Myatts Field, London SE5, who requests —

Any form, spores or plants would be welcome of
Polystichum aculeatum “‘Pulcherrimum gracillimum”’
Lygodium palmatum
Woodwardia radicans

NEW PROTECTED AREA IN BORROWDALE, CUMBRIA. Johnny’s Wood at the
south end of Borrowdale in the Lake District has been taken over by the National Trust
as an area of special scientific interest. The credit for saving this area of woodland with its
very interesting flora goes to Fred Jackson, one of our Vice-Presidents who lives in
Borrowdale and has been fighting for some time to achieve this end. It has taken him
about two years to save the Wood from the sheep; first he approached the Cumbria
Naturalists Trust which was unable to do much, and the matter was passed on to the
Nature Conservancy, and through them to the National Trust which has been able to take
effective action. Many of us are well acquainted with Johnny’s Wood and its abundant
fern flora which includes some of the more unusual species as well as variations, and we
Congratulate Fred on the successful outcome of his fight.

171

DAMAGE VARIATION JW Dyce

When wandering in ferny places one often notices fern fronds which are entirely different
from the normal form for the species and the first thought is that a variety has been found.
Such fronds are usually strong-growing and more coarse in texture than normal ones, they
can be very foliose with large pinnules which are overlapping and are generally more
divided. In some cases they are completely regular in their development which makes

them appear very desirable acquisitions for the garden but the majority of them are rather
ragged, depauperate and uneven in their growth which of course labels them straight away
as undesirable.

Such plants appear in a variety of habitats and are possibly most common later in the

year as secondary growth on roadside banks and verges and in hedgerows where the
growth of plant life has to be kept in check to allow free passage for traffic. In such places
the fronds are usually quite regular in their pattern, a lighter green in colour and much
more foliose and even more divided than the type. On dry banks Polystichum setiferum
and other species can appear as smallish growing plants with crisped pinnules and although
it is possible that some such crispums may be genuine varieties they should all be treated
with suspicion, and if collected the grower should be prepared for next year’s fronds
developing quite normally. An experienced fern hunter can in most cases decide on the
spot whether or not such a plant is likely to retain its character in cultivation.

Where there is traffic through fern stands, footpaths made by man or animals, or Cart-
tracks, plants are liable to sustain crown damage by foot or wheel or may even be torn
from the ground. This is particularly the case in Forestry Commission and other woods
where timber has been felled and the undergrowth practically destroyed by tractor wheels
and the dragging of tree trunks through it. In the cleared areas it is remarkable how
quickly the ground plants recover, and such is the viability of large fern crowns lying on
the surface or with only a few roots still functioning, that fronds are pushed up, even
from badly damaged ones capable of producing only one or it may be two. Such fronds
assume weird shapes at times. Frost damage killing off the larger part of a crown so that
only one or two fronds are capable of growing causes similar results and often too it is
seen on a steep bank where the soil has been washed away or there has been a landslide,
leaving fern crowns clinging by only a few roots.

Such fern development is not permanent as can easily be proved by removing one of the
casualties and establishing it in the garden. When pinnule crisping occurs on dry banks it
is probably caused by the plant trying to reduce its surface area exposed to the light in an
endeavour to slow down transpiration. The strong foliose growth of secondary fronds
after the earlier ones have been removed can be explained by the plant in full energetic
Production suddenly losing the outlet for its energy and thrusting it all with concentrated
force into the production of the few fronds still waiting to unfurl from the crown. The
case of malformed growth by damaged plants is less easy to explain but the latent life
force in large crowns must be great and has to have an outlet. It is very noticeable that
such plants develop only one or at most two fronds so that all the life force is channelled
into them giving the vigorous coarse growth. The damage to tissues of embryo fronds can
Possibly explain the distorted and depauperate specimens, and when there has been no
tissue damage we get the much fuller foliose and divided development retaining a regular
and balanced character which can completely mislead the unwary. Quite frequently | get

172

such fronds sent to me for naming and my enquiries elicit the true facts. Sometimes the
finders collect the plants and find out for themselves — the following year! Then they
write to me for an explanation. The short answer is, suspect all varietal growth associated
with plant damage or disturbed habitats.

There are other kinds of fern growth which cannot be mistaken for variation and these
must be mentioned. Distortion can be caused by sucking insects attacking the soft growth
of unfurling frond apices; this results in ingrowing congested clusters at the tops of the
fronds, in a way rather like cresting, but these are so obviously not natural with their
brown and dying centres, usually quite brittle, that they cannot be mistaken even for
depauperate growth. Nibbling of the rising croziers by larger insects, such as caterpillars,
or by animals, can cause distoriton of a more general nature, not just restricted to the
frond apices. These days chemical sprays are used a lot to keep plant life in check along
the sides of our roads and many of these distort growth but again in such an obvious way
which is so unlike variation that no one should be deceived. Equally obvious should be
the strong unnatural growth induced by over-feeding with strong manures,

ROUND THE SHOWS J W Dyce

Solihull Flower Show — 17/19 April. A R (Matt) Busby reports on his Fern Exhibit —
On the Stand were potted hardy ferns and a spore germination display, together with a
selection of the Society publications and fern books. It attracted a good deal of notice
and copies of our “pick-up” leaflet were handed to callers who showed an interest in ferns.
A few of our members called at the Stand which gave some encouragement to Matt,
Particularly as they had some kind comments to make about his efforts. Thanks are due
to the Solihull Horticultural Society for providing the space for the Exhibit.

Chelsea Flower Show — 25/28 May. The Fibrex Nurseries Ltd of Evesham had a very
fine fern exhibit which earned them the award of a silver gilt medal. It consisted of a
display of greenhouse ferns along the back, which included some magnificent specimens

of Nephrolepis, and in front was a large collection of hardy ferns, chiefly British ones.

The nursery is still in the process of building up a stock of show plants of the better fern
varieties, so a good part of the exhibit consisted of the more attractive species, but that did
not detract from its excellence.

| assisted at the Stand and was available for the duration of the Show to answer questions
about the hardy fern varieties. A surprising amount of interest was shown and it was very
obvious that ferns are coming back into favour once again. Their value for woodland
gardens and along the banks of garden streams is being fully appreciated as was evidenced
by the large number of enquiries and orders for ferns to adorn such places. Many people,
too, made a point of complimenting us on bringing back ferns to the Show after a very
long lapse of time — | don’t think any trade fern exhibits have been shown since the last
war — and remarked how pleasing and restful the different shades of green were, making
an oasis amid the bright colouring of the flowering plants.

The Society's “pick-up” leaflet was available on the Stand and it was also‘reprinted in
full in the Nursery’s catalogue, a very generous action which is much appreciated. We have
already benefited by an influx of new members and enquiries are still being received.

173

This first venture by Fibrex Nurseries in this field proved to be most satisfactory and
worthwhile and they are going all out to ensure that their Stand next year will offer a
much larger range of good fern varieties.

Following the success at Chelsea they also exhibited ferns at Southport this year and again
had a very fine display. But Southport is very different from Chelsea which is a show for
the dedicated gardener; Southport caters more for the general sight-seer and the holiday
maker who, generally speaking, know very little about ferns and this was very much
reflected in the interest shown and business done.

Harrogate Autumn Flower Show — 10/11 September. R Trippitt reports on a display of
ferns he put up at this Show, which earned for him a silver medal. All his ferns which were
on show at Southport, with the addition of a few others, were used for the exhibit, and
knowing the high standard of these ferns | am certain it must have been a very magnificent
display of some of the best of today’s varieties. To make ita little more “‘gay’’, cyclamens
and heathers and some autumn foliage were added and the general effect was most pleasing.
The Society's ‘‘pick-up” leaflet was on the stand and all of them taken, so | hope the
impression given by Bob’s beautiful plants will inspire more interest in fern-growing and
bring in a few more members to the Society in the coming months. Congratulations, Bob.

SOUTHPORT FLOWER SHOW 1976 J W Dyce

The long spell of very dry and hot summer weather had a devastating effect on ferns this
year and this reduced the number of fern exhibitors at the Show. However, it did not affect
the standards which on the whole were high and some fine exhibits appeared on the stands.
Both the Brookfield groups as usual were very good and very little sun-scorch was to be
seen on their Athyriums, much less than last year in fact! Rodney Brookfield’s group was
but little behind that of his father whose splendid collection of plants fully deserved the
continued award of the Society’s Silver Challenge Trophy. Lady Fern varieties predomi-
nated in both exhibits, among them Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae’, ‘Plumosum’,
‘Clarissimum’, ‘Frizelliae’, ‘Drueryii’ and ‘Cristatum’. Other ferns were Polystichum
aculeatum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’ and ‘Gracillimum Drueryii’, Polypodium vulgare
‘Cambricum’, ‘C. Hadwinii’, ‘Cornubiense’ and ‘Trichomanoides’, Asp/enium scolopendrium
“Crispum’, crested Male Ferns and some P. setiferum varieties. Far behind was W W
Howarth’s exhibit with small plants, many of them sun-scorched.

In the other classes there were several very fine specimens, and outstanding ones from the
Brookfields were A. filix-femina ‘Clarissimum’, A. scolopendrium ‘Bolton's Crispum
Nobile’, P. vulgare ‘Cornubiense’ and ‘Cambricum Hadwinii’. Bob Trippitt’s plants were
also up to their usual high standard, well on a par with and in some cases better than the
Brookfield specimens. Outstanding ones were P. aculeatum *Drueryii’ — a superb plant,

P. setiferum ‘Plumoso-divisilobum Densum’ and ‘Plumoso-divisilobum Iveryanum’, several
fine plants of A. scolopendrium “Crispum’, Lady Ferns and Male Ferns. Other exhibitors
were L Bayley, Mrs J Erdos and J W Dyce.

174

The prize-winners are listed below in order of winning —

Class 6 Group of hardy British ferns arranged naturally in an area not exceeding
100 square feet
N Brookfield, R F Brookfield, WW Howarth
Class 7 Six hardy British ferns (dissimilar)
N Brookfield, R Trippitt
Class 8 Six greenhouse ferns (dissimilar)
N Brookfield, WW Howarth
Class 9 ‘Three foreign ferns, hardy in Great Britain
N Brookfield, JW Dyce, W W Howarth
Class 10 Three scolopendriums
R Trippitt, N Brookfield
Class 11 Three polypodiums
N Brookfield, R Trippitt, R F Brookfield
Class 12 Three polystichums
R Trippitt, N Brookfield
Class 13. Three athyriums
R Trippitt, N Brookfield
Class 14 ~—- Three dryopteris
R Trippitt, N Brookfield, R F Brookfield
Class 15 =‘ Three plants, gymnocarpium, phegopteris and/or thelypteris
N Brookfield, R Trippitt
Class 16 ~—- Three aspleniums, excluding Asplenium scolopendrium
R Trippitt, J W Dyce
Class 17 =One British fern
N Brookfield, J W Dyce, R Trippitt
Class 18 One greenhouse fern
N Brookfield, L Bayley, Mrs J Erdos

The Fern Judge was, as usual, Reginald Kaye who reported that the standard of the
exhibits was good, but he was critical of the accuracy in the naming of some of the
specimens shown and would like to see more care taken on this point.

The Society’s stand in the Societies’ Tent was again well organised by Matt Busby who
was in attendance all during the Show, along with the Secretary plus some additional help
from Dick Cartwright and Bob Trippitt. We had visits from 14 members and from other
fern men who make a point of calling every year for a fern chat and to show us fronds
and plants, and we were very pleased to welcome our President, Dr Stanley Walker, who
Spent the better part of one day with us. Fern fronds and pot plants adorned the Stand,
many of them kindly loaned by the Fibrex Nurseries of Evesham who had an exhibit in
the big marquee. We also had fern books and journals on show and Matt Busby had a very
interesting exhibit on our front table demonstrating the growing of ferns from spores
showing the different stages in growth from the spore onwards; this attracted much
attention from passers-by and emboldened many to stop and ask questions which we were

to answer. We gathered in two new members and had many enquiries which we hope
will bring in more recruits.

175

VARIATION AND ENVIRONMENT
(in the Gardeners’ Chronicle 27 February 1897)

pecuas It seems to me the belief that no true variety will arise if the environment be constant
cannot possibly be upheld ............

The cause of the first departure is a profound mystery, as is the point of its commence-
ment. In the fern it may be in the spore, it may be in a modified antherozoid or archegonal
cell, or it may even be in some subtle local modification of the parental fern which
consequently produces a modified spore; but in any case, for the time being the origin of
life itself and that of its subsequent initial variation must be classed with first causes, and
therefore with the unknown, if not with the unknowable. At any rate it is well, as research
proceeds, to guard against the accepting as “‘beliefs”’ of theories which cannot be
substantiated, since the history of science is only too rich in stumbling blocks of this
description. Another moral which | deduce from the foregoing is that the study of domestic
plants alone is not sufficient; what is needed is a more extensive study of plants in the wild
state. This, | am certain, would lead to considerable modifications of the ideas at present
held of the greater variability of plants under culture. Most of these owe their variability
not so much to the culture as to the fact that they are the progeny of “sports’’, and hence
more apt to vary again for reasons above cited; but my own opinion, based on experience
in my particular line, is that original “breaks”’ occur just as frequently under natural con-
ditions as under culture, though the examples being isolated and scattered about among the
myriads of normal plants, are infinitely more liable to escape observation than where the
plants from seed to fruition are under the trained eye of the grower ever on the “qui vive”
for novelties.

C T Druery on Fern Hunting (From the Gardeners’ Chronicle 30 July 1887). The
discovery after long search of a rare species in a new locality is very gratifying, but
does not add anything more than a new name to the catalogue of the local flora,
but the discovery of a new and unique form, possibly of great beauty, possibly only
curious, adds something new to the flora of the world.

FERN VARIETY CONSERVATION. We have written many times in the past that while
the conservation of rare species demands that they be left severely alone in their habitats,
the opposite obtains where good fern varieties are concerned — they must be removed to
the protection of a garden if they are to be conserved. The experience of one of our
correspondents, Mrs Grace Flanagan of Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, emphasises this
argument forcibly. Some years ago she found a very good Polystichum setiferum
‘Divisilobum’ along with some lesser but good varieties of the same species in a lane near
her home. The divisilobum and some others were collected and now flourish in her garden.
She now writes — “It was very fortunate that | did save the best ferns from that laneside
bank, for the bulldozers have moved in and a big gap has been made through it just where
they grew and the workmen are laying sewer pipes. It is sad to see so many ferny places
disappearing, hedges being cut right down and roads widened, and even some ferns growing
down a grating in the town vanished in an explosion”.

176

MEMBERSHIP LIST — Additions and amendments

New Members
ANDREW S M, 3 Walnut Lane, ee Northwich, ary Rican CW8 10N

aie ki
BURNETT Brian W, Min y Grug, Llandegla, se LL113AA
CHAMBERLAIN R S, 84 Seanetanl d Road, Hastings, Sussex.
CHUEY Dr ret F, Department of Biological pret Youngstown State University, Youngstown,
~ 4455 5, USA.
CLA Miss Gunilla, The Anchorage, Iken, Woodbridge, Suffolk.
COOPER Murray J, 3 Courtside, Dartmouth Road, London SE26

n

A Oward i M6 9DZ
EDMONDSON John R, 20 Railway Avenue, Bridgewater, South Australia 5155.
GIBSON J B, 22 Cuckmans oe Chiswell Green, St Albans, Her
GLENROB NURSERY, RB and G A Larnach, c/o Post Office, Mannering Park 2259, New South

Wales, Australia.
GOMEZ P Sr Luis Diego, Musee Nacional de Costa Rica, Apartado 749, San Jose, Costa Rica,
ntral America.
GOODENOUGH iat Ww, 50 Lambert's Croft, Greenleys, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK12 6AS
HAMMOND P W, 3 Campden Terrace, Linden Gardens, Chiswick, London
HARRIS Stanley W, 1805 Fernwood Way, Belmont, California 94002, USA. Reinstate.
KED i

Dr Jan, DSc, Institute of Botany, in ies 46, ce 512 Krakow, Poland.
LANCASTER W, 115 Parkiand Drive, Stonegate Ro ae LS6 4
LANGHAM William, 242 Swallow Street, Iver, sone SL
LITTLE Mrs series 22 Tallawalla Road, Valentine 2280, Neos South Wales, Australia.
9D SA

Ss
MORGAN Dr M J oan, 58 Muswell Hill Road
MORTIMER A J, 7 Panorama Road, Ueber Park 5116, South Australia.
MULLOY Milton S, 90 Pierpont tg Waterbury, Conoen tet 06705, USA.

~~
OGDEN A H, 9 The Drive, Hopwood, Alvec setae eens B48 7AH
E27 OLS

=
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RAMSDEN Dr G F E and Mrs J M, 200 veaiey Road, ~~ _— Birmingham B16 9PQ
RIBBINS Mrs Maureen, 39 Hurstwood Avenue, Bexley
ROBERTS K M, Holden Clough Nurseries, Seed by- Sonata Clitheroe, Lancs
ROLLESTON Mela Park a Nursery, New Road, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, Kent.
SCHNELLER e Heslibachstrasse 16, pagheth i Kusnacht, Switzerland.
SCOLL Mrs Peat E28 Rua Principe de Monaco, Angra do Heroismo, Terceira, Azores, Portugal.
pt ad R J, 60 Annan ngrove Road, Kenthurst, New South Wales 2154, Australia.

pi 2B =" , Museo de la Plata, Paseo de! Bosque, s/n, La Plata, (Pcia anew Aires),

SPENCER fichard A, 13A Camberwell Station Road, London SE5 9JJ
STRONG Mrs Lois, 1346 Illinois Street, —— aa Oy Ore — 97420, USA
STRUCK Dr Peter, Bernstrasse 25, D-2 Hamburg 1

Gle

TURTLE Miss Sylvia M, 17 Giles House, 160 Westbourne Grove , London W11

ULSTER MUSEUM, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB, Northern Ireland.
WARD C L, Abbey Dore Court, Herefordshire pact

WILDEVUUR Ch R H, Ossenmarkt 8, Groningen, Hol

177

ta ap Edward J, 125 East 7 Street, New York, NY 10028, U
AMS Mar

helyn

YOUNGST OWN STATE UNIVERSITY, William F Maag L

oungstown, Ohio 44555, USA

Changes of Address

A.
rough, Cleveland.
iis Plains, NY 10603, USA.

ibrary — Seri ils, 410 Wick Avenue,

BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA, Hea peter Garden, : me oat tae Howrah 3, India.

BOUHAR erage Professor J, Univers e Catholique de Louva
Pi de la a — 4, 8.1348 Lowwaii- New,
CRAIG Jac 712, Cebu, Philip

=P
CRANE Dr Michael 9 wa Mrs R HB, 38 | High | Kingsdown, B
s Barbara S Parris, MSc, 165 Cambridge
‘ae, Department of Biological Sciences, fcr
n, Ibaraki-ken 300-31, Japan.

, Laborat
Belmar

e de Cytogenetique,

ristol BS2 SEW
oad, Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 1NS
sity of Tsukuba, Sakura-mura,

hir

165 eg Road, Chessington, Surrey.

aie Dyf ed, Wales
Victoria 3799, Austra

ELLIS O <r ‘Ee re ta Langholm Street, Newcastleton, Roxburghs

GRI IMES Jeffery W, BSc, and Mrs Hannah J, B

KAMER NS Mrs Edith M, Box 111, Lions Head,

KELLY A J, Cy thas Selen y Lloer, Ffarm wena

LAWRENCE D W, Overghy!ll, Horam, Heathfield recon TN21 OBG (TN21 not TH21)
LING Gordon F, Dip Ag Sci, Woods Point Road, Warburton,

NEWCAST UPON—TYNE UNIVERSITY, The Periodical

lia
s Room, Newcastle-upon- Tyne NE1 7RU
BL

Ow K,R
PRICE Michael G and Mrs Grace Romero-Price, Natural Science Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan
109, sis

REYNOLDS Tho
Pees

A Dr iMB,
STRACHAN o BA(Cantab), Li Toren, = Sse
SYKE

Die eosin of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico,

echhiggi gated Colony, Kankarbagh, Patna-20, India.
Bury, — enham, Bedford MK43 7PY

fe) dal, Cumbria.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF V WALES, The pea: Hugh Owen Building, Penglais, Aberystwyth,
23 3DZ

YOROI Miss Reiko, 3-chome, 14-10, Akabane Kita, Kita-ku,
Changes of Name

Delete — Brosnan Miss C Re-insert as —

Delete — Mayer Martin Re-insert as —

Delete from Membership List

F Ballard Miss S M Logan Home
E B Bangerter DrA ioe:
Mrs E Benton Mr and Mrs F H Jenkins
Mrs R Berry W T Lee
Mrs A Blair R P Libby
Mrs B A Brow W G Mackenzie
Miss M J Burnhill Mrs W R McFarland
D Campbell J Mills
Mrs H G Carden Professor Dr P Moens
R J Chinnock J Mynkantas
Mrs J W Clark Dr FD and DrA J Ott
P S Clark iss T Owen
Professor J Colhoun M Payne
M E Coulton Major C H C Pickering
J Drinkall B W Proudley
P B Freshwater AW Punter
Garden News R F Ransom
Dr J Ghatak N Robinson
R B Gibbons

178°

Tokyo 115, Japan.

MARSH Mrs Cynthia, 2/78 McAlister Street.
Donoonba 481, Queensland, Australia.
MEYER Martin. Address unchanged

Mrs M Rowley
S Russell- Thomas

Mr and Mrs J Sanders

E Simpson

RM —

Sir P Sm

Som Pits Farm babes

Mrs S B Spe

L E Stauffer

Professor E A Turnau
Vicary

A Whitaker

MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS

We are happy to make the following announcements —

Marriages: Richard Key — Julie Mairs on 9 October 1976
Miss Cynthia Brosnan — now Mrs Cynthia Marsh
Births: James and Margaret Merryweather — a daughter, Elizabeth Lucy,
on

13 October 1976
Martin and Hazel Rickard — a son, Edward Martin, on 29 December

1
Roger and Barbara Worland — a son, Tomec, in November 1975.

OBITUARIES

It is with great regret that we have to announce the following deaths —

F Ballard of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew who died on 25 January 1976. An Obituary
will appear in the next issue of the Fern Gazette.

Miss S M Logan Home, a member since 1960, who died on 25 January 1976.
E M Payne, a member since 1968, who died in December 1974.
Donald White, a member since 1973, who died in the early part of this year.

Norman Robinson, who died in October this year, was a member of the Society since 1960
and over many years took a very active part in the Society’s affairs, serving on the Committee
and pioneering the regional activities of the Society with a separate programme of meetings
for the north of England. For many years he was in charge of the Socienes, Stanaat
Southport Flower Show, and was always ready to give any help he could to further the
interests of the Society. And all this in spite of disabilities received in the first world war
which restricted him in many ways but did nothing to damp his cheerfulness and readiness
to serve in any way he could. We shall miss his cheerful northern voice greatly, particularly
on the Stand at Southport where he was always ready to help any enquiring member of the
public who called for advice on fern matters. He is survived by his wife and son to whom
we extend our deepest sympathy.

William Wright who died in the spring of 1976 joined the Society in 1958 and was always
active in our affairs, serving on the Committee for many years. Bill was a remarkable
plantsman whose main interest was alpines of which he had amassed an amazing collection,
all contained in a very small London suburban back garden. Every inch of available space,
not only horizontally but also vertically, was occupied by splendidly grown alpine plants
and Bill could unhésitatingly name and give full botanical details, world distribution and
any other facts required, for each one of them. | still remember vividly the Society's
excursion to Austria in 1965 which he attended. Clive Jermy was consulting various
reference books on the plants we had seen during a dav’s climbing; Bill was sitting at his
elbow and in every case had given full and detailed information about each plant before
Clive could turn it up in his books, and not once could the books prove him to be wrong.
Where alpine plants were concerned he was a veritable walking encyclopaedia! A sufferer
from asthma for many years, Bill ceased to take an active part in the Society's life some
years ago but always retained his interest and kept in touch. His wife died soon after him
and they are survived by two daughters to whom we extend our deepest sympathy.

179

MEETINGS PROGRAMME 1977

Meetings Secretary
Meetings Committee
Saturday

12 February

Saturday
12 February

Saturday
21 May

a ater
27/29

Saturday
18 June

separ gata
25 June/2 J

Friday/Sunday
5/7 August

Saturday
13 August

Hisense
18/20

Saturday/Saturday
3/10 September

Sunday
25 September

Saturday
15 October

A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambs CB2 50N
R F Cartwright, J A wma ‘- W Dyce, J W Merryweather,
M H Rickard, J R W

Indoor Meeting at the ae Museum . ee History), Cromwell
Road, London SW7 5BD, at 2.00 pm

Annual General Meeting to be held at the spaine Museum (Natural
History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, at 2.30 p

Visit to the Fern es and outside fern borders at nate Botanic
Gardens at 2.30 p

Weekend Saas in the Cotswold Hills.

Leader: Matt Busby.

Centre: The White Hart Hotel, Stow-on-the-Wold, Glos.
Visit to the R.H.S. Gardens at Wisley, prey Woking, Surrey.
Meet at 2.30 pm outside the Main Entran

Week anal te in the Lake District.

Leader ry Gibby and Jimmy Dyc

Centre: Earth House, Kents Bank Rosd, Grange-over-Sands,
Cumbria

Weekend Meeting at sien, Clwyd.

Leader: Matt Busby.

Centre: Woodlands Hotel, Trefor Road, Llangollen.

Visit to Oxford Botanic Garden, followed by a visit to

Henry Schollick’s garden at 96 Church Way, Iffley, Oxford.
Meet at 11.30 am at the Main Entrance to the Botanic Garden.
Southport Flower Show.

Many fern classes showing selection of best varieties.

Visit the Society's Stand in the Societies’ Tent.

Week Meeting at Scarborough, North Yorks.

Leaders: mes and Margaret Merryweather

Centre: Meersbrook Hotel, 40 Avenue Victoria, Scarborough.
Day Meeting at Wicken Fen, near se Cambs,

Leaders: Roger and Tony Wor

Meet in the Wicken Fen Car Park = 2. 00 pm.

Indoor Meeting at the British Museum (Natural bevscstic.
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, at 2.00 pm

REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS
Suitable dates to be arranged by direct personal contact with organisers —

Midlands:

South-west England:
Yorkshire:

AR Busby, Department of Biological Sciences, Uninests of
Aston in Birmingham, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 7ET.
Chris and ya Potts, 4 Montpelier, Wiceween ace: Avon. .
James and Mar. garet Merryweather, Ferniehurst, Station Road,

Bubwith, Selby, Yorks.

British Pteridological
Society

\ Bulletin

Missouri Botanical Garden Library
St. Louis, Missouri

‘Secretaria! Notes = a = 2 = ve a me
es ~ Treasurer's Report = s = - . “: 2
oe The Greenfield Fund a SO . < 2 2 4
- Financial Statement as = es. . - ae
~ Annual General Meeting

bo > ae oe oe

n hylfum tunbrigense in North Devon
M H Rickard

capillus-veneris and # y

R E Holttum and J R Woodhams
CR Fraser-Jenkins

of Gleicheniaceae in Cultivation at Kew

ee JW Dyce

- om AR Busby

a a JW Dyce

Be . Erik Aarestrup
a Erik Aarestrup

Peter G Corbin

ciences |
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THE
BULLETIN

Voi 1 1977 No 5

SECRETARIAL NOTES

Many of my correspondents from many countries find that they have to wait much more
patiently than in the past for my replies, and for this | must crave their indulgence. In
recent years the work of the Society has greatly increased, and inversely, because of
advancing years, my capacity for work has decreased! A few years ago Dr Barry Thomas
lightened the load by taking the Treasurership off my shoulders but now it has become
more oppressive again and | must needs shed more loads. This time it is the Membership
Secretaryship and again we have been exceedingly fortunate in finding the right man for
the job in Lt Col Philip Coke who is well qualified with previous experience in this kind of
work. He takes over the duties at the end of this year and will take charge of all member-
ship records, including subscriptions. A notice appears at the end of these Notes giving
detailed instructions for the guidance of members.

BPS RECORDER FOR FERN DISTRIBUTION — While on the subject of new posts, will
members please note that the Society has appointed A R (Matt) Busby, Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Aston in Birmingham, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 7ET,
to be our Recorder for fern distribution in Britain. All new records which in the past have
been sent to the Secretary or other officers of the Society, should now be sent direct to
Matt Busby, giving full details of where found, with preferably a full national grid
reference, and if possible, a frond for confirmation purposes. All new records received

will be passed on to the Biological Records Centre, and will also be published annually in
the Bulletin as is done at present with our field meetings new records.

MEETINGS — Meetings Cards for 1978 are enclosed with this Bulletin to all inland
members. Overseas members, visiting Britain, can obtain them on application to the
Meetings Secretary.

Please note that it is not essential to complete and return to the Meetings Secretary the
form attached to the Meetings Programme to become eligible for attendance at field
meetings, BUT failure to do so will mean that any additional information such as the
cancellation of a meeting or the change of date or venue cannot be advised to you.

Meeting in Mull — 1978. In the Meetings Programme will be seen the intimation of a
field meeting to be held in Mull this summer by the University of York Natural History
Society. All branches of natural history will be studied, and as the chairman of the society
and leader of the meeting is our member, James Merryweather, ferns will also come in for
their due amount of attention. Any of our members who would like to join the party are

cordially invited to do so, BUT please note that this is not a BPS meeting and all

correspondence should be addressed to James Merryweather, 8 Howard Street, York.
181

PUBLICATIONS BY AIRMAIL. We are prepared to send publications by airmail to
overseas members, provided they advise the Membership Secretary accordingly and pay an
additional subscription to cover airmail fees, in the case of full members receiving both our
publications £1.50, and for members receiving the Bulletin only £1.00. The amounts
should be sent with annual subscriptions.

READING CIRCLE. The American Fern Journal, a quarterly containing much information
for those seriously interested in ferns, is circulated to Reading Circle members. To join,
apply to Mrs Mary Potts, 4 Montpelier, Weston-super-Mare, Avon.

COMPILING A COMPREHENSIVE INDEX FOR THE FERN GAZETTE —

The Fern Gazette which was begun in 1909 is now in its 11th volume. Each volume has its
own index but none of them is very comprehensive and there has been a demand in recent
years from some members who possess and make use of the old volumes, for a complete and
more detailed index. We agree that such an index is overdue but so far none of the officers
of the Society has been able to spare the time to undertake the task. More pressure is now
being put on us to do something about it and we invite any member or members who feel
competent to undertake the work to get in touch with the Secretary.

THE GREENFIELD FUND — The Fund now stands at £1000 and there is accrued interest
available for help to members with approved projects. The requirements are simple and are
well within the reach of any member who may feel that he/she would like to undertake
some small project among ferns or for the Society but is precluded because of the possible
expense. The Fund was set up to help members and we invite applications which should be
sent to the Secretary. Applications should contain a brief synopsis of the project, including
dates of the proposed work and a breakdown of the expenses foreseen. The kinds of
iba envisaged include a study of the ecology and/or distribution of selected native
species,

IMPORTANT NOTICE. Wi// all subscribers and members please note that from 1 January
1978 the Membership Secretary of the Society will be Lt Col Philip G Coke, Robin Hill,
Stinchcombe, Dursley, Gloucestershire. All membership matters at present handled by the
Secretary and the Treasurer, ie: processing of new applications for membership, changes
of address, resignations, etc, and all subscription payments, except those made direct to
our bankers by bankers order, also all subscription enquiries, should now be sent to him
direct. While the Secretary’s address will continue to be used as the headquarters of the
Society and can still be used as a clearing office in case of doubt until the new system
becomes fully operational, WE ASK MEMBERS TO REMEMBER that the Secretary will
not have records enabling him to answer any queries concerning subscriptions, and he can
only pass them on to Philip Coke, incurring delay, additional postal expense and un-
necessary additional labour which the Secretary wishes to avoid.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Again | have to give thanks to our contributors who have
helped me by supplying material for this i issue, also to Jim Crabbe and Martin Rickard for
editorial assistance, and to Metloc for their unfailing consideration and willing co-operation.

182

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1976

ORDINARY ACCOUNT

Income
1975
£807.35 Subscriptions
Donations 6.25
Special donations for Stansfield Medals 63.00
82.72 Sales — seta beep ates Bulletins 97.42
6.0 orian Fern Cra 27.25
Rare 598.56
18.84 eprints 154.07
10.61 Sundries 55.28
38.01 Interest on Deposit Accounts
Expenditure
£251.00 Metloc a/c Bulletin Vol 1 No 4
790.00 Econoprint — Gazette Vol II part 4
Binding of Hardy Ferns
73.01 Printing and stationery
155.18 Administration expenses and postage
Subscriptions to societies
2.35 Bank charges on current account
Indoor meetings costs
Stansfield Medals
Capital advance to BPS booksales
Excess of income over expenditur
Balance carried forward from peceaiiel 1975
Total
Transfer to publications account 313.42
Transfer to Greenfield Fund 221.80
Balance carried forward in Ordinary Account
PUBLICATIONS ACCOUNT
Income Balance carried forward
Transferred from ordinary account
Expenditure
Metloc — reprinting Gazettes
Balance in hand
GREENFIELD FUND
Income Balance carried forward

Transferred from ordinary account
Interest

£
1997.40
69.25

183

TREASURER’S REPORT

This is the first Treasurer’s report covering a financial year running from January to
December. The change in subscription date, together with the increase in the amount due,
has created a great deal of extra work because of the large number of incorrect payments
which have been made. The Society’s financial position is reasonably sound, although
there were still many members who had not paid their subscriptions by the end of the
financial year. This results in costly and time-consuming correspondence. It would be
appreciated if those members who do not pay by standing bankers order would consider
doing so in the future. Bankers order forms can be obtained from the Treasurer. The total
amount of monies held by the Society has increased due to the greater revenue received
from both subscriptions and sales. Members should note, however, the greater costs of
printing the Gazette and the Bulletin, and also the effect of the increased postal charges.
The Treasurer is reasonably hopeful about the coming year. If prices are more stable we
should not find ourselves with a deficit for 1977.

Special donations for the Stansfield Medals surpassed expenditure which leaves us with a
small reserve for a future occasion. | would like to take this opportunity of thanking once
again those pedple who made donations towards these Medals.

This year’s secure finances have enabled the Committee to transfer an extra amount of the
Greenfield Fund to give it a working capital of £1000. The amount of accrued interest is
now £94 and there has not yet been a single claim upon it.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING — 12 FEBRUARY 1977

The 74th AGM of the Society was held at the British Museum (Natural History) in London
on 12 February 1977 in conjunction with the Spring Indoor Meeting. As usual it was well

supported by an attendance of 41 members. The President, Dr Stanley Walker was in the
Chair.

The Secretary reported a continued growth in the membership in spite of the steep increase
in the subscription rates and new members during the year totalled 69. It was still too early
to give an exact figure for the ‘drop-outs’, but the indications were that the year’s
recruiting had more than offset the loss. A breakdown of the membership figure of 509
showed 85 subscribers, 32 students and 35 husband/wife joint members.

The Treasurer's Statement showed our finances to be ina healthy state in spite of greatly
increased running and printing costs. The arrangement to take over from the publishers at
no Cost to us the unbound copies of Reginald Kaye’s book Hardy Ferns has worked well
and the book is on sale to members at a comparatively cheap rate, greatly benefitting our
Publications Fund. A transfer was made from this Fund to the Greenfield Fund to bring
the balance up to the aimed for figure of £1000.

In the editorial reports Dr Page stated he was successfully establishing a spring or early
ee publication date for the Gazette and the material for the 1977 issue was already
in the hands of the printers. (Unfortunately, printing delays prevented us from keeping to
our planned timetable. — Ed.) The Secretary reported that he is being well supplied with
Bulletin material and the 1976 issue was published at the end of November.

184

Dr Stanley Walker was elected to the Presidency for his second year in the Office and the
other officers were all re-elected. The retiring Committee members were Major Richard
Unett and John R Woodhams both of whom have been very active in the Society’s work
during their years in office and we are very grateful to them. They are replaced by Jeffrey
W Grimes and Stuart L Williams.

Mr Noel Brookfield of Southport was nominated by the Committee for honorary member-
ship in the Society and he was elected. This recognises his contribution to the fern cult by
his magnificent displays over many years of first-rate fern varieties at Southport Flower
Show with their consequent stimulus to new fern growers.

MEETINGS 1977

The Spring Indoor Meeting on 12 February at the British Museum (Natural History) before
and after the AGM was the usual informal gathering of members, 41 in number, among
them some new ones whom we were pleased to welcome, and who quickly learned as

they always do on such occasions that we are not as formidable as the name of the Society
would imply! There were exhibits to see, books to buy, plenty of opportunity for chatting
with kindred spirits and an acceptable buffet well organised by Joan Woodhams, which
was much enjoyed. Clive Jermy gave a talk on the distribution pattern of north temperate
ferns, and we finished the day with a showing of members’ slides.

The Autumn Indoor Meeting was held at the British Museum (Natural History) on
Saturday 15 October with a very satisfactory attendance of over 40 members and friends
present. The highlight of the meeting was the talk by George Gable of the London College
of Printing on “Botanical illustration and printing methods”, a subject dear to the hearts
of many of us who take a great interest in the fine illustrations in many of the early fern
books. We learned much about the processes involved in the production of these old
books, some of which were on exhibit. We also had frond exhibits, sales of books and
plants, and we finished the day with a showing of slides provided by members. The
catering arrangements were in the capable hands of Joan Woodhams and we thank her

for all the work she put into giving us a very enjoyable buffet meal.

DAY MEETINGS

Kew Meeting — 21 May. This hardy annual attracted the usual large number of members,
31 on this occasion, many of them new and experiencing for the first time the friendly
atmosphere which always surrounds this meeting. It was a great pleasure to have with us
and to welcome Miss Crookes from New Zealand, who revised Dobbie’s Ferns of New
Zealand and at present is busy on another revision. John Woodhams gave an informative
talk explaining the system employed by the Kew Botanic Gardens for the reception and
recording of the large numbers of plants received there from all parts of the world. He
also talked on potting mixes for ferns and we were fortunate to have with us Hazel Key
of Fibrex Nurseries in Evesham and her daughter Ursula, both of whom make the ferns in
the nursery their special care. From her experience as a successful grower of pot ferns
Hazel was able to contribute much to the discussion. Afterwards we did a tour of the
fern houses and noted with approval the new lay-out inside the entrance to the tropical

185

house. Thanks to the hospitality of Professor and Mrs Holttum many of us finished the
day with our usual gathering at their home, a few minutes’ walk from Kew, where we
did full justice to tea and our hostess’s delicious home-made scones and cakes. To cope
with the ‘“mob” which descended on them must have entailed a lot of preparation and
hard work — thank you, Eric and Ursula Holttum.

The Royal Horticultural Society Gardens at Wisley in Surrey — 18 June. A good
attendance of 22 members gathered outside the Gardens’ entrance and between us we
had a sufficient number of Fellows’ tickets to get the whole party in without cost. It
was a dull day but fortunately kept dry. We had with us Graham Thomas who last year
gifted his fern collection to Wisley. A fern garden has been laid out in the woodland
near the rock garden to accommodate the ferns which are settling down well and
include many very fine plants. With Graham living not too far away and Peter Barnes
our member who is on the Wisley staff, to keep an eye on the collection, it should
flourish and, we hope, increase in size and range by gifts of ferns from other sources.
We spent some time admiring and discussing the collection and most of the party had
a look round other parts of the Gardens and finished up with tea and cakes in the
restaurant before departing for home.

Oxford Botanic Garden and Henry Schollick’s Garden — 13 August. This was a very
popular meeting with 23 members and friends Present. We gathered at the Botanic
Garden at 11.30 am and after visiting the fern borders as a group we all went our own
ways to see the rest of the Gardens. It was pleasing to note that Athyrium filix-femina
‘Oxford Plumosum’ is still growing there — a fern with a most intriguing history, it is
now over 250 years old. After lunch — a picnic one in the Gardens for most of us — we
went on to visit Henry and Peggy Schollick at Iffley, and we spent a delightful afternoon
in their garden, wandering around to see the ferns and other plants or just chatting. We
were greeted on arrival with a glass of wine, and later Peggy laid on a buffet tea which
was very much enjoyed. Many of us finished up indoors among Henry’s large collection
of fern and other books and it was with difficulty that some of the party could tear
themselves away from his library. We had a most successful and happy afternoon which
fortunately kept fine and we thank our hosts for their generous hospitality.

Wicken Fen, near Ely, Cambridgeshire — 25 September. We had a dry but not too warm
afternoon for this meeting which 10 members attended. It could not be called a fern
outing for there appear to be very few ferns in the reserve, the only one seen in any
abundance being The/ypteris palustris. The others noted were Athyrium filix-femina,
Dryopteris austriaca, D. carthusiana, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas, and some of these we
saw only as single plants. However, it proved a pleasant get-together for some members
who have been unable to attend the longer meetings, and we could talk about ferns even
though unable to see many !

REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS
We again included in the Meetings Programme the names and addresses of members

willing to organise local meetings, and again Yorkshire members seem to be entirely
disinterested so there is nothing to report from this area. The other two regions, the

186

Midlands and South-west England continue to support their organisers and have
enjoyed some excellent outings. There is a need for more activities of this nature and
any member who feels that his area is being neglected by the Society and is prepared
to do something actively about it should write either to the Secretary or to the
Meetings Secretary and we shall give any required help.

Midlands. As well as organising and leading two weekend meetings this year and
giving talks on ferns to interested groups, Matt Busby has been very active on our
behalf in his area and we append four reports received from him. He is still being
approached by local gardening societies for talks on ferns and the interest shown at
these gatherings is very heartening. A number of enquiries is received about the work
of our Society and the advantages of membership. Gardeners are obviously interested
in ferns and such talks help to give them an appreciation of the value of ferns both in
the home and in the garden.

He tell us — “There is now much informal contact between members in my area,
especially between new ones who may not yet have many ferns to show but are happy to
have other members round occasionally for coffee and fern talk. | am very lucky to have
members like this and | am doing everything | can to encourage them.”

Solihull Flower Show — 23/24 April. Once again the Solihull Horticultural Society very
kindly allowed us to stage an exhibit of ferns on behalf of our Society. Due to the cold
spring weather only half of the exhibit consisted of hardy ferns, and the rest of the space
was filled with a collection of indoor ferns. The spore germination display aroused much
interest and the Society’s information leaflets were available to enquirers.

Meeting at the University of Aston in Birmingham — 7 May. On Saturday 7 May we heid
an informal meeting at the University which was attended by 9 members. The afternoon
started with a visit to the Fern House after which refreshments were served and colour
slides of ferns were shown. There was discussion on the possibility of organising a coach
trip from Birmingham by the group to visit gardens with fern interest but it was

decided that the cost of transport for such a small group is at present prohibitive. Our
Coventry member, Mrs Gwladys Tonge, delighted everyone by showing one of her
Paintings of Po/ypodium interjectum. We \ittle realised we had such artistic talent in our
midst and we look forward to the day when we can put on an exhibition of her work.

The Coughlins’ Meeting — 26 June. On Sunday 26 June local members were once

again given the opportunity to see Ray and Rita Coughlin’s lovely garden in Lydiate Ash,
Bromsgrove. Ten members and their families spent a sunny day among the ferns,

shrubs and alpines which adorn their secluded garden. Ferns which particularly caught
the eye were Athyrium filix-femina ‘Clarissima’, A. f-f ‘Plumosum Axminster’ and a
charming dwarf shield fern from the southern hemisphere, Polystichum mohrioides.
After a splendid cold buffet accompanied with our hosts’ excellent home-made wine,
the meeting ended and members departed taking with them many ferns, evidence of Ray
and Rita’s generosity. May | express the thanks of everyone there to our hosts for

their hospitality.

From 31 August to 7 September, Aston University was host to the 139th Annual
Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. | took full advantage
of this by opening my fern house to visiting members and provided them with

a free packet of hardy fern spores together with an instruction leaflet and the Society’s
information leaflet. The fern house was visited by many of those attending and it should
Prove to be a useful shop window for our Society to people who are always seeking
something different and challenging.

South-West England. Mary and Christopher Potts organised a similar series of three meetings
to those held last year and programmes were sent to all members within reasonable reach.
Anyone in the area who did not receive a copy and would like to participate in these
meetings in future, please contact the organisers. Mary says the programme had “‘a smarter
presentation this year but is devoid of ideas for new places to visit’. | am sure there must

be some members in the south-west with new ideas, so why not get in touch with Mary.

Her address is 4 Montpelier, Weston-super-Mare, telephone W.S.M. 28562, She and
Christopher are devoting a lot of time towards making the Society really active in the south-
west and they deserve all the encouragement and help they can get. Mary reports as follows
on the meetings —

The Potts at Home — 11 June. Our fern day was well attended with 9 members; the
morning was spent discussing plants and fern books and exchanging a wide selection of
fern species and varieties. After lunch — which was somewhat extended into the afternoon —
we visited Bristol Botanic Gardens. The cool and wet weather emphasized the lush growth
of the plants and shrubs after last year’s drought, and quite a different range of flowers
was observed from those seen in June ‘76. Both the hardy and tender fern collections are
fast expanding, some of the outdoor species being situated amongst the enormous water-
washed limestone rocks. These are formed into grottoes which must be Victorian in origin
and provide a perfect landscape for a fern collection. The tour of the Gardens was again
excellently guided by Mark Smith and some members left gratefully clutching gifts of
plants,

Philip Coke’s Fern Day — 9 July. Eleven members and friends met at Philip Coke’s house
at Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire. Philip has recently returned from a trip to Australia
and was able to show us some of the ferns that he had brought back. We saw some unusual
adiantums, one with fine pinnules and pink unfurling fronds, Dava/lia elegans and
Plagiogyria articulata. Philip’s own expanding collection of ferns kept us busy and enter-
tained throughout the day. The varieties of the lady fern — many grown from spores —
were looking particularly well. Many plants were exchanged and members left after a most
enjoyable day. — Many thanks to Mary Coke for providing us with an excellent lunch.

Kenneth Adiam’s Fern Day — 23 August. There was an attendance of 14 members and
friends at Kenneth Adlam’s for his fern day. Dolsheen Adlam coped excellently with the
large party in spite of having recently broken her arm and, with the help of friends, kept
us all ‘well fed and watered” throughout the day. Kenneth’s fern collection is flourishing
and yet more beds and borders are being dug to accommodate new acquisitions. We admir
some fine plants of Woodwardia radicans, Blechnum tabulare and pans of polypodies, also
a newly built wall crowned with varieties of polypody and planted on its north side with

188

varieties of Asp/enium trichomanes. Plants Were again exchanged, many provided by Philip
Coke who had generously split some of his own fine specimens.

Mary adds — All the south-west fern meetings have been well attended and much enjoyed
by members; information has been exchanged and new friendships formed. More people
are growing from spores and this facilitates the distribution of many species and varieties
of ferns at these meetings. It is hoped that other members in this part of the country will
attend some of these meetings next year when they will be assured of a warm welcome.
They really have gone with a swing this year, due, | am sure, to the copious amounts of
food and booze that have been supplied on all occasions. (They don’t sound like fern
meetings to me! Most unfortunately, | could not attend any of them and | certainly seem
to have missed something! — Ed.)

WEEKEND MEETINGS

The Cotswold Hills — 27/29 May. A very satisfactory number of 15 members and

friends reported on the Friday evening and Saturday morning for this meeting, centred on
the White Hart Hotel, Stow-in-the-Wold in Gloucestershire. Matt Busby was the leader
and had done his ‘home-work’ well. He gave us a very interesting weekend in this area
which is not over-rich in fern species but nevertheless produced 15 ferns and 3 horsetails.

We started off on foot on the Saturday morning to a deep narrow valley south of
Broadwell Hill. Matt had information that both Botrychium lunaria and Ophioglossum
vulgatum grew here but only the latter was found — in great abundance in a most
typical habitat. It seemed most unsuitable for 8. /unaria and | have still to be convinced
that it actually does grow there. In addition to the adderstongue we found 4 other ferns
and 2 horsetails in this valley, Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas,
D. pseudomas, Equisetum arvense and E. palustre. Of these only D. filix-mas appears in
the Atlas of the British flora.

Picking up the cars we travelled north on the Bourton-on-the-Hill road for a few miles to
an old quarry where we found flourishing colonies of Asp/enium adiantum-nigrum,

A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes and D. filix-mas. Further north at quarries near
Bourton only A. scolopendrium and D. filix-mas were seen. At Blockley 5 species were
noted on old walls in the village, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes,
D. filix-mas and Polystichum aculeatum. \n Bourton Woods we fared better with

A. scolopendrium, A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, Polypodium
vulgare, P. aculeatum, Pteridium aquilinum, E. arvense, E. palustre and E. telmateia. The
last stop of the day was in The Warren, a wooded area about 2 miles north of Condicote
where only A. scolopendrium, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, E. arvense and
E. palustre were found. In Stow itself were very few ferns but on the old walls in the
yard of the Kings Arms Hotel grew A. ceterach, A. rutamuraria and A. trichomanes. A
feature of the day was the very large numbers of new records for the At/as.

On Sunday we travelled south-west to Woodbridge and Chedworth Woods, only about 6
miles from the outskirts of Cheltenham. In Woodbridge we recorded A. ceterach,
A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. aquilinum

and &. arvense, and in the woods A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. carthusiana, D. filix-mas,
D. pseudomas, P. vulgare and P. aquilinum. Some of the party went on further to the

site of an old Roman temple where ferns were more numerous — they noted A. ceterach,

A ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas
P. vulgare and E. arvense. Again many of our records were new ones.

Llangollen — 5/7 August. We were a party of 7 members who assembled for this meeting,
centred on the Woodlands Hotel, Llangollen. On the Saturday morning we set off on foot
to explore along the banks of the nearby Shropshire Union Canal for about a mile to the
west of the town, returning along the parallel running River Dee. We recorded 14 fern
species, some of them in abundance; there were 4 spleenworts, Asplenium adiantum-nigrum,
A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium and A trichomanes, abundant Athyrium filix-femina
and Dryopteris filix-mas, a few plants of D. pseudomas and D. austriaca, both Polypodium
interjectum and P. vulgare, Polystichum aculeatum in quantity along the rocky wooded
banks of the river, a colony of Equisetum arvense and several patches of Pteridium
aquilinum, But, best of all, was a colony of Osmunda regalis, 3 or 4 good-sized clumps .
growing in the walls of the canal — this is a new record for the square, and rather a
surprising one for we could not understand how the fern could have been overlooked in
this exposed habitat. The D. pseudomas was also a new record.

In the afternoon we travelled to the north of Wrexham to Llay Bog where there is a good
stand of O. regalis to be seen. Another new record was D. carthusiana, growing nearby. We
finished the day in a wood along the banks of the River Alun near Cefn-y-Bedd, but the
ferns were few; a good colony of E. tel/mateia grows on the river banks in one place and

D. pseudomas was again a new record for this square.

Sunday morning was spent in the limestone mountains to the north of Llangollen, and

we explored along Offa’s Dyke, on the limestone screes below the high cliffs of Eglwyseg
Mountain, but they were too unstable to support a good fern population. We noted 9
species which included P. aquilinum struggling through the loose stone and very yellow in
colour. A. ruta-muraria and A trichomanes were fairly common and in one part D. villarii
and Gymnocarpium robertianum along with some A. scolopendrium, also a few plants of
Cystopteris fragilis which was another new record.

Although we did not find the area — in the Parts we visited — the best of fern country,
we had an interesting weekend and were happy to establish some useful new records.

WEEK MEETINGS

The Lake Déstrict — 25 June/2 July. Our centre was the Lymehurst Hotel in
Grange-over-Sands, chosen because it is conveniently situated for exploration of the south-
west corner of the area, a part which we have tended to overlook during our many visits
there. A very satisfactory turnout of 17 members and friends reported on the Saturday
evening and Sunday morning, . some staying with us for the week, others for only part of
the time or one day only. Among them we were Particularly pleased to welcome

Dr Gerhard Schulze and his wife, Margaret, from Ludwigshafen in Germany, and it is
Pleasing to know that we were able to give them a very interesting week among our

British ferns; we did our best to show them as many different species as possible in this
fern-rich part of our country.

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The leaders were Mary Gibby and Jimmy Dyce, and deciding not to ignore our immediate
neighbourhood as so often happens on our excursions, we spent the Sunday exploring
places in the vicinity of Grange. In the morning we visisted Eggerslack Wood behind the
town, walking up the steep slopes to the open fell beyond with its stretches of limestone
pavement. The wood itself was also on the limestone, much of it exposed rock with the
characteristic deep crevices, known in the North of England as grikes. We started the day
well with the find of a cristulate Po/ystichum aculeatum, but not a wild find really since
it was growing on an old rubbish heap and was obviously a reject from some local garden.
Anyhow, it is now back in a garden once more! We recorded 9 fern species in the wood,
Asplenium scolopendrium, A. trichomanes and P. aculeatum on the limestone and in the
grikes, and in the less stony places Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and in
a habitat which could not be regarded as typical,D. carthusiana. The other species were
Pteridium aquilinum and a few very small and stunted plants of a polypodium difficult to
identify but considered to be Po/ypodium interjectum. On the open hill above =
we noted A. ruta-muraria, Athyrium filix-femina, Cystopteris fragilis and D. villari

the last-named in quantity. The fern variety promise of the morning continued, ‘ans in
this short hunt we did better than during the whole of a week’s meeting in most years.

In the wood two fine ramose scolopendriums and a fully crested, very regular and
shapely male fern were collected, while on the open pavement above we found a very
interesting scolopendrium with its rows of spore heaps sunk into the lower surface of

the fronds and appearing as raised ridges on the upper surface. The spores are not yet
fully developed but there are indications that they will be discharged from both upper
and lower surfaces. Lowe records such a variety under the name ‘Suprasoriferum’.

In the afternoon we travelled west and down to Humphrey Head, a narrow limestone
headland on the coast projecting into Morecambe Bay. Our last visit was in 1964, when

a good P. australe ‘Semilacerum’ was found. We had no such luck this time but noted two
additional species to the records made during that visit, D. austriaca and D. pseudomas.

In all 10 species were seen, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium,

A. trichomanes, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. australe, P. aculeatum,

P. setiferum, also a large colony of the hybrid P. X bicknellii. Still with time in hand, we
visited the most northerly station (?) for Adiantum capillus-veneris which grows along
these shores. When we saw the fern in 1974 it was ina flourishing state and expanding its
habitat, but alas! the hot dry summer of 1976 has taken its toll and only a few plants
were to be seen where before they could be counted by the dozen. Let us hope, however,
that the crowns are not dead and will break into life again with the return to more normal
weather conditions. (Since our visit it has been reported to me that the fern is still
flourishing in abundance in a continuation of the colony a little further along the coast —
we turned back too soon! This is pleasing news. — ED.) Another casualty from this place
is A. ceterach; many very large and strong-growing clumps flourished on the floor of an
old quarry area and have now completely disappeared. A. trichomanes, another large-
growing vigorous fern in the same place, is still surviving but showing signs of its struggle
during the drought. This is rather surprising, for with its inbuilt protection against dry
conditions one would have thought that the ceterach stood at least an equal survival
chance with the trichomanes — which leads one to wonder if perhaps not drought but
unscrupulous collecting is responsible for the disappearance.

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We had hoped to have Fred Jackson with us but he was unable to make it, so on the
Monday we decided to visit him at his home in Borrowdale to see his fern collection and
to show our newer members some of the fern-interesting places in the dale. It was,
unfortunately, one of those Lakeland wet days but not excessively so, although it did
restrict our freedom of movement somewhat. We admired the many ferns in Fred’s small
garden under damp conditions — how very often have we done just that on many
previous visits! — and those in the party who had not been before were able to see some
superb ferns well grown, and some very interesting aspenium hybrids. Fred has a

special glass-sided case at eye level for these treasures, all beautifully grown in pots sunk
in spaghnum moss. This small collection contains A. X a/ternifolium, A. X murbeckii,

A. septentrionale and others including fine specimens of the crested and ramose varieties
of A. trichomanes. Dr Schulze who is very familiar with the asplenium hybrids on the
Continent was particularly interested in this collection.

In the afternoon, accompanied by Fred, we visited Johnny’s Wood. Readers may recall
that in last year’s Bulletin (page 171) ! included a short paragraph telling how Fred had
been instrumental in getting this very botanically-interesting wood taken over by the
National Trust to save its plants from grazing sheep. We noticed on this visit some of the
results of Fred’s action — the ferns growing as they have not done for many years. Soon
after entering the wood we admired a fine large-growing clump of D. oreades (abbreviata)
and abundant D. pseudomas very golden in colour. A feature of this wood is its D. assimilis
and there were many plants of what seemed to be a hybrid form which exercised the
minds of Mary Gibby and our other botanists for some time. We were also shown by Fred
an unusual large-growing lady fern with black scales and pink stems which were covered
with a grey waxy bloom. The wet weather made conditions rather uncomfortable so our
newer members were unable to see all of the large number of fern species which inhabit
the wood; in the past we have recorded 16 from this special area — A trichomanes,

A. filix-femina, Blechnum spicant, Cryptogramma crispa, D. assimilis, D. austriaca,

D. carthusiana, D. filix-mas, D. oreades, D. pseudomas, Gymnocarpium dryopteris,
Hymenophyllum wilsonii, Oreopteris limbosperma, Phegopteris connectilis, P. vulgare
and P. aquilinum. An interesting evening was spent in our hotel when Dr Schulze showed
us his herbarium collection of Asp/enium cuneifolium and other ferns collected on the
Continent, all of them superbly mounted.

Tuesday was dry and sunny and was spent in Silverdale where we visited Reg Kaye in the
morning to see his ferns. During the past year he has spent much of his time clearing a
large overgrown rocky part of the nursery and is establishing in it a large part of his fern
collection which can be seen to full advantage in this new abode. Fern variety growers
get overwhelmed when they see the size and range of Reg’s collections which occupy
several parts of the nursery and one would have to spend several days there to fully
comprehend the vast number of first-rate varieties he possesses.

During the afternoon we explored some of the limestone pavement areas in Silverdale,
but because we did not follow directions closely enough we did not find a very interesting
wonded part which we particularly wanted to see and finished up instead in some wood-
— _— was not over fern-rich where only 7 species in small numbers rewarded our
egnineldne However the afternoon was made memorable because we “‘mislaid” the two
ladies in our party for a couple of hours, quite worrying while the emergency lasted but

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it had an amusing ending which will be a cause for banter for some years to come
whenever these ladies are present at meetings!

Wednesday continued fine and with the object of showing more of the more interesting

of the Lakeland ferns to Dr Schulze and other members who were new to the area, we
travelled north through Ambleside to Thirlmere and up the west side of the lake to a

deep ravine running down from the hills above, Launchy Gill, into which one can penetrate
for about 200 yards until the way is barred by waterfalls. The stream was low and allowed
easy access to the deep sheltered spot where many ferns luxuriate in great numbers, among
them G. dryopteris and P. connectilis occupying crevices and ledges, along with C. fragilis,
P. vulgare and P. aculeatum. \n the deeper recesses is a large colony of A. viride and the
rocks are covered with H. wilsonii. During previous visits in 1971 and 1973 we logged

17 species for this small habitat and thought we had found all the ferns growing there;
nevertheless, this time we added two hybrids, D. X tavelii and P. X mantoniae. The others
are A. viride, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, C. crispa, C. fragilis, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas,

D. oreades, D. pseudomas, G. dryopteris, Huperzia selago, H. wilsonii, O. limbosperma,

P. connectilis, P. vulgare, P. aculeatum and P. aquilinum.

We returned through Ambleside where we took the opportunity to do some shopping for
the high quality wet-weather overclothing available there, then across to the west over
the very steep Wrynose Pass and down to the Duddon Valley. In one place here a magni-
ficent colony of Osmunda regalis grows and it is sheer delight just to stand and admire the
regal beauty of the well-named Royal Fern covering the steep slopes by the sides of a
waterfall. The other ferns along the river banks are A. filix-femina in abundance,

B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. oreades, D. pseudomas, and O. limbosperma, ail
equally abundant, P. connectilis, and on the rocks H. wilsonii. On the hillside above, the
ubiquitous fern of the Lake District, C. crispa, flourished in large clumps, particularly
along the road-side in the drystone walls.

The weather was far from promising on Thursday when we set off for Whitbarrow, famed
since the early days of our Society — and before — as the breeding ground of many of the
finest of our fern varieties; we still hope to find more and so this pilgrimage is undertaken
whenever we are within reach of this huge lump of limestone, about 3 miles long and 1 mile
wide, rising steeply to 700 feet. So far our hopes have not been fulfilled but there is an
awful lot of ground to be searched, steep slopes and cliffs on the sides and stretches of
Pavement and limestone ridges on the undulating summit plateau. This time a high wind
swept across it and drove the rain through our clothing — at least, in the case of some of
us who, having made full provision for such weather on the previous day, had absent-
mindedly left our new purchases down below in the cars! In spite of the weather we still
managed to make a complete check of the ferns, seeing all those previously recorded and
adding one more in the shape of D. oreades, bringing the total to 21. All the limestone
ferns were present, some in abundance, A. ceterach, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium,
A. trichomanes, A. viride, C. fragilis, D. villarii, G. robertianum, P. aculeatum and some

P. vulgare. \n the sheltered places, in the shade of and under the juniper bushes, A. filix-
femina was in fair quantity, along with D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas.
Although the hill is limestone, we find on the top many species which are not particularly
fond of lime, and indeed dislike it. In the hollows on the summit where the lime has been
leached from the surface by the vast quantities of rain-water which must fall on the hill

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and peaty layers have accumulated, we find B. spicant, that notable hater of lime,
flourishing in large colonies, P. connectilis spreading happily, P. aquilinum and

O. limbosperma, a\so D. carthusiana and D. oreades, while in a small pond a colony of
Equisetum fluviatile seems very much at home. Near the pond were some interesting
plants, found by the Doctor, which seemed to be a hybrid of D. vi/larii, and we regretted
that Mary Gibby who is doing research on Dryopteris, had to return home earlier in the
week and could not be with us to see them. Material has been collected to submit for her
opinion.

It was another wet day on Friday when we rashly decided to travel further afield and
visit Hutton Roof, another of those very botanically interesting limestone hills lying a few
miles south of Kendal. It has a vast expanse of pavement and a profusion of ferns filling
its grikes and crevices. We arranged to meet our member, Bob Trippitt from Bradford, on
the summit, else we would probably have changed our plans, for the Roof was in dense
cloud, the rain was falling and we had difficulty in keeping contact with each other;
without a compass we would have been completely lost. We did not explore far and saw
very little of the abundant fern life which we know exists there. It was one of those days
when | find myself wondering what there is about ferns which can tempt me out of a dry
warm car on to an exposed hilltop in driving rain and unable to see more than about a
few yards in front of me, with the risk of a broken leg or worse resulting from a skid off
those wet slippery rocks into a narrow deep grike! | and many other kindred spirits will
never know the answer. Returning to the cars we descended to the valley to seek shelter
and food in a pub, then wisely decided it would be foolhardy to return to the high
ground in the afternoon. Instead we retraced our steps northwards towards Kendal and
called at Sizergh Castle to see the ferns in the gardens there. They are in the charge of
Malcolm Hutchinson who unfortunately was away on holiday but we had an interesting
visit wandering round on our own

This visit ended another excursion during which we were able to explore some new ground
in this corner of England and renew acquaintance with some old. The fern distribution
pattern now seems to be well documented and only a very few new records were added
this year. Our variety hunting activities started off well on the first day but their promise
was not fulfilled and we saw not a single variation on any of the following days. For those
of us who visit the Lakes often there was little that was new but it was very pleasing to
introduce new members, including our friends from Germany, to the many fern delights
which we never tire of seeing on visit after visit.

Scarborough, Yorks — 3/10 September. Entirely new ground was chosen for this meeting,
centred on the Meersbrook Hotel in Scarborough, where on the Saturday 9 members fore-

None of them, | regret to add, were from the area although several live within easy
reach of the venue. Those who did attend came from London, Essex, Cambridgeshire and
Staffordshire, and our leaders, James and Margaret Merryweather, who live in York were the
only ones reasonably near. The country around Scarborough was a closed book to most of
us and we looked forward, rather questionably, to seeing what it could offer in the way of
ferns. In the event, we were pleasantly surprised and while the more exciting species were
absent, or nearly so, we nevertheless had a very good week.

On Sunday we travelled north for some 5 or 6 miles to Hayburn Wyke, an inlet on the

coast with a wooded ravine behind, down which flowed a vigorous beck. Our way down was

a wet and rough overgrown path and ferns grew strongly on the slopes all the way down to the
stream. We noted 14 species, among them the more common ones Athyrium filix-femina,
Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and Pteridium aquilinum. The lady and male
ferns were abundant and very large growing and with them were many fine specimens of the
hybrid D.X. tavelii. We were to see a lot more of this hybrid during the week, finding it almost
common wherever we went. Asp/enium scolopendrium was growing happily to a large size
along the stream and on the cliff walls below a waterfall, and Blechnum spicant was fairly
widespread. Both Polypodium interjectum and P. vulgare were found and we were

delighted with the abundance of Po/ystichum setiferum growing to a very large size and with

a number of good tripinnate forms among them. Incidentally, P. setiferum is not recorded

for this square in the At/as of the British Flora while P. aculeatum is — could this be a case

of mistaken identity? We found none of the latter species here or elsewhere in the square,

and in fact P. setiferum was much more common than P. acu/eatum wherever we went

during the week. Our most pleasing find was D. aemu/a growing along the banks of the

stream and on the slopes above. We had hoped to add Hymenophy/lum wilsonii, an old
pre-1930 record, to our list but although the habitat looked eminently suitable we did

not find it here or anywhere else in the district. Two horsetails were seen, Equisetum

arvense and E. telmateia.

The area is noted for fossil beds and as fossils are a special interest of our leader his
enthusiasm naturally spread to us all when he found, along the stream, some fallen
cliff which contained fern fossils. The rocks were lower and middle sandstone shale
which were easily split and several good finds were made of both ferns and
equisetites. The ferns were identified as Pecopteris caespitosa and Sphenopteris
species and there was also one with polystichum-like pinnules which we could not
name. The equisetites were probably £. co/umnaris. Later, in the afternoon we
returned to the shore to examine the rocks there and again found fern remains,
mostly converted into coal and of particular interest were lengths of horsetail stems
about an inch in diameter. Collecting ferns of today and with them those of some
hundreds of million years ago made the day one of exceptional interest for us.
Later in the week some of us were to return to continue the fossil search and more
good fern specimens were obtained.

After some rain on the previous day we were glad to have Monday dry and sunny.
Again the ferns of long ago claimed our attention but this time to the south of
Scarborough at Lebberston Cliff a promontory on the coast. A morning spent

here did not produce much of interest, however, and present-day ferns were also
conspicuous by their absence — all we recorded was E. arvense! We retreated
inland in the afternoon and our first stop was at Raincliffe Woods where ferns grow
in great numbers but of the common woodland ones only. We found 9 species,
dominant among them D. austriaca which here as in most other woods in the area
was the principal ground cover plant, growing vigorously to a large size. D. filix-mas
was also common and D. pseudomas with very large fronds but not very characteristic
of the species; again we noted very strong-growing D. X tavelii. A.filix-femina and

B. spicant were of frequent occurrence and a few plants of P. vu/gare were seen. The
ubiquitous P. aquilinum was everywhere and in one wet place there was a good colony of

. telmateia. Rowbrow Wood, a little to the east and close to Scarborough was visited
briefly. It contains an abundance of ferns of a few of the common species and we
recorded A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. aquilinum
and two plants of Oreopteris limbosperma.

A cold rainy morning on Tuesday dictated the plan of action for the day. Some of us
motored up to Whitby to hunt in the bookshops instead of in the field while others
decided to explore further the fossil possibilities of Hayburn Wyke, a slightly more dry
activity than fern hunting through wet woods. Our book hunting produced a few rewards
but not fern ones. Moving south again to Goathland we spent some time in a deep ravine
named Mallyan Spout with a large beck flowing through it and a curtain waterfall from a
subsidiary beck pouring over the cliff. Scenery-wise it was impressive and fern-wise even
more so, for it provided excellent hunting. Along the path leading dowth to the ravine by
the side of a small stream there was E. sy/vaticum, E. telmateia, some E. arvense and, best
of all, a small colony of the uncommon E. hyemale. tn the small part of the ravine we
had time to explore A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and

O. limbosperma were all present in good numbers plus, of course, P. aquilinum. Some
small polypodies were noted, too small to identify Positively, and a few plants of

P. aculeatum and one only of P. setiferum were seen. On our homeward journey we
stopped for a short time at High Horcum where the road at an altitude of over 900 feet
Passes along the side of a very deep valley. A high wind was blowing and it was decidedly
cold, so very little hunting was done. However, later in the week during a second brief
stop we found that ferns were very scarce on the slopes and only B. spicant, D. austriaca,
O. limbosperma and P. aquilinum were seen.

We were joined on Wednesday by Chris Rhys from York University and spent the morning
at Hackness, a few miles inland from our centre. Several narrow wooded valleys radiate
from here to the north, south and east, and dividing into two parties we hunted one
running north and one running south. The latter had very little ground cover under the
trees apart from ferns. D. austriaca was abundant and both D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas
were fairly common and very large-growing. In one place there was a good colony of

D. x tavelii, and some A. filix-femina, A. scolopendrium and B. spicant were seen. An old
limestone quarry on the high ground above contained no ferns at all. The northern valley
was More productive and contained, additionally, P. setiferum in quantity and a few plants
of P. aculeatum, also abundant A. scolopendrium. Wandering along the road and round
the church afterwards, A. rute-muraria was noted on walls, and along the banks of a stream,
&, arvense and E. palustre. Bracken was common in places and some plants of both

F interjectum and P. vulgare were found. In the afternoon, on the east side of Broxa
Forest in upland woods with very deep ravines we recorded 9 species and again

D. austriaca was the dominant fern, some of it the form which forms clones by sending
out thin underground runners, up to a foot long, terminating in subsidiary crowns. | have
found this form in all parts of the British Isles, always in pinewoods where the runners
can creep through the friable layer of rotted pine needles and leaves. It is dwarf-growing
with pale scales and D. carthusiana-like growing points where the runners form new
crowns. In every other respect it looks like small-growing D. austriaca and | cannot
convince our botanist friends that it is anything other than this speces — we, however,

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have our own name for it! The other ferns seen here were A. filix-femina, B. spicant,
D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, D. X tavelii, P. interjectum, P. aculeatum and P. aquilinum.
We did not linger here for very long and once again the wooded and ferny ravine valley
leading down to Hayburn Wyke drew us irresistibly to explore its reaches further inland,
which we found to be even more rich in ferns growing luxuriantly to a very large size in a
jungle-like habitat, lush, wet and shaded. Magnificent specimens of D. X tavelii flourished
alongside equally fine specimens of their parents. P. setiferum draped the banks of the
stream with arching fronds over 5 feet long and wide in proportion and there was a large
colony of the variety ‘Tripinnatum’ with its characteristic upright habit and fronds equally
; long. Many of these plants had a dark glossiness which suggested P. aculeatum, but the
dark environment may have something to do with it; a small plant was collected for
growing on at home to see how it develops.

On Thursday we went further afield to the eastern edge of Pickering Forest where we
hunted along the cliffs and Pifelhead Wood sloping steeply down to the Pickering Beck
in its upper reaches. It was hard going on a very steep and in places very wet slope as
far as Talbot Wood where we turned downhill to come back along the railway. We
recorded 15 species; on the cliffs A. trichomanes was common, and on the higher
slopes A. filix-femina and B. spicant were equally so, one immature plant of

P. aculeatum was seen, and a few plants of Cystopteris fragilis were found on rocks
along a stream falling down to the beck, while on open hillside O. /imbosperma was
common. A. scolopendrium was scarce and only a very small number of plants was
noted and this applied also to P. vulgare. The common ferns were D. filix-mas and

D. pseudomas, and of course P. aquilinum. On boggy ground higher up at the base of
the cliffs a few plants of E. sy/vaticum and E. telmateia were found and on the
railway banks £. arvense was abundant and an extensive colony of E. palustre
stretched for some distance, appearing even between the railway tracks.

On our last day, Friday, we visited the Scarborough Natural History Museum in the
morning; the chief interest here was the fossil plants, including ferns, but they had
none much if any better than the ones we had ourselves found. In the afternoon we
were back in the Hackness area and explored Low Dale in the Broxa Forest, which was
very poor fernwise and most of the interest lay in the lane leading up High Dale

where we parked the cars. Here were abundant and large-growing D. filix-mas and

D. pseudomas along with D. X tavelii. On the wooded slopes of Low Dale the
common fern was again D. austriaca, along with its creeping form. Higher up,

an old overgrown quarry contained no ferns. Altogether, 8 species were recorded, -

A. filix-fermina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, D. X tavelii,

P. aquilinum and E. arvense. To the south in Troutsdale, hunting was even more
disappointing, a few of the common species being seen, but they did include

O. limbosperma. Further to the south at Cockmoor, it was even more disappointing,
with only a very few ferns, and at this point where the Excursion ended on a very low
note the rain began to fall!

It was an interesting Excursion in that it was planned more as an exercise to find out
what ferns grew in the area and we had no real hopes of finding exciting fern country.
It proved to be much better than we expected; we found some places which compare
very favourably with the more outstanding fern areas, and some useful work was done

197

in filling in several blanks in the distribution maps for this part of the country. It was
exciting to find fossils of ferns which flourished in the very dim past in Carboniferous
times, and for most of us this was the high-light of the Excursion. No fern varieties

at all were collected.

NEW RECORDS Compiled by J W Dyce

The following list of species found at meetings during the year are new to their 10 km
squares in the Atlas of the British Flora, or appear as pre-1930 records. Numbers refer

to localities. (Bold figures indicate pre-1930).

Asplenium adiantum-nigrum — 6

A. ceterach — 1, 3, 5.

A. ruta-muraria — 3, 4, 23.

A. trichomanes — 4, 5, 6, 28.

Athyrium filix-femina — 2, 3, 7, 9, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27.
Blechnum spicant — 27.

Cystopteris fragilis — 11, 15.

Dryopteris aemula — 29.

D. austriaca — 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 22, 24, 25.

D. carthusiana — 2, 16.

D. oreades — 12.

D. pseudomas — 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27.
D. X tavelii — 20, 22, 24, 25, 29.

Equisetum arvense — 9.

E, hyemale — 26.

E. palustre — 7, 8, 9.

E. telmateia — 7.

Ophioglossum vulgatum — 9.

Oreopteris limbosperma — 19, 20, vg Be eB
Osmunda regalis — 13.

Polypodium interjectum — 13, 14, 22, 24, 29.
P. vulgare — 2, 3, 24.
Polystichum aculeatum — 6, 7, 18, 22, 24.
P. setiferum — 23, 24, 29.
P. X bicknellii — 10.

The Cotswold Hills. V.C.33 East Gloucestershire.
Woodbridge

Yanworth, Chedworth Woods

Yanworth, Chedworth Woods, Roman Temple
Old Quarry on A424

Stow-on-the-Wold

Blockley

Bourton Woods

The Warren

Bradwell Hill, valley to south of

© PINON OP Whe

—

Nat. Grid ref.

42/01 0314
0612/3,0712/3
0613

42/12 1728
1925

42/13 1634/5
1633
1430

42/22 2026

The Lake District. V.C.69 Westmorland and North Lancashire

10. Humphrey Head 34/37 3973

11. Eggerslack Wood, open fell above 34/47 4079

12. Whitbarrow 34/48 4087/8
Llangollen. V.C.50 Denbighshire.

13. Llangollen, Shropshire Union Canal 33/24 2142, 2242
14. Llangollen, River Dee 2042/3

15. Offa’s Dyke 2245/6/7
16. Llay Bog 33/35 3255

17. Cefn-y-Bedd 3156
Scarborough area. V.C.62 North-east Yorkshire

18. Pifelhead Wood 44/89 8394, 8494
19. Cockmoor 44/98 9186

20. Raincliffe Woods 9988

21. Troutsdale Moor 9188

22. Broxa Forest, crossroads on eastern edge 44/99 9793

23. Hackness 9690, 9790
24. Hackness Woods 9790/1

25. Low Dale 9591

26. Mallyan Spout 45/80 8200/01

27. North Rowbrow Wood
28. Scarborough
29. Hayburn Wyke

54/08 0088
0487

54/09 0096/7

URBAN STREET MAPS FOR GRID REFERENCES A R Busby

To those of us who are involved in recording plant distribution in urban areas, may | draw
their attention to a very useful series of street maps which are prepared direct from the
Ordnance Survey gridded maps. Published by Geographia Ltd, 63 Fleet Street, London,
the West Midland area is covered by one entitled Birmingham and West Midlands Street by
Street which also includes Coventry arid Nuneaton; it costs 85p. It has the added advantage
of numbered grid lines on each page, giving very quick and accurate grid references in
complicated urban streets, yards and passageways.

Other areas covered by the series are —

Bristol and Bath and Weston-super-Mare Manchester

Edinburgh Sheffield and Rotherham

Glasgow Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-
Leeds with Pudsey and Horsforth Lyme

Liverpool Tyneside, including Gateshead,
London South Shields and Sunderland

Polystichum setiferum ‘Divisilobum Wollaston’.

POLYSTICHUM SETIFERUM ‘DIVISILOBUM WOLLASTON’ J W Dyce

In the pre-Gazette Reports published annually by our Society in its early days from 1894
to 1905, a paper by Dr F W Stansfield in the 1897 issue states — “In 1852 Wollaston found
a grand acutilobe angu/are which was first known as Polystichum angulare proliferum
Wollastonii. This was memorable, not only as a good thing in itself, but still more as being
the forerunner of a bewildering multitude of lovely forms of angu/are with divided lobes,
some classified as acutilobes, multilobes, divisilobes, etc., but for long lumped together as
proliferums”. Wollaston regarded the fern as a true acutilobe with elongated, deltate and
tripinnate fronds, acute pinnules, and in its best character with only two pairs of bulbils
seated in the axils of the lowest pair of pinnae.

We find W H Phillips, in the 1898 Report, writing — “’No British fern exceeds this in
beauty, and probably none has figured so prominently in exhibitions; it is not to be
wondered at, therefore, that it should have taken more than one person to find it. Mr
Wollaston relates that he and the late Rev W Gardiner, then Curate of Ottery St Mary,
during a ramble in that neighbourhood were brought suddenly, by a bend in the lane, face
to face with it and were at the same moment (it was then a large plant and in true
character) transfixed with astonishment. Mr Wollaston was, however, the first to recover
his presence of mind, and the plant will ever deservedly bear the name of the first of
British fern hunters’’.

Wollaston called the fern first of all a pro/iferum, but later when the large number of the
finely divided polystichum varieties all gathered together under this name made the section
unwieldy and confused, he divided them into three classes — mu/tilobum, acutilobum and
divisilobum, and placed his find among the acutilobes. Unfortunately he chose a very
artificial dividing line between acuti/obum and divisilobum which ever since has made it
very difficult to allocate many varieties to their proper class. A more sensible division
places the fern under discussion into divisilobum, so its more accurate name is P. setiferum
‘Divisilobum Wollaston’.

Although the variety was strong-growing and unlikely to die out prematurely, still the

fact remains that it disappeared as a named fern in the inter-war years when fern-interest
was at a low ebb. This disappearance was greatly helped by the fact that many other
varieties closely resemble it so it is probably still growing in many gardens unrecognised.
Many times over the last 10 to 15 years plants have been shown to me, which at first sight
raised my hopes that this fern for which | have been searching so long, had been refound.
None of them quite tallied with the Jones Nature Print made from a frond of the original
plant (see illustration), but this year | received a frond from our North of England member,
John Barnett, who spends a lot of his time poking into odd corners in old gardens and in
the wild in his search for fern varieties. He found it in the woods at Witherslack on the west
side of Whitbarrow in the Lake District. Comparison with my “yardstick” convinced me
that at long last we had recovered ‘Wollaston’s Proliferum’, but how and why did it come
to be growing in the wild in such a place ?

It is known that Wollaston was an active fern hunter in the Lake District and an associate

of the well-known fern-men there before and after they founded our Society in 1891, so
this fern must have been in the collections of many of them as well as in other Lakeland

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gardens. John Barnett’s find could possibly have originated from a wind-blown spore
which had bred true to the parent, or it could be an actual plant of the variety dumped
from some garden in these latter days when ferns have lost their appeal to the ordinary
individual — and so it now appears to be! A recent letter from John states he has been back
to study the habitat more closely and has come to the conclusion that his find was the sole
survivor of a barrowload of plants dumped in the woods from some garden in the vicinity.

Although there are many very similar varieties which do, as | have already stated, closely
resemble ‘Wollaston’s Proliferum’, the true variety has several minor distinguishing features
which are not present in any of the others | have examined, and | feel that we can with
confidence claim to have refound this magnificent variety.

STRONTIAN — GEOLOGY AND FERNS JW Dyce

After the Lake District meeting this summer | joined our Gazette Editor, Dr Chris Page,
with his family for a week in the west of Scotland, staying at Strontian on Loch Sunart
where the ferns claimed a lot of our attention.

One small area in the hills a few miles to the north on the road leading to Loch Shiel was
of particular interest. It was an old mining area with many disused mine-shafts and spoil
heaps which are beginning to lose their raw appearance and to merge into the landscape.
Curiosity led us to stop the car and explore these scree-like heaps which, we noted,
contained a proportion of strontian granite as well as a large quantity of a much softer
rock-type thrown up from the deep mines, which appeared totally different from the
rocks visible at the surface in the surrounding region. This once-deep rock had been spread
in low heaps over the original moorland, and growing up through the stones were several
of the lime-loving ferns. In this rather bleak part of moorland hillside ferns were elsewhere
conspicuous by their absence so it was with surprise that we spotted the first Cystopteris
fragilis. \nvestigating further, much more was found, along with abundant Asp/enium
trichomanes, A. viride and Polypodium interjectum, all growing happily on the stony
surfaces and among rocks and in crevices. Some of the mine excavations were deep open
chasms into which it was impossible to descend, and on their walls several ferns were
growing vigorously — Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas and

D. pseudomas. Down below on the bottoms of the chasms these species were growing even
more vigorously and we Particularly admired the magnificent spreading colonies of

D. pseudomas. One horsetail, Equisetum arvense, was seen in small quantity, and a little
lower down the hill it appeared again along with some good colonies of E. palustre in
damp patches where the water emerged from the mine heaps.

The pleasing surprise was to find ferns here at all in a rather forbidding place, but to find
SO many of them all growing vigorously and happily made our day a memorable one.

Gardens to visit, an annual booklet, published by the Gardeners’ Sunday Organisation,
lists gardens opened to the public. Obtainable from bookshops for 20p, or 30p post free,
from the Organiser, Mrs K Collett, White Witches, Claygate Road, Dorking, Surrey.

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_ FERN FIELD MEETINGS IN AUSTRALIA IN 1976 Ray Best

On Sunday 25 July 1976 members of the Fern Study Group of the Society for growing
Australian Plants visited Lawson in the Blue Mountains to study ferns in their natural
habitats. Lawson was called after one of the three explorers who first made a crossing of
the mountains, Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson, all of whom have mountain towns
named after thers. Quite a sizeable party met and we were fortunate to have with us Bob
Covney from the Sydney Herbarium to assist with identification.

The sunken valleys of these sandstone mountains, abounding in fascinating forms of eroded
sandstone and many waterfalls and cascades, are rich in fern material. We proceeded to the
falls area and on the ridge top where the creek forms the first cascade, was a mass of several
square yards of G/eichenia dicarpa (Wiry Coral Fern) which had competely taken over the
area excluding all other growth. As the party descended, several plants of G. microphylla
were observed, finer than dicarpa and having delicate pinnae not pouched as in the other
species. Also we came upon several specimens of Lindsaea microphylla and L. linearis
amongst the moist rock outcrops. Both these species are difficult in cultivation but thrive
in their own selected positions. Hymenophylium cupressiforme was found on large moss-
covered sandstone boulders about midway between the valley floor and the ridge. Bob
Covney was able to show us a beautiful light-green specimen of Sticherus as yet uniiamed,
numerous plants of Blechnum cartilagenium, B. nudum, a few B. patersonii and B. gregsonii.
Lower in the valley beneath the waterfalls were many large specimens of Todea barbara
most of which seemed devoid of spores; here also were large patches of Leptopteris fraseri.
These last two ferns are, | understand, the only members of the osmunda family in
Australia, and both are evergreen unlike some overseas species which are deciduous. Most
of the floor of the valley was occupied by 7. barbara, to the exclusion of the other tree
ferns which grow in this general area, such as Cyathea australis, C. cooperi and Dicksonia
antarctica; had time permitted | am sure we would have found a number of these also.

Our next trip on the 28 November was to Mount Wilson, again in the Blue Mountain area.
We were fortunate again on this occasion as one of our members, Keith Ingram, who lives
at Mount Tomah in the area allowed us to inspect his herbarium and visit his glasshouse.
He is an authority on the ferns from this section of the mountains and we obtained much
useful information from this visit. On his property are many huge specimens of
C. australis some 30 feet in height and of great age, also some beautiful specimens of
D. antarctica which abounds in this area. From Mount Tomah we travelled to Mount
Wilson, and on the plateau itself some of the early pioneers planted both sides of the main
_road with English deciduous trees to create an avenue which is unbelievably beautiful in
both summer and autumn. The side of this ridge is one of the richest fern areas on the
mountains with masses of tree ferns and most other species, including many beautiful
specimens of Asplenium flaccidum growing on aged coachwood trees along with several
mosses. Bob Covney found a fine plant of 7mesipteris billardieri on a tree fern trunk, also
Pyrrosia rupestris and P. longifolia. Both Hymenophyllum cupressiforme and H. australe
are found here and Lastreopsis shepherdii in massive colonies, also A. bu/biferum. On the
way back we visited another section of the Blue Mountains National Park which includes
a portion of the Grose River Valley. The fern gully here was very attractive and carried
many species already described, with the possible exception of some plants of Blechnum
articulatum and masses of Leptopteris fraseri.

All the members present at these outings had a most enjoyable time and are looking
forward to others in the future. It has been suggested by the Central Group that isolated
country members should get together in their local areas and make trips also. Distance
precludes many of them from participation in the Sydney region arrangements.

Ferns in a Queensland garden.

Sls.

Tree Ferns. Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales.

204

THOUGHTS ON AUSTRALIAN FERNS P G Coke

Having been lucky enough to be given a two months tour in Australia and had the pleasure
of meeting some of our members there, it occurs to me that perhaps British members may
be interested in some rather random and entirely unscientific thoughts on ferns in that
country.

My wife and | were out there in February and March of this year, their late summer. The
object of the trip was not ferns but to see as much of Australia as we could in the time, and
this we did by travelling about 6000 miles in New South Wales and South Queensland,
conducted by Mary’s son, Mike. The ferns were just an added bonus to a wonderful holiday.
Somehow | had never thought of Australia as a great country for ferns but how wrong |

was ! | believe, in fact, that they have more than New Zealand.

| thought it would be nice to meet some of our members there, so | armed myself with a
list of some who might be accessible. | also needed help as | was completely ignorant about
Australian ferns and hoped that | might be able to get some assistance and advice. | was
lucky right from the start as my first call was to Rob and Gleness Lamarch. They invited

us out to their Glenrob Nursery at Wyee Point, north of Sydney and made us very welcome.
They also kindly invited another member, Ray Best and his wife Marie, to meet us. Ray’s
first words were that any friend of Jimmy Dyce was a friend of his although, unfortunately,
they have never met. | was able to visit Ray and Marie later.

Glenrob is astonishing and unlike anything | have seen in England. They had at that time
only been there for 12 months but they already had two large fern houses full of superbly
grown ferns in pots and hanging baskets and were making two more such houses. They
were concentrating first on adiantums and nephrolepis of which they had some really
beautiful varieties, but they also had a wide range of other interesting ferns coming on. |
have never seen better ferns in cultivation and will say something about cultivation methods
later.

| badly needed a book on Australian ferns and there | was introduced to Australian Ferns
and Fern Allies by Jones and Clemesha. Although only published in 1976 it was already
out of print and | was very lucky to be able to get a copy. It is the best fern book that |
know; it covers a vast subject (312 species), contains a mass of information which is easily
extracted, and is beautifully illustrated by drawings and colour photographs. | would have
been lost without it.

Before starting on our tour | visited Sydney Botanic Gardens. | hope that | am not
maligning them but | found all the botanic gardens | visited disappointing. Of course | was
always in a hurry and may have missed some things. They are lovely gardens but have really
very few ferns considering the wealth of these plants in the country. Sydney has one
beautiful circular glasshouse with an ascending footway; Canberra has a spectacular rain
forest gully; Brisbane | had great hopes of as the capital of the most prolific fern state but
they did not have very much.

One difficulty | had was that we were travelling for most of most days so my fern hunting
was largely confined to rapid excursions during roadside halts, and to early morning and

205

late evening walks. This was in no way due to malice on the part of Mary and Mike but
because distances are so great and there was always so much more that we all wanted to
see. But the result is that some of my identifications are suspect and | am certainly not
qualified to give more than a general impression. That impression was of the astonishing
number, range and diversity of ferns — diversity of types and size, of climatic, altitude
and water requirements, of growth habits and even of colour.

My first find was in the Snowy Mountains (highest point in Australia Mt. Kosciusko

7300 feet) at the top of a ski-lift. This was Po/ystichum proliferum at 6000 feet plus, and
snow covered throughout the winter. It proliferates by plantlets at the ends of its fronds
and forms large colonies. On the way down | found the only other polystichum | saw,

P, australiense. \t was nice there to find an old friend, Blechnum penna-marinum, on its
own ground. The blechnums are very numerous; 18 are listed and | cannot say that | ever
got them sorted out. One, at times, annoying feature of my fern book is that it aims to
list against each species the other species with which it can be confused, and all too often
only the word “Nil” appears, which can be exasperating to the inexpert when faced with
two or three almost identical kinds. This was really because | did not have time to examine
the rhizomes and it seems difficult at that time of the year with many of the ferns to find
fertile fronds. | had similar trouble with the bracken-type ferns but this was in no way due
to the book. The common bracken, Pteridium esculentum, is easily recognised as is the
false bracken, Culcita dubia; the \atter is almost as common and its pale green fronds are
very attractive in the mass. It was among 5 hypolepis, 8 lastreopsis, one dennstaedtia etc.
that | got bogged down — there were just too many !

In the gullies lower down and around Kangaroo Valley we found the greatest variety and
the most spectacular stands of tree ferns, chiefly Cyathea australis and Dicksonia antarctica.
The latter is said to grow to 50 feet high with 6 feet diameter trunks but we saw only
comparative striplings of up to 20 feet. Another common fern was the short but massive
Todea barbara with fronds up to 6 feet long and numerous crowns.

| can only mention a few which were of special interest. Gleichenia dicarpa (pouched coral
fern) was an entirely new type for me; it is very handsome and forms dense tangles covering
large areas. Another very fine fern is Adiantum formosum (giant maidenhair) which grows
to about 4 feet. Two ferns which seem to go out of their way to deceive are Microsorium
diversifolium and M. scandens which have very variable fronds, some entire and others
pinnatifid. They are both common climbing ferns and form mats on trees, including tree
ferns, and on rocks. At the bottom of the size scale is Asp/enium flabellifolium (necklace
fern), a most attractive one which also roots at the frond tips, as does A. attenuatum.

| found many of the same ferns in the Blue Mountains and at Dural, just outside Sydney,
where | had more time to look around. Other types new to me at Dural were Sticherus
flabellatus (umbrella fern) and the very delicate Lindsaea microphylla (lacy wedge fern).
A rather unexpected find was Asp/enium trichomanes ssp. quadrivalens.

On the subject of the water requirements of ferns, one of our stops on the wa

Queensland was at a farm near Inverell. There | could only find two cheilanthes, C. sieberi
(mulga fern) and C. /asiophylla (woolly cloak fern). Both were growing in pure sand or on

206

rocks, and in many cases in full sun. C. /asiophylla is particularly drought resistant and
extends into barren inland areas; it is a “resurrection” fern and like our Asp/enium ceterach
can shrivel completely and revive when it rains.

Leaving out the rain forest for the present, at the other end of the water scale are the
marsh and water ferns. Of the former, in what must be brackish marshes near the sea on
Bribie Island, | found Blechnum indicum (swamp water fern), a very tough species which
looks like a young palm tree, and Lindsaea ensifolia. Of the true water ferns Sa/vinia
auriculata must be the black sheep of the fern family. An article in The Australian Country
Magazine claimed that it was a worse menace than the water hyacinth; that under
favourable circumstances it can double its size in 4 days and that one plant can cover 600
acres in a season. Certainly it looks solid enough to walk over. It was originally imported
from South America as a fish food — Australia has had its troubles with imported flora
and fauna. The only other water fern | saw — and in captivity — was a marsilea of which
there are several. This remarkable fern has a frond like a clover leaf.

Now for the rain forest — what can one say about it? It has everything for the pteridologist.
My memory of it is of enormous trees with almost white bark playing host to frequently
six or more ferns. There would be platyceriums (staghorns and elkhorns) and Asplenium
nidus (crow’s or bird’s nest) high up where the branches start. These epiphytes collect
litter in their spreading nest leaves which die annually and curl inwards pressing the litter
against the previous year’s leaves and making humus. This humus feeds the fern itself and
frequently others as well, and it is not unusual to see growing from them such ferns as
Pyrrosia confluens (robber fern), or Rumohra adiantiformis, or a davallia. Climbing up the
trunk might be Stenoch/aena palustris a very pretty climber, a microsorium, or again one
or more of several species. Any rocks or fallen trees might be used by ferns such as
Pyrrosia rupestris (rock felt) and if there was any more room on the ground it would be
filled by some of the 16 species of ground ferns already mentioned, or some of 6 species
of adiantum.

Mike took us to two guest houses in the rain forest, O’Reilly’s in the Lamington National
Park and Barrington House below Barrington Heights. On the way to the former we were
able to visit another member, Charlie Haden and his wife Joan. As usual we were warmly
welcomed and shown his collection. He is a wholesale nurseryman and has the advantage
of living in a perfect climate actually in the rain forest at Mt. Tamborine. His collection
was the biggest; he seems to have world-wide contacts and ferns from many countries.
He wants some British spores which | will try to supply in due course. Sadly we had only
two hours to spare there.

One does not usually associate ferns with much colour range — they are green, but | had
to revise this view to some extent in Australia. In many cases the young fronds are red,
Pink or chestnut; to name a few Adiantum hispidulum (rough maidenhair), Doodia aspera
(prickly rasp fern) and several of the blechnums. | well recall a mixed patch of D. aspera
and 8. cartilagineum (gristle fern) with a lot of young fronds and the effect was quite
beautiful. Then there is Pityrogramma chrysophylia (gold fern) which | first found at

Mt. Glorious near Brisbane. The undersides of the mature fronds and the whole of the

207

croziers are covered with a bright gold powder. This is also an immigrant, from South
America, and appears to be widespread in Queensland.

Earlier | mentioned my morning and evening fern hunts. Of course, we often lodged in
towns and there too these walks were a real pleasure. The wide tree-lined streets and the
bright bungalow gardens were always worth seeing. If | had to choose any for particular
attention | would remember Canberra for trees and Armidale for flowers, but this would
be unfair to many beautiful towns. So much depended on where in the town we lodg
and, in the case of trees, on the season. The trees in Grafton, Jacaranda City were not in
flower but | would love to be there when they are. Much more use is made of ferns in
gardens than in Britain, especially in Queensland. These are usually tree ferns which can
be bought by the foot or platyceriums. Very effective use is made of ferns climbing the
rough trunks of palm trees.

All things come to an end — in this case, too quickly, and we had to go back to Sydney
and home. We never got to the best fern areas in North Queensland; it had never been our
intention to do so but in any case there was very serious flooding in the state and there is
a limit to how far one can go. On the return journey we were able to pay another visit to
Glenrob. | had hoped to be able to bring some ferns home and had obtained an import
permit from the Ministry of Agriculture but, unfortunately, this was limited to wild finds.
The Government of Australia had countered this by very wisely making what appeared to
be almost all fern growing areas into national parks where the collection of plants is for-
bidden. Rob very generously offered me anything | could take and it really hurt me to
have to refuse. In spite of everything, | did manage to bring back quite a selection which
seems to be reasonably resigned to living in England, and | also have a lot of spores
germinating — | hope.

| was also able to spend a day with Ray and Marie and to see his fine collection. Ray does
a great deal for ferns. His garden was just recovering from an invasion by a television crew
for the second of two broadcasts he has done, and he had also recently had a visit from
70 girls from Cheltenham Girls High School. He is a superb artist and is, | am pleased to
say, writing a book which he is illustrating himself. He showed me some of the paintings
to be used; they are beautifully done and bring out very clearly the distinguishing features
of the plants.

They took us to see yet another member, Bob Sinclair and his son Warwick. They had
recently turned their nursery over to ferns from, | think, orchids. They already had a fine
display — mainly of adiantums, but they too were expanding and had some beautiful ferns
coming on. The young ones were in a polythene tunnel painted on one side to give shade;
the floor was covered with black polythene to keep down weeds and on it was a layer of
furnace ash which, under the benches, was literally covered with a mat of adiantum
sporelings — many obviously good ones. It makes me green with envy when I think how I
have to cherish my sporelings! | suppose that some fertiliser dripped through and fed
them, but fertiliser is said to be fatal to spores ?

This brings me on to cultivation and the ferns were so good that | took particular note.
They do, of course, have climatic advantages — all that is needed is shade and a windbreak,
and if you want shade you plant a gum tree. They also have a much longer growing season

208

than we have. Apart from this, the only difference from our methods seemed to be greater
use of fertiliser than is usually recommended. This may be to compensate for the faster
rate of growth. Two successful growing mixtures are —

1. One part of sandy loam, one of polystyrene foam, two of sieved peat and one or
two of sand. To this is added fertiliser composed of two parts of blood and bone
meal, two of superphosphates and a half part of potassium sulphate, applied at the
rate of one teaspoon per inch pot. An alternative is a tablespoon of seaweed
fertiliser to 2% gallons of water.

One part each of coarse sand, very light soil and chicken manure on a wood fibre
base. | was warned that chemicals used with chickens can be dangerous to ferns.

N

Interest in ferns in Australia is strong and growing, and so it should be. They have every-
thing going for them. Apart from the climate, no one in the east side of Australia is far, by
their standards, from wonderful fern country; they seem to have unlimited water for
irrigation, which surprised me; they can grow shade trees in about five years; and they
have very fine nurseries with a wide selection of really good ferns. In addition, Australian
ferns must surely be equal to any in the world.

| said at the beginning that the ferns were just a bonus, and that is what they were. There
were so many other things which we did and saw. For me the bonus was obvious, but
what of my companions? Sometimes | got the impression that their enthusiasm for ferns
was flagging but they bore it with fortitude, and | hope that there was something of a
bonus for them too. We had experiences that we might not have had if they had not been
kind enough to take me to ferny places — experiences like trying to eat lunch at O’Reilly’s
under the assault of a hoard of crimson sandwich-eating rosellas (Platycercus elegans); or
feeding the possums which come down from the trees at night; or meeting the friendly wild
kangaroos at Barrington House. We met very nice people we would not otherwise have
met, and we certainly saw parts of the beautiful Australian countryside which we would
otherwise have missed.

| hope that if any of the Australian members of our Society come to England they will let
us repay some of their kindness.

FERN INTEREST IN FRANCE JW Dyce

While Martin Rickard was over in the south-east of France this year he was invited by the
local natural history society in the nearby town of Belley to take part in their annual
exhibition by showing a collection of the ferns to be found in this part of the country.
The exhibition coincided with my visit to him and a very comprehensive collection of
plants was collected, potted up and transported to the show. Set up on the benches, each
Pot accompanied by an information card, it attracted a lot of very interested attention
and, even while we were staging, school children and others were crowding around us to
look.

Martin was highly complimented by the organisers and others for his endeavours and we
were greatly amused by the fulsome and flowery tribute paid to him and to our country,

with special reference to the Queen in this Her Jubilee Year, by the reporter covering the
show for one of the local papers. A rather simplified translation merits reproduction here —

“The highlight of this exhibition is without doubt at an international level. In effect, a
subject of Her Gracious Majesty, M. Rickard, friend of our smal! province where he stays
regularly, has offered his help. This Briton, a lover of nature, has a passion; he interests
himself with plant life and the ferns which he collects. Also, this week he has been to the
Massif Central to collect several dozen specimens to show at our exhibition at Belley. One
would not have thought that this family was so varied. This is an exhibition under the sign
of the ‘Entente Cordiale’; in fact one asks oneself how in the kingdom of naturalists it
could be otherwise.”

NEW FERN VARIETY FINDS J W Dyce

During the last two years very few variety finds of note were reported to me, but this year
| have collected a list which is worthwhile reporting for the benefit of the variety
enthusiast.

Bert Bruty and | spent a week in Reginald Kaye’s nursery this summer, building up a
herbarium of the fern collection and giving some help with work among the ferns. With
plenty of time to study the collection at our leisure we “discovered” many very interesting
plants, among them two polystichums, both very good varieties, which were sent to Reg
around 1966 by a young man named Schroder who found them in the New Forest in
Hampshire. One is P. setiferum ‘Rotundatum’, an excellent plant of its type with rounded
and divided pinnules, and the other is P.s. ‘Perserratum’, a very lovely thing with deeply
divided pinnules, all the divisions extended and elongated into fine hair-like spines. How
often have we hunted in the New Forest and never come anywhere near finding such a
gem as this! It is unfortunate that | did not learn of these finds at the time because more
than one visit has been paid to this forest since 1966 by the Society with very little luck
where varieties are concerned, and a knowledge of where these plants were found in the
area might have helped us to discover other good ones.

While we were in Silverdale this year, a first-rate P.s. ‘Divisilobum’ was collected from the
vicinity by Reg’s son, Jeremy — a further search of the area revealed no other polystichums
in the neighbourhood and we suspect that the plant resulted from a wind-blown spore
from the nursery. In 1975 a very good ‘Divisilobum’ was found on the Isle of Man by

L S Garrad and M Devereau, and this year John Barnett made what | consider to be a very
important find in the Lake District — P.s ‘Wollaston’s Divisilobum’. This fern is the subject
of a separate article with an illustration, so | need say no more about it here. Last year
while at the Ilfracombe meeting, | found a very fine P.s, ‘Acutilobum’ — it was a small
plant and is still in the process of settling down but already shows some unusual setose
characters which indicate that it may develop into something exceptional.

In the Lake District this year during our Meeting there, a very good and regularly crested

Dryopteris filix-mas was found, and in the same place two plants of Asplenium scolopendrium
Ramosum’, both excellent. An unusual find in the same area was a scolopendrium with the

sor! appearing on the frond upper surfaces as well as on the lower. This is more curious than

210

beautiful — the form has been found but rarely and was named by Lowe ‘Suprasoriferum’.
In a visit to the Lakes later in the year Reginald Kaye has reported finding a good crested
bracken, and along with Fred Jackson he visited an Asp/enium septentrionale colony known
to us. He reports that the plants suffered very badly in the 1975 drought — many are dead
and among the corpses was found the remains of a large clump of the rare hybrid

A. X alternifolium, completely dead !

A most interesting find was made in the Black Mountains in Wales this year by a non-member
of our Society, Mr E Nicholl of Monmouth, who fortunately was interested enough to send
a frond to the British Museum (Natural History) with the comment that it appeared to be
like Athyrium filix-femina ‘Frizelliae nanum’. The frond was sent to me for comment, but
the pinnae are not curled into rosettes as in ‘Frizelliae’ but are open and fan-shaped; the
fronds are about 6 inches long. Matt Busby has visited the habitat with Mr Nicholl and as
there were three crowns he collected two, one for me and one for himself, leaving the third
undisturbed to ensure that the plant can continue to exist in its native habitat, The plant
needs to be brought on in cultivation but somewhat resembles the variety ‘Barnesii’
depicted by Druery, which is about the same size. There were very few spores on the
collected fronds and | have sown them hopefully !

Several other finds which have been made in Asp/enium scolopendrium, Athyrium filix-
femina and Blechnum spicant are of a minor nature and do not warrant mention here.

Ferns on bridges and walls. Writing to me in December 1976 our member, Kenneth Adlam,
refers to an old bridge across the Thames and states — “the re-pointing has been carried out,
and | was pleased to note that the Adiantum capillus-veneris growing on the west side has
been carefully avoided by the pointers, and despite the summer’s drought the crowns are

all thriving. My late brother who lived in the parish and was a keen fern grower, put a

word in to the parish council chairman before pointing commenced, and this may have
resulted in the non-removal of the fern. It is a pity the same cannot be said regarding the
re-pointing of the porch of Landewednack Church on the Lizard in Cornwall. A. capillus-
veneris has been growing in the walls of this church since my earliest boyhood recollections.
When down on the Lizard in October | observed that all the maidenhair fern had gone ina
blaze of shining new cement pointing”.

How often can this same sad story be repeated with the consequent loss of some rare
plant! It behoves every active fern-man to know the plants in his area and to keep an eye
on the rarer ones. More than once we have found that a word to the owner of a habitat
which nurtures some uncommon or rare plant has enlisted his enthusiastic co-operation in
protecting it. Even people with a minimal interest in plant life can develop a great pride of
Possession when they learn they are the custodians of something rare or unusual, and will
guard it zealously. Of course one must exercise discretion before imparting such informa-
tion — not everyone has an altruistic outlook on life. — Ed.

WARDIAN CASES AND BOTTLE GARDENS

Bottle gardens have been with us for some
time now, from the small ones suitable for
a single small fern to the large 10 and 15
gallon carboys which look impressive and
can support quite large, varied and interes-
ting fern populations. Wardian cases have
been with us for a much longer time, and
after a long spell out of favour have now
become popular again. They are much more
convenient than carboys which are very
heavy and awkward to handle, they are
more decorative and much more accessible
for attention to the plants.

Our member, Alison Rutherford, is a fanatic
where fern cases are concerned and we
include an article from her here on the
subject, written in her inimitable style!

She airs several problems, and her ideas

and solutions may be of help to other
indoor plant growers.

212

The illustrations are two modern
wardian cases from the range made
by and marketed by our member
Edward A Joseph,
Barnhurst,
Coleshill,

Amersham, Bucks.

A HOUSEFUL OF CASES Alison Rutherford

Am | now qualified as a case maniac? One in every room! Even the bathroom has a hand-
light on the floor; sanitary regulations prevent it being in the window.

The sittingroom has a Crystal Villa, described in Bulletin Vol. 1 No. 2, framed in creepers
round an arch, a palm beside it and geraniums on the sill in front; the result is very
Victorian. In the kitchen is another handlight, at present a hospital for an ivy plant. At one
side of the window are two shelves. On one is a garden in an amber bowl with Asp/enium
marinum and Selaginella kraussiana, planted in 1968 — apart from once having extra
compost and watering, the only other attention is a glass plate on top in very hot weather.
The half-enclosed life suits the occupants. Below this is a miniature garden in a pair of clear
glass hemispheres with flattened bases set one on top of the other. This has been doing
well for about two years and apart from a slight “earthquake” last summer removing
unwanted Dryopteris austriaca sporelings, it has needed only occasional pruning. It contains
S. kraussiana and its variety ‘Aurea’; two kinds of leafy liverwort, one self-sown; a sea
spleenwort sporeling and various spontaneous mosses; Hedera helix ‘Russelliana’, an
upright slow grower and ‘Greenfeather’, a dainty miniature. Prothalli are now appearing

on the sandstone, Two furry grey, white-tipped protuberances have broken the surface,
probably fungi, and one day one of those red and fawn banded earthworms glided past
along the inside of the glass. It seems to me no bad thing to use a ‘living’ compost where
weeding is possible. You may get the odd slug but it can be caught at night, and you will
get worms, surely beneficial — if they are unhappy they can be removed.

Who would not like a window-greenhouse? Finally | found someone willing to make one.
Based on the drawing in Andrew Meikle’s Town and Country Window Gardening (circa
1876) it is fitted over the lower sash outside the kitchen by two very strong brackets
sufficient to bear the weight of a heavy person. There isno way to enter it except past
the kitchen taps — this is a matter of cost, not taste. It is 24 inches front to back,

41% inches across and 41 inches high; the steel frame was hot-dipped then painted with
Galvafroid and white Humbrol enamel. Growth with the overhead lighting is remarkable,
and the washer-up’s view cheering. North-facing, in our northern latitude it requires
shading in summer evenings. An idea from Hibberd was practical and attractive — a fine-
leaved ivy, Hedera helix *Caenwoodiana’, was trained back and forth along the inside of
the roof. If you do this, have hooks for copper wires or fine bars incorporated in the
design. | had some difficulty making supports stay in place. Po/ypodium azoricum and

a davallia are thriving and mosses are now appearing. It has slight permanent ventilation
between the base of the sloping roof and the upright front panes and in very cold weather
| block this with cloth; there are plenty of drainage holes in the earthbox. It seems that
Glenny was right in Every Man his own Gardener (1860 edition) when he said that some
form of continuous airing should be arranged, and lack of this had caused people to
become disenchanted with case culture in his day.

A problem, not much discussed, is the siting of the case. Everywhere | have lived since
1962 has been typical of houses here — draughty with south-facing rooms. | have longed
for a west, north or even east-facing sittingroom. Here, even ferns did badly at the back of
the room, and even though only a gable-end faces south they either got drawn or scorched.

213

The solution was roller-blinds made of thin house-plant canes and string, and now in
dappled shade the ferns take full sun, but tend to get greenfly.

On the landing is a case discovered in an Edinburgh antique shop by a friend in 1974; she
was told it was an aquarium, but felt it was a case — both ideas are right. In an old book
found later is an illustration of just such a parlour embellishment — rectangular with a
sloping roof, hartstongues of metal at the corners, top crenellations and bun feet. | tried
it as a combination case, making a teacosy-shaped wire-netting container filled with
sphagnum and compost and planting Trichomanes speciosum over it; this was raised above
the water level in the case on jamjar stilts which were weighted with gravel. How the
Victorians kept the glass clear we'll never know! Even by the stove in the stillest part of
the house out of direct sunlight and draughts, and later with the water drained, it still

fugged up.

In the bedroom is a modern case containing a rocky landscape — low hills and a valley of
red sandstone and conglomerate — the plants are mostly aspleniums. Again there is a
south-facing window, but net curtains work wonders filtering the sunlight. Anyone obliged
to use such a window should try to have castors under the case, as the plants turn to the
light. Blackfly has been troublesome, originating from some unhealthy plants. There
seems to be only one safe spray for ferns, Synchemicals House Plant Pest Killer. If your
plants are potted they can be dunked in warm water with a mild liquid detergent and
quickly rinsed,

What a time to be alive! Case revivals abound. Two makers were featured in Greenfingers
magazine recently and there are Teddy Joseph's elegant brass and lead models (see
illustrations) — and | thought | had been born too late !

TALK ON FERNS BY REGINALD KAYE

A big audience gathered in the lecture hall at the Royal Horticultural Society’s headquarters,
Vincent Square, London on 9 August to hear Reginald Kaye talk on ferns and our Society
was well represented. Mr Kaye was introduced by Mrs Frances Hay and he commenced his
talk by relating briefly how he first became interested in ferns and how the interest
developed over the years, resulting in his becoming our foremost expert on the variations
of the British ferns and gathering together in his nursery the finest collection to be found
in Britain today. His experience reaches back over 50 years and some of it has been passed
on to us in his book, Hardy Ferns, but no one book could possibly pass on the vast
accumulated knowledge of his subject which he has acquired over those years. His talk, too,
with the time at his disposal, could only reveal glimpses of it. Mr Kaye has one great
additional asset — he is an expert plant photographer and possesses an unrivalled collection
of superb colour slides of fern varieties. A large number of these delighted us, not only with
their beauty, but with their clarity which showed up so well the characters of the plants

icted. One could wish that many of our published fern books had photographs of this
quality — so often they are such that it is impossible to determine with certainty the ferns
they are supposed to portray.

214

Slides of many of our most beautiful and well-known fern varieties were shown with
accompanying comments and | am sure that many people there must have realised for the
first time just how magnificent some of our ferns can be. Moving around among fern-
interested gardeners since, and particularly at the R.H.S. Great Autumn Show when |
assisted Fibrex Nurseries on their fern stand, | have heard much favourable comment on
the talk and how it has awakened a new interest in ferns in many people — recruiting of
new members to our Society has also benefitted. But the time at Mr Kaye’s disposal was
all too short, although much better than none at all, and we are grateful to the R.H.S. for
giving him this opportunity to scatter a little of his fern knowledge — we hope it will not
be too long before it is repeated.

VARIATION IN ATHYR/UM FILIX-FEMINA, Edward Newman in his Fifth and
People’s Edition of his History of British Ferns (undated but probably about the

late 1850s or 1860s) writes — “’..... the pinnules are either simply toothed, or pinnatifid
or pinnate, varying in different specimens; almost every two plants differ in this respect,
and some cultivators, laboriously idle, have assigned Latin names to these varieties, which,
like the slight differences among our fellow-creatures, are of no interest in Science, but
yet are sufficient to distinguish individuals from each other, and it is argued that, as we
know the members of a family not only by sight but by name, so should we be able to
distinguish and name every individual plant — a theory that, while it cannot be disputed,
would, if carried into practice, render the study of Natural History absolutely impossible”’.

SOUTHPORT FLOWER SHOW 1977 JW Dyce

Once again Southport Flower Show has come and gone and the fern competitive classes
were well supported by the usual regulars with some new names appearing in the minor
Classes. The wetter year was reflected in the better quality of the exhibits and sun scorch
was much less in evidence but did appear to some extent in the lady ferns. Again Noel
Brookfield, showing under his nursery’s name, John Brookfield and Son, carried off the
Premier award, our Society's Silver Challenge Trophy, with his fine large group of hardy
ferns. His son, Rodney, came second, followed by a much inferior exhibit by W W Howarth.
The winning group contained several fine varieties of Polystichum setiferum ‘Divisilobum’,
and plumose and crested varieties of Athyrium filix-femina and scolopendriums. The second
Placed entry had a rather similar selection of plants but could not better the winning one.
In the other classes some excellent plants were shown of the well-known varieties of
scolopendrium, lady fern, male ferns and polystichums. Some outstanding ones were
Asplenium scolopendrium ‘Bolton's Crispum Nobile’, A. filix-femina ‘Clarissima’,
‘Percristatum’ and ‘Victoriae’, P. setiferum ‘Divisilobum’, ‘Plumoso-divisilobum’,

‘P.d. lveryanum’, and P. acu/eatum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’ and ‘Pulcherrimum Drueryi 2

The Brookfield large pans of polypodium varieties were, as usual, superb. Two entries

were rather amusing, Jacaranda mimosifolia and Asparagus sprengeri, and were
deservedly disqualified as “not ferns” by the Judge who as usual was Reginald Kaye.

' The prize-winners are listed below in order of winning —

Class 7 Group of hardy British ferns arranged naturally in an area not exceeding
: 100 square feet
J Brookfield and Son, R F Brookfield, W W Howarth
Class 8 Six hardy British ferns (dissimilar)
J Brookfield and Son, R Trippitt.
Class 9 Six greenhouse ferns (dissimilar)
J Brookfield and Son, W W Howarth.
Class 10 ~—‘ Three foreign ferns, hardy in Great Britain
J Brookfield and Son, R F Brookfield, W W Howarth
Class 11 Three scolopendriums
R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son
Class 12 Three polypodiums
J Brookfield and Son, R Trippitt, R F Brookfield
Class 13 =Three polystichums
R Trippitt; J Brookfield and Son, M Tordoff
Class 14 ~=Three athyriums
J Brookfield and Son, R Trippit, R F Brookfield
Class 15 Three dryopteris
R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son :
Class 16 Three plants, gymnocarpium, phegopteris and/or thelypteris
J Brookfield and Son, R Trippitt
Class 17 Three aspleniums, excluding Asplenium scolopendrium
M Tordoff, R Trippitt
Class 18 One British fern
R Trippitt, M Tordoff, J Brookfield and Son
Class 19 One greenhouse fern
J Brookfield and Son, L Bayley, J G Fairweather

The Society had its usual Stand in the Societies’ Tent, and Matt Busby organised it with
efficiency, assisted by the Secretary and Bert Bruty and part time by Bob Trippitt. Several
members called on us, including the President, Dr Stanley Walker, who spent some time
on the Stand. Pot ferns and fronds in vases made a good show and Matt had a very good
exhibit showing the Propagation of ferns from the spore onwards. One caller who two
years ago got a pamphlet on growing ferns from spores from us, along with a fertile frond
of Asplenium trichomanes ‘\ncisum Moule’, brought with him a seed tray containing the
results of his sowing. They included a wide selection of very good forms of A. trichomanes”
“Incisum’ and ‘Cristatum’, with a mixture of other ferns which obviously resulted from
stray spores of other species clinging to the frond which we gave him. For the rest of the
Show we exhibited the tray on our Stand with an explanatory notice and it attracted
much attention.

WORLD FERN SOCIETIES

Since our last published list in the first issue of the Bulletin in 1973 fern societies in many
countries have increased in number and for the information of our members in th
countries concerned we give an up-to-date list of those known to us. Without doubt there
are others, for the new “Fern Craze” is extending worldwide and is now rampant in
countries which were unaffected by the “Victorian Fern Craze’’ which swept through
Britain in the latter half of the last century. We shall be glad to hear from members who
can add other fern societies to our list, with, if possible, some information about them for
our records. We follow up the list with a short article on the Delaware Valley Fern Society
in the U.S.A., kindly supplied by the Co-President, Mrs Marilyn B Peterson, whom we are
very pleased to have as a member of our Society.

AMERICAN FERN SOCIETY, c/o Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

CENTRAL FLORIDA FERN SOCIETY. No further information available to date.

DELAWARE VALLEY FERN SOCIETY, c/o Mrs Marilyn B Peterson, Co-President,
22 West Southampton Avenue, Philadelphia, Penn. 19118, U.S.A.

FERN STUDY GROUP of the Society for growing Australian Plants, c/o Mr S Clemesha,
18 Wesson Road, West Pennant Hills, New South Wales 2120, Australia.

JAPANESE PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY, c/o Dr K Iwatsuki, Department of Botany,
Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL FERN SOCIETY, 4369 Tujunga Avenue, North
Hollywood, California 91604, U.S.A.

NELSON NEW ZEALAND FERN SOCIETY, c/o Miss K H Stocker, Mapua, via Nelson,

ew Zealand.
NIPPON FERNIST CLUB, c/o Professor Satoru Kurata, Institute of Forest Botany,
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, Yayoi-cho, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
SOUTH FLORIDA FERN SOCIETY, c/o Mrs Mary G R Adams, 801 E. Ridge Village
Drive, Miami, Florida 33157, U.S.A.
THE DELAWARE VALLEY FERN SOCIETY :
Marilyn B Peterson, Co-President
This Society, based in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, is a vital group of amateurs and
Professionals. Philadelphia is the horticultural centre of the north-eastern United States
with many arboreta, display gardens and environmental reserves in the area. The almost
100 members of DVFS take a participatory interest in many of these institutions, on a
volunteer or staff member basis. Also, as an organisation, DVFS is currently planning a
design for a fern garden ina nearby conserve.

Activities of the group are varied. Winter meetings are generally lectures on fern identifica
tion, propagation and cultures. Summer meetings are spent in the field. This past year trips
were taken to fern sites in Connecticut, the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the Pocono Mountains
in Pennsylvania and the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. In addition, short trips
were taken to nearby arboreta and fern sites. Each year the Society participates in the
Philadelphia Flower and Garden Show. This year their booth, a Victorian parlour featuring
a replica of a wardian case, won an “Exceptional Exhibit’ award. The members, in general,
seem to be most interested in native ferns and enjoy hiking through the woods in their
searches. Many do, however, grow some tropical species in their homes and/or greenhouses.

217

Although many DVFS members do carry membership in other fern and botanical organisa-
tions, ours is the only /oca/ society devoted to ferns. Most of the members are within a
thirty-mile range and enjoy the fellowship of our fern forays. For those who are unable to
attend a meeting or field trip, our bi-monthly bulletin carries reports of the meetings as
well as other notable activities and educational articles.

Our membership is especially blessed by the active participation of noted fern authorities
such as Dr Edgar T Wherry, F Gordon Foster and Longwood Gardens taxonomist Dr
Donald Huttleston. The knowledge that they, and other professionals, are willing to share
with our amateur fern enthusiasts gives our organisation its vital force.

REVIEWS

THE FERN DICTIONARY by Wilbur W. Olson, 1977.
Los Angeles International Fern Society. 225 x 150mm. 132 pages. Price $3.95.

The main content of this interesting book is given on its title-page, as follows:
Pronunciation of fern names, Common names of ferns, Fern genera, Fern species names,
Fern terms. Pronunciations and derivations are given, also etymological details. A list of
families and sub-families (from Crabbe, Jermy & Mickel, 1975) is given, followed by a list
of families and genera in cultivation. Several other items of grammatical detail make this
book most useful and scholarly.

PLATYCERIUM — FERN FACTS by Wendy Franks.
A revised edition appeared in 1975 of this charming book which was reviewed in
the Gazette 10: 118 (1970). Price $5.95.

FERNS TO KNOW AND GROW by F. Gordon Foster.
A second edition appeared in 1976 of this fine book which was reviewed in the
Gazette 9: 204 (1965) and 10: 304 (1973). Price: US $4.95, Canada $5.75

J A Crabbe

NEW ZEALAND FERNS IN YOUR GARDEN by Muriel E Fisher, illustrated by
L Ward. 111pp., 44 illustrations. 200 x 260 mm (x 16mm). Collins: Auckland and
London, 1976. Price: NZ dollars 9.95. (Not available in this country but from
Wm. Collins (NZ) Ltd, PO Box 1, Auckland, New Zealand.)

This is a very attractive book, so distinctive in its presentation that any who see it will
want to own a copy. Its distinction is due, | think, to the unique drawings of Mrs L Ward
which are presented with a certain degree of ‘artist's licence’ but also with considerable
botanical accuracy. For those who do not know the New Zealand flora and who are wary
of new names, these drawings are extremely helpful.

There are three general chapters: a superficial one describing the range of variation in
ferns; a very interesting chapter on Making a Fernery (naturally with examples from the
ever-wet areas of New Zealand but with some very useful practical hints); and a third on
Growing Ferns from Spores. The Nelson and American Fern Societies are mentioned as a
source of spores but Mrs Fisher has not, it seems, heard of the BPS.

218

The bulk of the book is given over to describing 35 species of ferns suitable for cultivation
although five of these are tree ferns and treated in a separate chapter. Species are arranged
in alphabetical order of genus but | found the family names brought out in bold type-
face confusing as they sometimes appear twice, eg: Blechnaceae above B/echnum and
Doodia, The text contains notes on habitat and cultivation requirements and often inciden-
tal data on uses by Maoris. Mrs Fisher has used the names used in H H Allan’s Flora of
New Zealand (1961) which are acceptable for the most part but | think few would now
accept Leptopteris as a synonym of Todea. | am sorry the author did not give more examples
of Hymenophylium or Trichomanes. No species, only a generalised illustration of an un-
named species of the former was given; of the latter only Trichomanes (Cardiomanes)
reniforme is illustrated.

AC Jermy

THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME OSMUNDA AHG Alston

The discovery among old fern papers of a poem attributed to a Edith E Warren,
giving a delightful account of the naming of the Royal fern, has prompted me to
repeat a paper by A H G Alston under the above heading, which appeared in the
British Fern Gazette in 1938, Vol. 7 No. 5, and to follow it by the poem in
question. — Ed.

The etymology of Osmunda is extremely obscure. Prior (‘Popular Names of British Plants’,
page 173) says: ““Osmund, Osmund Royal, or Osmund the Waterman, , apparently a earruption
of G. gross moneé-kraut, greater moon-wort, rep

There are other derivations of it, such as that by ecko from the name of some satedne
by Nemnich, on the authority of Houttuyn, from os, mouth, and mundare, cleanse; by
others from os, bone, and mundare, cleanse. The Waterman would seem to be its Flemish
name, Watervarn. The Royal refers, we are told by Lobel (‘Kruydb.’, i, p. 991), to its great
and excellent virtues; but more probably to its stately habit. Osmunda regalis L.”

Osmund as a proper name is said to be derived from two Saxon words, os, house, and
mund, peace. The Oxford Dictionary says “of unknown origin’. It seems most likely to
have come from the old herbalists. The earliest reference that | have been able to find to
it was in the ‘Pandetarious’ of Mattias Sylvaticus. Sylvaticus lived in italy in the latter part
of the fourteenth century. He says that the plant grows in “paradises and gardens”, and
that it was another name for the Pirgitis of Dioscorides. The Pirgitis of Dioscorides was
Probably Phyilitis scolopendrium.

In the older works the name appears in the form Os mundi. Os mundi appears to come
from two Latin words, os, bone, mundi, genitive of mundus, “of the earth”, meaning that
the bone-like rhizome was found under the earth. The old English name was Bonewort, in
use about A.D. 1000, and applied to various plants with supposed bone-healing properties,
among them the Royal Fern. Osmund meant in Sweden, in early times, the unwelded small
Pieces of iron which were obtained by squeezing together with a sledge-hammer the lump
of iron directly extracted from the ore, and cutting it with an axe into pieces, which
pieces were commonly used as currency in the absence of the more precious metals.

The word appears in English works about 1280.
219

OSMUNDA REGALIS

Osmunda Regalis! The Monarch of Ferns!
Growing in woods and by damp mossy burns,
A fern with a story for youth or for age,

A fern with a legend on History’s page.

On the banks of Loch Tyne lived Osmund the Bold.
He worked as a ferryman so we are told,

Ferrying passengers over ss pag

Osmund the Bold or Osm e Bra

In acot by the shore lived his daughter ‘and wife.
These two were the light and the joy of it life,
Brave Gerta his wife both virtuous and fai

And Hilde his young daughter with qaeen hair.

Fair Hilde loved the lake-side and fleet as a fawn

She would haste from the cot in the shimmering dawn
To watch her dear father depart o’er the blue,

Waving and waving a loving adieu.

Then humming and singing would slowly return
Through the King-fern that crowded the banks of the burn,
Their tall gallant fronds so green and so fair

With blossoms as golden as Hilde’s pretty hair.

One morning, oh horrors! A fugitive band

Cam e hurrying to tell them there were ee in the land,
Then onward in terror they fled them ;

But Osmund all fearful looked round ha dismay.

One moment he wavered then quick as a flash

“To the boat Hilde and Gerta’’, and hither they dash.
He rowed to an island with Fern-Royal smothered

And bade them lie there with fern safely covered.

Then back to his cottage full fleetly he hied.

Nota glimpse of his wife or his teat he spied

As he sped o’er the waters and back to his cot.

Not a moment too soon ere the Danes reached the spot.
They did him no hurt for they wanted his aid

To ferry them over the waters — unpaid!

But gladly he worked the whole of that day

To ferry those troops safely out of his way.

With the evening Came respite and there by the shore,

e

He knelt down to thank the Good Father above,

With Hilde and Gerta who shared in his love.

In the far years that followed how often they told

Of that long day in hiding, so bleak and so cold.

Said Hilde “My good King-fern must have a new name”
And “‘Osmund the Royal” the King-fern became

MEMBERSHIP LIST — Additions and amendments

New Members

_ ADAMS Mrs Mary G R, 801 E. Ridge Village Drive, eating issn 33157, U.S.A,
AUSTWICK Eric, 4 Rippingham Road, Withington, Manc' r 20.
BAINES Miss Winifred M, Roserie, Coley Lane, Little Sean. Stafford ST18 OUP.
BATES Miss C Hilary, 1 Greenhill bt Bridford, ee Devon EX
eo Charles C, R.D.1, 304 Taney Drive, Taneyt Me oe 21787, U.S.A
BOND John D, Verderers, Wick Road, Englefield yes Egham, Sur
BURROWS JE, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, P.Bag X7, Claremont 5735, South Africa.
BUSHBY Mrs Marjo orie, Woodstoc k Bower. Wray Lane a e,
CATHCART Hamish, 22 Huia Road, Titirangi, Auck HS Ne ay te
skcybeigr ian ee FERN PRODUCTION NURSERY, Nea e Wash, 3535 So, Temperance
Ave Fresno, —- 93725,
cai UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, “~e i-c cho, Chiba-sh 1, Chiba-ken, yer IN (Kin).
RAWFORD pane ttage, Foster — Penrith, Cumbria CA11
al rs Edgar, 6925 Lois she Cinti, Ohio
DIXON Arthur, 132 Grange Road, nee aad TS26 BJU.
ELLIS Colin P, 39 West Pn London S
ENTICKNAP Miss S A, 45 Byfleet — a atin ib Han
Sip ta Mrs S A, 2357 Thornwood Lane, Memphis, Tennessee 38138, U.S.A.
GARRETT Mrs Joy M, 2311 62nd ete Dr. W, rie ntti Florida 33507, U.S.A.
GATES Peter S, 2 Glan y r Afon, Abercraf, Swansea, = am.
GOMM Miss Alison, The ‘Old Britannia, Buckland Common, Tring, Herts HP23 6NU.
GOODEY Norman J, Burgh Nurseries, Hasketon, near Woodbridge, Suffolk 1P13 6JN.
GREEN Dr T G Allan, Biological Sciences, Waikato University, Hamilton, New Zealand.
GRIFFITH R S LI, 60 Hillhead Street, Hillhead, Glasgow G12 8PZ.
GWYTHER AL, St Marys Vicarage, London Road, Swanley, gee ca 7AQ.

HASTY Dr James H, PhD, P.O. Box 63, Cary, illinois 60013, U.S.
HAZEN Mrs Wayne E, 2117 Highland Road, Ann Arbor, ks ROS 18 148104, U.S.A.

OD
JAGER Wolfgang, Rabenweg 55, 5600 Wuppertal 1, West
JONES Mrs Judith |, 1911 4th Avenue W, Seattle, Washington 981 19, U.S.A.

MASON Raymond, 16 Grenville Road, Southsea, Hants
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY, Baillieu Library, Parkville, csutia 3052, Australia.
MONTFORD Aarian R, 10 Clermont Road, Brighton, East Sussex
ee saat al Dr James D, PhD, Ichthyological Associates Inc, R.D.1, Berwick, PA. 18603, U.S.A.
M E Miss ogee 66 Northen Grove, West Didsbury, Manchester
NEW RUAT apse GARDEN CO. LTD., Earls Hall Drive, St John’s Road, Clacton-on-Sea,
6 et

Esse
PANNELL} Miss Caroline M, 31 Hayling Rise, Worthing, Sussex BN13 3AL
PETERSEN E Briand, phy co 27, 3700 Rénne, Denmark.
PETERSON Mrs Marilyn B, 22 West Southampton gredars es Penn. 19118, U.S.A.

PIEROZYNSK|I W J, 6 Rusholme Place, Rusholme, Manc 4
PRETORIA NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN, 2 ae Avenue, 0002 Pretoria, South Africa
PULLINGE ay 137 Hookfield, Epsom, Surr et

RANDALL Mss L, 10 Wick Lane, Englefield Green, Egham,
RASBACH Mrs Helga, ‘kerk Glotterbad, D-7804 Sica, I West Germany.
REEVES Robert C, 6 Manor Place, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 a eee
REEVES Timothy, Dept of ‘Gena and Microbiology, Arizona State University, Tempe,

rizona 85281, aha
RIGGS Gary R, 5 Mortlake Road, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9.
ROBINSON Philip D, 51 Aeron Road, Waltonrone Thames , Surrey KT12 2DG.
RODDE Robert E, DDS, 2301 West First Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901, USA
RUSH Richard J, 81 Chu ry Road, Enfield, Mddl

Cornwall TR1 2HX.
SAYRE Lawrence R, 192 Tharp Drive, Moraga, California 94556,
SCHAFFER Ernest, 1 Faversham Road, Catford, London SE6.

SCOTT en M, BSc, Dip.Ed., Wildlife Youth Service, 4 Fountainhall Road,

burgh EH9 2N “a
SIMONS" Dr CW R, 103 Coast Road, Warrington, , New Zealand.
STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET, Botaniska tot et Biblioteket, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.

221

TODD-WHITE R A, 10 Meadow Way, Liphook, H
D

TUNNICLIFFE Mrs Susan 8 Octavia, Roman Hill, Bracknell, “se RG12 4YZ.
INS Lance, 14 Frick Street, Lobethal, South o trali
WINSTANLEY P R, Willowcroft, Manchester Road, Blackrod, Bation BL6 5SW, Greater Manchester.

ZETTERLUND Henrik, Risdsgatan 6, 41307 scorned Swe

. of Address
BARNETT John, 1 Mill Cottages, Skyreholme, Appletreewick, Yor

nd.
DELENDICK Thomas J, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, areee ne 10458, U.S.A.
ILL Stephen and Mrs Teresa J, 15 Hinton Avenue, Cambridge CB
KORNAS ont Dr Jan, DSc, Department of Biology, fn cea ey acm P.MB. 1069,
ri, Nigeria.
KUNKEL Gunehe r, Partido de la Fuente, a/c Lista de Correos, Coin, wie. Spain.
MARTIN Mrs Christine L, Bowns Motors ome” nr Bridgwater, Som
wots EATHER James W and Mrs Ma t E, 8 Howard Street, natty
MEY P.O. Box 384, Rich Sioa Texes 75080, U.S.
MITCHELL Dr DS, CSIRO, Division of Irrigation Research, Private Bag GRIFFITH, New South

ustralia.
PEARCE radon a oa Flat 29, 38 Windsor Park, Belfast 7, Northern —,
PRICE DT, BSc, A ALS, Yew Tree Cottage, LLanbadoc

east Sh EIN eb bbc Dr T, Institut fur Organische Chemie, 19 St Sdianns rin “CH-4056 Basel,
and. , ee ry Mem _ )

RIBBINS | Mrs Maureen, 83 Glenhurst Avenue, Bexley, Ken

rate Dr Shame ke, Biological Institute, Aichi Kyoiku University, Kariya-shi, Aichi-ken 448,
SWINSCOW DrT D - Sr BS, MSc, FLS, 24 Monmouth Street, Soca Exeter, Devon.

TINNE Mrs A M, Lochwood Cottage, Gartcosh, Glasgow G69 8D

Changes of Name and Other Changes

Delete— Akateeminen Kirjakauppa Re-insert as — fradaprip Se UNIVERSITY,

Dept o tany, Unioninkatu 4
SF- Ashe Helsinki 17, a
Blair Miss F M BENNELL Mrs Frances M
67 Prince Regent sede Edinburgh EH6 4AP.
Burnett B W BUSWETS @ Brian W and Mrs Wendy
(Address u )
Glasnevin Botanic Garden tienes: BOTANIC GAR po
a Dublin 9, Irish Republi
Delete — from Members List Re-insert as — rs:
Hem riod Synge Noel
JACKSON Fred
Delete from Membership List — ‘
LW Beer Mrs P V Henderson Ms D
BRW2Z Ruch i Hill Perrys Hardy Plant Farm
ae and Sharp K G Hirst G R Proct
R Caus Hunt Botanical Library c
~ P - comneiiy Bin Professor A R Sakya
JB —— a Instituto Botanico Dr and Mrs H P Scott
: z Dr J H Henriques Rev C E Shaw
fe Craig (Philippines) Shepa
TH $ Kemp Mrs D Sherman
: J P Cullinane JV Knight S J Simon
=aye etemi Konyutar W Lancaster A | Smith
> Evans Lewin Mrs W H Stevens
Ewan FH a DR Su
ny ie T Faithfull Miss S J Meacka P G Taylor
3 Faizon Magyar ‘Tidemaness Akademia M Towers
Field Museum of Natural B Makin P A Trower
W L P Meagher S M Vasudeva
Mrs E F Goffey ba a Mrs M L Wagner
= on A Milos Mrs C A Walker
Mrs E-M Green be and Mrs * W Mitchell Mrs C C Weglicki
S G Hathaway Comcrtees ss Moray JB T White
Dr MD Muir J M Wilks

Re-insert in Members List

OTT Dr Franklyn D and Dr Aleto Jo, Biology Department, Memphis State University, Memphis,
ennessee 38152, U.S.A.

VICARY Paul M, Laurel Cottage, Cricket Green, Hartley Wintney, Basingstoke, Hants RG27 8PJ.

MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS
We are happy to make the following announcements —
Marriage: Dr Robert A Finch — Jessica Deal, in early August 1977.

Birth: To A J (Tony) and Barbara Worland — a daughter, Abigail, on 11 November
1976

OBITUARIES

It is with great regret that we have to announce the following deaths —

Len W Beer who died suddenly in the spring of this year, was the curator of Bangor
University Botanic Gardens. He was a very enthusiastic plantsman and took part in some
expeditions to the Himalaya Mountains in search of new plants. He joined our Society in
1969 and we enjoyed his company on some of our field meetings. We extend our deepest
sympathy to his widow.

F M Low Choy who died in the spring of this year, joined the Society in 1971. He lived
in Australia and we know little about him; all correspondence was sent through his
daughter who lives in this country and advised his death to us.

Late News Item. In Matt Busby’s Midland Report (page 187) he mentions that Mrs
Gwladys Tonge exhibited one of her paintings at the University of Aston meeting.

In the Times of Wednesday 2 November 1977 the following appears in their report on the
late autumn show of the Royal Horticultural Society in London —

“There is a large entry (of botanical paintings) and two gold medals have been
awarded to this section.”’ One ..... “was awarded to Gwladys Tonge for her water-
colours of plants from the hedgerow and from her own cottage garden. They are
very lovely, and three to enjoy are of Tussilago farfara, ‘Old Blush’ China rose,
and Cotoneaster wardii"’.

We congratulate Mrs Tonge on her success, and we echo Matt’s remark that we look forward
to the day when we can put on an exhibition of her work.

MEETINGS PROGRAMME 1978

Meetings Secretary
Meetings Committee

Saturday
11 February

urday
11 February

A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambs. CB2 5QN.

R F Cartwright, J A Crabbe, J W Dyce, J W Merryweather,

M H Rickard, J R Woodhams.

Indoor Meeting at the British a (Natural History), Cromwell
Road, London SW7 5BD at 2.00 p

Annual General Meeting to be held at the British pe (Natural
History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD at 2.1

Saturday Visit to the Fern Houses and outside fern en at co Botanic
20 May Gardens. Meet outside Fern Houses at 2.30
Saturday Visit to Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park, Berks at 11.00 am
3 June and 2.30 pm. Meet in car park inside Englefield Green entrance.
Sunday Day Meeting on Cavenham Heath, Icklingham, Suffolk. Meet at
11 June 2.30 pm. Details of meeting place from Meetings Secretary.
Leader: Tony Worland.
Aime rls Weekend Meeting in Silverdale, ee
16/18 Leaders: Reginald Kaye and Jimmy Dyc
Centre: Yew Tree House, 3 alt aca, Silverdale.
Saturday/Saturday Two Week Meeting in Irelan
24 June/8 July Leaders: Clive Jermy, Moira Scannel! and Donal Synnott.
Details from— A Clive Jermy, British Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road, London D.
Friday/Sunday Weekend’ Meeting in nivmeat Cotswolds
30 June/2 July Leader: Matt Bus
Centre: rtseite cuir: Hotel, Brimscombe, nr Stroud, Glos.
Saturday/Friday Two Week Field Meeting on Isle of Mull by University of York
8/21 July Natural History Socie
Invitation extended to B. P.S. members to attend.
information from — James Merryweather, 8 Howard Street, York.
Saturday/Saturday | Week Meeting on Dartmoor, Devon.
22/29 July Leader: Martin Rickard
Centre: Red Acre, Challa Brook Lane, Bovey Tracey, Devon.
Thursday /Saturday Southport Fiower Show.
17/19 August Many fern classes showing selection of best varieties.
Visit the Society’s Stand in the Societies’ Tent.
Saturday/Sunday Week Meeting at Kettlewell, Yorks.
2/9 September Leaders: John Barnett and Jimmy Dyce.
Centre: Bluebell Hotel, Kettlewell.
Saturday Indoor ssc at Kew Botanic Gardens in the Cambridge Cottage
14 October from 1.30 p
REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS

Suitable dates to be arranged by direct personal contact with organisers —

Midlands:

South-west England :

Yorkshire:

A R Busby, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Aston
in Birmingham, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 7ET.

Christopher and Mary Potts, 4 Montpelier, Weston-super-Mare, Avon.
James and Margaret Merryweather, 8 Howard Street, York.

oe CONTENTS

‘= Compiled by J W Dyce 198
AL Busy 199
ee ae EW Oke 201
vg si JW Dyce 202
Z Ray Best 203

ee ee P G Coke 205
fe Dyce = 209
= | «J WDyce 210.
se att:
212

a. a

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= = %

oo BRITISH PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY

OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE 1978
Ae ge - ee ee - President
ae : ea nats ae ce Stanley Waiker

Vice-Presidents
Professor R E Holttum F Jackson
: Professor frene Manton — Ske

: =

iences Dep:
nots ‘Goldsmith ealiews a
Cross, London SEI4

THE
BULLETIN

OF THE
BRITISH PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Vol 1 1978 No 6

SECRETARIAL NOTES

With this issue of the Bulletin we complete Volume 1 for which | have been responsible
as Editor, but | am now retiring from this Office as well as that of Secretary of the
Society. | have been very closely associated with the running of the Society since it was
revived in 1947 after the war years, a matter of 31 years, during which time | served

first as Treasurer, then as Secretary/Treasurer, and finally as Secretary/Treasurer/Editor
of the Bulletin. In that time | have not become any younger, although | am sure in my own
mind that it has been my association with ferns and the Society which has kept, and still
keeps, me so active both in mind and in body, and | hope | shall continue so for another
few years at least, to enable me to scramble on mountains and in other ferny places, and
even to clamber up a few rocks, in pursuit of ferns.

In 1974 | began divesting myself of some of my duties when Dr Barry Thomas took over
those of Treasurer, followed in 1976 by Lt Col Philip Coke as Membership Secretary, and
now | complete the job. | took office at a time when the Society was at a very low ebb,
but | can look back with some satisfaction in that | have done my bit to bring it back to
vigorous life and to achieve heights far beyond any it had attained in the past. A R (Matt)
Busby and Martin H Rickard have agreed to accept nomination as our new Secretary and
Bulletin Editor respectively, and the appointments will be confirmed and become
operative at our next AGM in February 1979. | am confident they will devote themselves
with enthusiasm to their new duties and | hope you will all give them your fullest support
in the years ahead, as you have given it to me in the past. For the time being until every-
thing settles down under the new regime, the headquarters of the Society will continue to
‘be my address — 46 Sedley Rise, Loughton, Essex IGIOILT.

MEETINGS — Meetings Cards for 1979 are enclosed with this Bulletin to all inland
members. Overseas members, visiting Britain, can obtain them on application to the
Meetings Secretary.

SUBSCRIPTIONS become due on 1 January 1979 and prompt payment will be
appreciated by the Membership Secretary. Many overseas members are uncertain about
the best method for remitting their dues to this country, and with this issue we enclose a
leaflet enumerating the different ways this can be done.

PUBLICATIONS BY AIRMAIL. Our journals can be sent by airmail to overseas members,
Provided they advise the Membership Secretary and pay an additional subscription to
cover airmail postage, £1.50 for full members and £1.00 for members receiving only the
Bulletin. The amounts should be included when sending annual dues, and are subject to
change if postal rates are increased.

READING CIRCLE. The American Fern Journal, a quarterly containing much information
for those seriously interested in ferns, is circulated to Reading Circle members. To join,
apply to Mrs Mary Potts. 4 Kennel Lane, Webbington, near Axbridge, Somerset.

CORRECTION — Under New Fern Variety Finds in the 1977 Bulletin | ascribed the
Schroder polystichum finds to the New Forest. Reginald Kaye to whom the plants were
sent, points out that they were found in Ashdown Forest, not the New Forest.

THE FERN ATLAS. This long-awaited publication is now available to members, but
PLEASE NOTE that it is not stocked by BPS Booksales. Copies can be obtained for
£3.50 post free from F and M Perring, Oundle Lodge, Oundle, Peterborough PE8 5TN.

WHERE TO SEE FERNS. In the past we have frequently published in our journals a list
of public and private gardens and other places which members can visit to see collections
of ferns. This is now being published as a leaflet, a copy of which is enclosed with this
Bulletin to inland members — overseas members, visiting this country, can obtain copies
from the Secretary at 46 Sedley Rise, Loughton, Essex IGIO!|LT. We welcome additions
to the lists.
SPECIAL NOTICE. We are asked by the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell
Road, London SW7 5BD to announce that the Department of Botany will be closed in
future on Bank Holiday weekends, as from the beginning of 1979. Intending visitors,
please note.
REFRESHMENTS AT INDOOR MEETINGS. Joan Woodhams has for some years now
undertaken the responsibility for providing refreshments at indoor meetings, and every-
one who has enjoyed the tea, sandwiches, cakes and other good things provided, will
appreciate that the preparations have involved a lot of time and labour. This service has
been given by Joan most willingly and cheerfully, but the time has come when we feel it
is becoming an imposition to expect her to carry the responsibility indefinitely. We shall
welcome a volunteer or volunteers to take over the responsibility for providing light
refreshments at these meetings, and Joan will still be willing to help. | take this opportunity
to express our grateful thanks for her very much appreciated contributions towards the
success and pleasure of our indoor meetings. Will ee please contact the
Secretary or the Meetings Secretary.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. | have once again to give thanks to our contributors for a
plentiful supply of material for this Bulletin, to Jim Crabbe and Martin Rickard for
editorial assistance, and to Metloc who, as usual, have given me every consideration and
help. Finally, since this issue marks the end of my editorship, | want to thank gratefully
| those who have helped me to launch and maintain successfully two journals, the
Newsletter and its successor the Bulletin, over the past 11 years.

CLOSING THOUGHT. The postscript to a letter received by me in the spring from a
Continental member —

‘The sun is shining, the ferns are coming, and | am still here. Life is beautiful’

804.51
(535.22)

269.29

Income
£1000.00

Expenditure

ORDINARY ACCOUNT

Subscriptions
Donations

ales —
Gazettes, Newsletters, Bulletins
Victorian Fern Craze
Hardy Ferns (Profits)
Offprints (article sales to authors)
Sundries

Interest on Deposit Accounts

Bank of Scotland
Greenwich Building Society

Metloc a/c Bulletin Vol 1 No 5
Econoprint a/c Gazette Vol 11 part 5
Printing and Stationery
Administration Expenses and Postage
Subscriptions to Societies

Bank charges on Current Account
Indoor meeting costs

Excess of income over expenditure

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1977

177.50
3.00
498.30

110,00
38.15

60.73
61.01

Balance carried forward from December 1976

Total
Transfer to Publications Account

Balance carried forward in Ordinary Account

PUBLICATIONS ACCOUNT

Balance carried forward
Transferred from Ordinary Account

Metloc — reprinting Gazettes
Balance in hand

GREENFIELD FUND

Balance carried forward
Interest

Balance in hand

1808.65
1.00

826.95

121.74
£2758.34

£1029.37
1000.00
56.00
£1056.00
56.00
£1000.00

1094.00
21.45

£1115.45

227

TREASURER’S REPORT

This year’s accounts once again show the Society’s financial situation to be reasonably sound.
However, it must be emphasised that for the second year running subscriptions have almost
equalled our expenditure. It is only on peripheral sales and interest on deposit accounts that
we survive and gradually accrue capital. The cost of printing the Gazette did not increase this
year but administration expenses and postage continued to rise despite our efforts.

It should be noted that this year we have not made large transfers from the Ordinary Account
to the Publications and Greenfield Funds. The combined figures of last year’s transfers,
£535.22 shown in brackets in the Statement, taken in conjunction with the good profit this
year on the sale of Hardy Ferns, explains largely the discrepancy between last year’s and this
year’s balances carried forward. The Greenfield Fund has once again risen so that £115.45 is
available for use.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING — 11 FEBRUARY 1978

The 75th AGM of the Society was held at the British Museum (Natural History) in London
on 11 February 1978, as usual in conjunction with the Spring Indoor Meeting. We had an
attendance of 32 members. The President, Dr Stanley Walker, was in the Chair.

The Secretary’s Report reviewed the happenings of the year. The total membership was
520; new members numbered 60 but this increase was largely offset by a weeding out of
the defaulters resulting from the subscription increase at the beginning of 1976. We now
have a Clearer picture of the real strength of the Society. At the end of the year

Lt Col Philip Coke took over the duties of Membership Secretary, thereby relieving both
the Secretary and Treasurer of some work. The Secretary gave notice that he plans to
retire from all his other duties at the end of 1978 — fortunately willing hands are ready to
take over and the Society will cease to be the “one-man band” it has been for so many
years.

The Treasurer submitted his report which showed our finances to be in a healthy condition.
There was nothing of a controversial nature and it was accepted by the Meeting

We had a great deal of worry with the Fern Gazette which did not appear until December,
due to labour troubles at the printers. Ideally, we plan to space the publication dates of

the Gazette and the Bulletin six months apart, in May and November respectively, but 1977
saw the Bulletin distributed a matter of days ahead of the Gazette. We hope to do better

in 1978. Dr Page is finding it difficult to cope with all the additional work and worry caused
by the printing delays and it is becoming necessary that we appoint a business manager who
can take all the responsibilities outside his editorial work off his shoulders, and also be
responsible for the journal’s distribution. There is no falling off in the steady flow of suitable
contributions of high quality and the future is assured. Happily, the Bulletin has escaped
these troubles and its Editor enjoys the happiest associations with, and interested co-
operation of his printers, Metioc.

Reginald Kaye’s book Hardy Ferns continues to sell very well and almost all of the 500

copies already bound, have been sold. We are waiting for the remainder of about 400 to
be bound and are confident that the demand for the book will continue. At last, the new

228

Fern Atlas, being published jointly by the Botanical Society of the British Isles and our
Society has been completed and will be published in the spring of 1978.

Dr Stanley Walker was elected President for his third year in the Office and all the other
officers were re-elected, plus Lt Col Philip Coke as Membership Secretary. A second
Auditor, John Cramp, was elected from our own membership to share the duties with our
outside Auditor, J Moulton. The retiring members of the Committee were A R Busby and
J A Crabbe and we thank them for their work on behalf of the Society while in office.
They were replaced by Dr Mary Gibby and M R Rickard. Our Vice-President Fred Jackson
was elected an honorary member of the Society in recognition of his many services to the
fern cult and to the Society over the many years he has been associated with us.

MEETINGS 1978

The Spring Indoor Meeting on 11 February at the British Museum (Natural History)
followed on after the AGM and took the form of an exhibition to which many members
contributed. Fronds of species and varieties, both fresh and pressed, were shown by
Philip Coke and Jimmy Dyce, also a selection of the Jones Nature Prints. There was an
exhibit of Dryopteris species by Christopher Fraser Jenkins, of Polypodies in the British
Isles by Jim Crabbe and of Isoetes by Devon Mazarati. Sheets from the forthcoming
Fern Atlas were shown by Clive Jermy, and many books were on show as well as a good
selection for sale by BPS Booksales. We were delighted too that Gwladys Tonge
responded to our hint in the last issue of the Bulletin (late news item, p.223) and
exhibited some of her flower paintings — they well deserved the Royal Horticultural
Society award of a gold medal last year. After an enjoyable buffet meal we had a showing
of slides with commentaries by various members.

The Autumn Indoor Meeting was held on 14 October at Kew Botanic Gardens in the
Cambridge Cottage, and was attended by 38 members. There were exhibits of plants and
fronds and a selection of fern books for sale. Clive Jermy introduced the speaker, our
member Mrs Barbara Croxall of the Botany School Cambridge, who talked on the ferns of
her native country, New Zealand, accompanied by many fine slides. These were not only
of ferns but included types of habitat and general views of fern country which were most
informative as well as interesting. She extended the range of her talk to cover Australia
and New Guinea and had a most appreciative audience. Informal chat occupied the rest of
the afternoon, and Joan Woodhams provided tea and cakes. For some years Joan has
undertaken the responsibility for providing this enjoyable part of the proceedings at our
indoor meetings. She has gone to great trouble and given willingly of her time and we are
most grateful to her. Please note a further paragraph about this which appears in the
Secretarial Notes.

DAY MEETINGS

Kew Meeting — 20 May. A gathering of 36 members and friends assembled outside
the Fern Houses, and among them | was pleased to welcome several new members. We
started off with a talk on fern pests from John Woodhams, illustrated by examples of
infested plants, showing mealy bug, scale, insects, eelworm, cockroaches, slugs, etc, and
the results of their ravages. Methods of control and their efficacy were discussed and

included sprays, systemic insecticides and baits. Afterwards we enjoyed an interesting
tour through the Houses with commentaries from John and from Professor Holttum.
Joan Woodhams served tea and biscuits to the party and we thank her for this welcome
interlude. Later, several of us finished up at the Holttums for tea, and as she always does
on these occasions, Ursula Holttum coped magnificently with the invasion and regaled
us with her delicious home-baked scones and a variety of mouth-watering cakes and cup
after cup of refreshing tea. It was a perfect end to a happy day - thank you Ursula and
Eric Holttum.

Savill Garden, Windsor - 3 June. A party of 17 members and friends were welcomed
by the Keeper of the Gardens John Bond and one of his assistants, Lyn Randall, both of
them members of the Society. We had a short introductory talk about the Garden and
were then conducted round to all the ferny parts. John Bond is becoming much more
actively interested in ferns, as is his assistant, but he does not believe in keeping the
collection all in one place, and so we saw it, bit by bit, tucked away in many suitable
corners. It was good to see so active an interest being taken in the fern varieties and many
excellent ones were shown to us. They are planning to introduce more this year. A feature
of the Garden is its many ponds, and their margins are put to good use by the many large-
growing clumps of the Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) which are obviously very much in
their element. The day was a lovely June one and the rhododendrons and azaleas in their
abundance were in full bloom, painting the Garden with their splashes of rich colouring,
and adding greatly to the enjoyment of our visit.

Cavenham Heath, Suffolk - 11 June. On a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot, a party
of 7 assembled at the meeting place on the Heath near Icklingham. With the permission of
the warden we were allowed to explore the area of heath and woodland from which the
public are excluded to safeguard nesting birds. During a previous visit 9 years ago we

recorded 9 species of ferns and allies — Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris carthusiana,

D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, Pteridium aquilinum, Thelypteris palustris, Equisetum arvense,

E. fluviatile and E. palustre; this time we did not find E. fluviatile but added D. pseudomas.
The male ferns were growing strongly in the damp woods which provided ideal conditions
for extensive colonies of 7. pa/ustris. On the way home, on a short visit to the coniferous
woodland of Mildenhall Warren near Barton Mills we found only D. austriaca and D.filix-
mas. Our last call was to a wood near Chippenham which was very interesting fernwise
although most of the ferns were well hidden among strong-growing nettles which were the
dominant ground-cover plants. We recorded 5 species — Dryopteris austriaca, D. carthusiana,
D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and Polystichum setiferum, despite the discomfort of wading
through the dense growth of waist-high nettles. We also noted a very large robust male fern
which was tentatively identified as D. X tavelii.

REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS

Our two regional meetings organisers, Mary Potts in South-west England and Matt Busby
in the Midlands have been very active again, and both have made very good contributions
to the active life of the Society. | have been able to give both these energetic enthusiasts
some support this year by showing the secretarial flag at two of Mary’s meetings and at
one of Matt’s. The success of these meetings depends entirely on the selfless enthusiasm
of organisers devoted to ferns and to the Society’s aims to further fern interest in others.
We have two very active centres in the South-west and in the Midlands, but what about

Wales, the North of England and — Scotland! Regretfully, meetings of the Society in
Scotland have had to be dropped from our programmes because of little or no support,
due obviously to present-day cost of travel and accommodation and to the distances
involved. Most of our active supporters of field meetings seem to live in the south, and it
may be that northern members, more accustomed to living their everyday lives surrounded
by ferns, do not feel the need for meetings to study them. Be that as it may, it would be
very satisfactory to have a Scottish member with the organising enthusiasm and drive of
Mary Potts and Matt Busby, to launch a regional programme in the north.

South-west England. In Mary’s preamble to her report she says that now | have attended
her meetings | know she was not boasting when she has enthused in the past over the
hospitality and general conviviality of these gatherings — but | never doubted her; | have
myself experienced the same warmth of welcome and hospitality from all the hosts
concerned, including Mary. | was very glad that nothing intruded this year to prevent me
attending. Mary writes —

The Potts at Home — 18 June. Fourteen members and friends attended, and in the
morning plants and gossip were exchanged. In the afternoon a visit was paid to Longwood,
a sheltered limestone woodland situated above Cheddar Gorge, and 14 species of ferns
were observed, including Gymnocarpium robertianum and some fine stands of the hard
shield fern, Polystichum aculeatum.

Kenneth Adlam’s Fern Day — 29 July. This was a very successful meeting with 18
members attending on a warm sunny day when the cold drinks — and some not so
“cold’’! — with which we were welcomed, were most acceptable. The garden with its
well-kept extensive lawns was seen at its best and a convivial time was spent admiring it,
seeing the ferns and exchanging plants and news. Kenneth is growing more ferns from
spores and some time was spent puzzling over the nomenclature of plants grown from
spores received from the Spore Exchange! We thank our hosts for a most delightful day
and their warm hospitality.

Philip Coke’s Fern Day — 5 August. This meeting was, as usual, a day of interest to the
16 members who attended and Philip’s fern collection provided us with plenty to look at
and discuss. It is enlarging every year and is always well-worth visiting. The garden is ona
slope with winding paths, and fern surprises meet one at every turn, most of them grown
from his own spore sowings which have produced some superb fern varieties. In his
propagation house are many pans of sporelings coming on and many potted ferns
including some most beautiful maidenhairs brought back from his visit to Australia last
year. The weather was not quite so good at this meeting but this was more than
compensated for by the generous hospitality of Mary and Philip whom we thank warmly
for a most enjoyable day.

Mary Potts concludes — Though the weather has certainly favoured ferns this year, it also
favoured our meetings and this, together with the generosity of our hosts, ensured the
success of our South-west meetings. We thank all the members who supported them and
those who brought plants. Next year we hope to expand the programme to offer more
gardens to visit and fern walks of local interest.

Note. Will members in the South-west — and elsewhere — please note that Mary Potts has
now moved from Weston-super-Mare and her new address is — 4 Kennel Lane, Webbington,
near Axbridge, Somerset; telephone — 093 472 545. If you live within reasonable distance
(and reasonable can become quite unreasonable when you get to know Christopher and

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a, 48

Mary Potts and their enthusiasm for ferns!) and have not yet joined Mary’s “circle’’, you
are invited to get in touch with her so that you can be put on her mailing list for the
South-west regional meetings.

Midlands, Matt Busby has had another very active year among ferns. In January he wrote
that he was still in the middle of a survey of the ferns along the canals of the West Midland
conurbation. He reported in the 1976 Bulletin on the first stages of this work which will
cover an enormous area with a most complicated network of canals and feeder lakes, and
much of his spare time is devoted to this self-imposed task. In February disaster struck

in his fern house at Aston University in Birmingham when the heating failed, resulting in
the loss of almost a quarter of his ferns and serious damage to the rest. In spite of this, in
the spring he put on a fern display for the Society at the Solihull Spring Flower Show,
which earned him a good “write-up” in the local papers with an excellent photograph of
him in his fern house at the University. This attracted much attention and interest,and so
pleased was the organising horticultural society that they have asked him to put up
another display next year, and have invited him to talk on ferns to their members. During
the summer months he undertook single-handed the mammoth task of moving the large
fern collection of our member T A Dyer of Alrewas in Staffordshire to the Oxford
Botanic Garden. On top of all this work for the fern cult Matt is running a course of six
meetings, entitled /ntroduction to the Ferns and their Allies, at the University of Aston
this autumn.

Matt’s regional programme is sent out to all our members in the area, and how wide that
area is depends on how keen members are to participate in his activities. If you want to be
on his mailing list, his address is — Department of Biological Sciences, University of Aston
in Birmingham, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 7ET. This year it contained three organised
visits and Matt reports as follows —

Meeting at the University of Aston — 27 May. Due to the failure of the Fern House
heating in late February and the replacement of the old staging, | was unable to prepare

a regional programme until late in the spring. Consequently, this meeting clashed with the
spring bank holiday and only three members were able to attend. By that time most of
the ferns had recovered but some plants were lost including a number of species grown
from spores over the past 4 years for the teaching collection.

The Coughlin’s Meeting — 10 June. Once again, Ray and Rita’s garden proved a popular
attraction, with 27 members and friends attending on a dry but chilly day. Ray and Rita
had begun some alterations to the garden in preparation for the surgery which is about
to take place when part of their ground is being incorporated in new motorway works.
Fortunately, all the cultivated part will be saved and the loss will be chiefly a very
pleasant bit of woodland through which a path meanders and has added greatly to the
attraction of one of the Midland’s most lovely gardens. We thank our hosts for providing
members with an enjoyable day and superb fare, both wet and dry.

Fibrex Nurseries Meeting — 10 September. A Sunday afternoon visit to Hazel Key’s
nursery at Evesham gave 30 members and friends an opportunity to see a wide range of
hardy and tender ferns, together with other more colourful plants including pelargoniums
and ivies of every description. Every gardener has his favourites and | am sure that every-
one at the meeting noted several new attractions for future planting. May | express, on
behalf of everyone, a warm thankyou to Hazel and her family for providing such friendly
hospitality.

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WEEKEND MEETINGS

Silverdale — 16/18 June. The remarkable thing about this meeting was the excellent
attendance — 17 members and friends turned up — which gave great satisfaction to me

and enabled me to become acquainted with several of our newer members, including Milton
and Jean Mulloy from the USA. The pleasing things were the sunny warm weather and the
visits to Reg Kaye’s fern nursery. | expect some members came just for the opportunity to
see the nursery! We foregathered there on the Friday evening and the long light of mid-
summer enabled Reg to lead a walk round some of his local woods. Saturday morning was
spent in the wooded Gait Barrows about 2 miles from our centre, and 12 species were
recorded, all of them the usual ones which can be found in limestone pavement areas;
Silverdale and the surrounding country is very much an area of pavement, some bare and
some well wooded. In the afternoon we travelled further afield to Hutton Roof, the high
limestone hill several miles to the east, which we have often visited and fully recorded.
Nothing new was found on this occasion but it gave an opportunity to introduce some
newer members to this type of habitat. In the evening a few of us paid a short visit to
Cringlebarrow Wood near Yealand Redmayne. An interesting feature here was a large colony
of Polystichum aculeatum which we found growing in only one small part of the wood. Reg
and | paid another visit on the Monday following the Meeting but nothing further of
particular interest was found although the wood looked very promising.

On Sunday we explored east of Lancaster around Black Fell. Hymenophyliums are reported
from the deep valleys on the north side of the Fell but we did not find any. The morning

was spent in Cragg Wood, a wet wood which did not provide very exciting hunting apart from
some very large growing Dryopteris pseudomas, very typical D. carthusiana and a fine colony

of the horsetail Equisetum sy/vaticum — 11 fern and allied species were seen. Potts Wood,

a mile or so further north was much better. The Artle Beck flows through this deep wooded
valley, providing ideal habitats for many species of ferns, most of them on the steep rock banks
of the stream. We noted 11 species, one of the most common being P. acu/eatum. We had time
only to hunt a small part of the ravine and a longer stay on some future occasion may provide
more of interest. We were working with the new edition of the Fern Atlas which has just been
published, and no new records were made. Our enjoyable weekend was completed by the
hospitality of Reg and Marion Kaye to whom we record our grateful thanks.

The Cotswolds — 30 June/ 2 July. If the Silverdale meeting was remarkable for its
excellent attendance this one was even more so with 19 members and friends present.
Unfortunately, Matt Busby who was to lead the meeting, could not be with us and | had to

take over with the valuable assistance of Martin Rickard. It was a joy to have so many keen
young members with us, some for the first time, including two who came as visitors and joined
during the Meeting. We were very comfortably centred at the Burleigh Court Hotel perched on
high ground above Brimscombe near Stroud with fine views of the valley below. The country-
side is extremely hilly and well wooded but was not, at least in the parts we visited, an extremely
ferny area. The common fern in most places was the hartstongue. On Saturday we visited
woodland near Nether Lypiatt, a few miles north of our centre and recorded 11 ferns and allies.
In addition to Asplenium scolopendrium, the male fern Dryopteris filix-mas was the only

one seen in great numbers and there were some very large colonies of the giant horsetail,
Equisetum telmateia. The scolopendriums presented quite a large range of forms from narrow to
wide, and undulate ones were very common. One crested specimen and one with the undulations
nearly approaching the crispum standard were collected. In the afternoon we had similar

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hunting near Sapperton and at Edgeworth, to the east of Stroud. At the former place, at the
entrance to the old canal tunnel, there was a fine colony of very large growing Gymnocarpium
robertianum, and some members travelling further east to Daglingworth found Asp/enium
ceterach on the village walls.

On Sunday morning we hunted the wooded Pen Hill adjacent to Selsley Common near
Woodchester. Ferns were rather scarce here and included the common species seen elsewhere
but for the variety hunters this visit was the highlight of the weekend with the find of an
excellent Polystichum setiferum ‘Divisilobum’, our best find in the wild for very many years. The
lucky finder was our latest recruit, Nick Hards, who only that day became a member; he has
started his association with us on a high note! The afternoon was spent in the garden of Philip
Coke who lives in the area and we were able to see many fine fern varieties excellently grown,
most of them plants from Philip’s own spore sowings. A welcome cup of tea and cake rounded
off a very enjoyable and interesting visit, and many ferns were seen being carefully stowed away
in the cars at the end of the visit which terminated the Meeting. We thank Mary and Philip
Coke very much for their hospitality.

No new records were made for the At/as; ferns seen were Asplenium ceterach, A. ruta-muraria,
A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas,

, pseudomas, Gymnocarpium robertianum, Polypodium interjectum, P. vulgare, Polystichum
aculeatum, P. setiferum, Pteridium aquilinum and the horsetails Equisetum arvense and
E. telmateia.
WEEK MEETINGS

Dartmoor — 22/29 July. A very pleasant centre, the Red Acre Hotel in Bovey Tracey,
was chosen for this meeting, and a party of six members assembled on the Saturday evening,
looking forward to a good week’s hunting in what promised to be good weather. Our leader
was Martin Rickard, and it was nice to have with us Dr Chris Page from Edinburgh Botanic
Garden, whose botanical expertise was most useful; the rest of the party were Chris Pearce,
Richard and Angela Rush and Jimmy Dyce. On Tuesday we were joined by Evangeline
Borup who at the time was staying at her cottage at Sticklepath near Okehampton.

We found the area dry and dusty around our hotel when, after our arrival, we spent a short
time exploring in the vicinity (Grid ref. 20/87). We quickly recorded 12 fern species from
the entrance drive to the hotel and from a nearby ditch, Asp/enium adiantum-nigrum,

A. scolopendrium, Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas
and Polystichum setiferum, all being quite abundant, particularly the first and last named
species. The others were A. trichomanes, Polypodium interjectum, Pteridium aquilinum,
Equisetum arvense and, most interesting of all, some plants of the hybrid polystichum

P. X bicknellii. Rain was obviously needed, but as happens so often with us the BPS was
able to put this right, for next morning a gentle rain was falling and continued all day,
making fern hunting in the places we like to frequent an uncomfortable occupation. We
planned to spend the morning in theWebburn Valley (20/77) where we have been often

in the past but such is its attraction that we always return when in the area. It is well-
wooded with the pleasant stream flowing through it, its banks adorned by the graceful
fronds of Osmunda regalis and in its higher reaches a colony of Hymenophyllum tunbrigense.
We found both of them this time but a small colony of H wilsonii seen on a visit several
years ago near the other species could not be found. In 1966 we recorded 14 species and
this time a similar number was found — A sco/lopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina,
Blechnum spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, H. tunbrigense, Oreopteris

limbosperma, O. regalis, P. interjectum, P. vulgare, P. setiferum and P. aquilinum. \n place
of H. wilsonii not seen this time, the number was made up by the new find of P. interjectum.

The morning started badly with the party inadvertently splitting into two groups, After
trying in vain to find the others in the network of lanes Martin Rickard and | continued
alone, doing some desultory hunting in the rain during the search, and in so doing found an
interesting plant of A. adiantum-nigrum, more finely divided than normal. The Webburn
Valley occupied the rest of our morning and in the afternoon we visited Hexworthy (20/67)
in search of a colony of A. adiantum-nigrum, found by Druery in 1883, which was charact-
terised by long attenuate tails to both fronds and pinnae and hence named ‘Caudifolium’.
The colony consisting of hundreds of plants was growing on a stone dyke, and thirty years
later in 1913 during our Society’s Annual Excursion to the area it was still there but depleted
in numbers by drought. It would be very gratifying if we could have reported the continued
existence of the fern after the lapse of a further 65 years but Hexworthy covers a lot of
ground with a large number of stone dykes and the early Gazette report, quite rightly, gives
no further details. We searched in all likely places in vain, very conscious of the fact that

if the colony had suffered from drought in 1913 its survival chances were slim after the
exceptional drought of 1976. We did note, however, that many plants of the species growing
in the area had a tendency to develop caudate frond tips and perhaps the variety is still
there. From Hexworthy we went south to Buckfast Church (20/76) where we hoped to find
P. australe on the limestone. We recorded 6 species, all good limestone ones, A. ceterach,

A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, P. australe and P. interjectum. The
ceterach with the ruta-muraria and trichomanes were growing in the churchyard walls, a
man-made limestone habitat, but in a deep sheltered lane behind the church we again found
them growing-abundantly and large in a more natural home. The hartstongues were
particularly handsome, there were large clumps of A. ceterach, also P. interjectum with very
long fronds draping the banks, but best of all was P. australe with the old fronds now dying
and yellow in colour growing luxuriantly to a large size. This fern produces its new fronds

in the autumn and only some of them were beginning to show, but the old ones, up to 2
feet in length, were still attached to the rhizomes and their bright colour on the banks of the
lane added greatly to the beauty of the scene. We were very interested to find that many
were deeply serrate and a few were good examples of the variety ‘Semilacerum’; one good
clump of this was collected, the pinnae on the lower halves of the fronds being deeply cut
and the segments extended to over an inch in length. This was an excellent find. Our hunting
here was rather perfunctory because of the weather, and further searching could produce
more good things. A nearby quarry looked promising but it was overgrown with bushes and
nettles, all looking disagreeably wet, so we contented ourselves with a look from the entrance.
Moving on towards Diptford we made a short stop near Avonwick (20/75) where along the
road 13 species were seen — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A.
filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. interjectum, P. vulgare, P. setiferum,
P. aquilinum, a fine specimen of the hybrid D. X. tavelii, and a very large growing E, arvense
looking very like &, te/mateia. Another short stop was made at Diptford (20/75) where -
there is an old record for Cystopteris alpina on a wall in the village but we could not find

it. We noted 6 species — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, D. filix-
mas, D. pseudomas and P. interjectum. At Berry Pomeroy we visited the old ruined Berry
Castle (20/86) and found its walls supporting an abundant P. australe colony. Again there
were excellent serratum specimens approaching ‘Semilacerum’ and some were collected.

We found 9 species here, the others being A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina,

235

D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. setiferum and P. aquilinum.

Our other party did not waste their day. Under the leadership of Chris Page they visited
Sharp Tor (20/88), finding the bracken abundant but very few other ferns, only 8. spicant,
D. austriaca and P. interjectum being seen. Near New Bridge, Holne (20/77) O. regalis was
found, also A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, O. limbosperma and
P. interjectum. They also visited the Webburn Valley, seeing the same ferns as we did but
they did not know where the H. tunbrigense grows and so missed it.

Monday was a fine day, and so the weather continued for the rest of the week, and any
rain was confined to the nights. In the morning we visited Chudleigh Rocks (20/87), a
rather wild area of limestone cliff and valley, well wooded and abundant in ferns and other
vegetation. We noted 10 species growing on the rocks, on the trees and on the steep slopes
leading down to a stream. P, australe, much of it serrate, was common both on the rocks
and on the trees, accompanied by P. interjectum, and in one place on top of the cliffs was
a fine colony of A. ceterach. A common fern was A. scolopendrium growing on the slopes
and accompanied by D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and P. setiferum. Scattered
in odd corners was A. trichomanes and down by the stream grew a magnificent plant of
D. X. tavelii which must be the largest | have ever seen — it was a tripinnate form and a
crown was collected from the clump. As at Buckfast, the P. australe was shedding its old
fronds which were brightly coloured and very conspicuous, making identification easy.
There was very little sign of the new fronds on most plants except in warm sheltered corners
facing south where they were beginning to unfurl.

Still pursuing rocks, our next hunting was at Great Rock (20/88), north of Hennock. The
area is a steep wooded slope covered with gigantic rocks on which, according to an old
record, A. septentrionale has been found. It seemed a likely place for this fern but we did
not find it and recorded only 8 species. A very common fern was D. pseudomas, and also
common were D, austriaca and P. vulgare, the latter appearing in great patches on the rocks.
The other ferns seen were A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. filix-mas, P. interjectum and

P. aquilinum, Returning to Chudleigh, we spent the rest of the day visiting a plant nursery
adjacent to the Rocks and obtained permission to explore a sadly neglected part of it which
is almost completely surrounded by the cliffs. In it we found the remains of many good
plants and trees struggling against the invading weeds and bushes, while at the base of the
cliff large plants of A. scolopendrium flourished; higher up, the rock face was bright with
the dying fronds of P. australe.

We took advantage of the long daylight to hunt some of the lanes near our hotel in the
evening and one proved very interesting with much of the fern population showing minor
variation, so much so that some plants were collected. The following morning we extended
this search of the local lanes to include a long bridlepath which we had hardly entered be-
fore finding two plants of an unusual A. adiantum-nigrum which looked very like the

species A. onopteris. A frond was collected to be checked by Chris Page on his return to
Edinburgh, but we still await his confirmation that it is indeed this species and; if so, a new
record for the British Isles outside Ireland. Ferns were very abundant in this lane and 15
species were noted. — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina,
B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. interjectum, P. vulgare and P. aquilinum.
A large colony of polystichum was found in one place, some of it P. acu/eatum, but one

plant of P. setiferum was included and the rest proved to be, what seemed obvious in the
field, P. X bicknellii. A colony of P. setiferum further on contained some good tripinnate

236

forms. One plant of D. X tavelii was seen and we collected a fairly good crispum variety of
B. spicant.

The lane occupied most of the morning and from here it was a short drive north to Becky
Falls (20/78) where we spent a short time scrambling in the rocky terrain around the Falls.
Although the number of species was much lower than in the lane we had just left — they
numbered only 9 — ferns grew in large numbers, and we noted particularly the large strong
growth of the A. filix-femina and D. pseudomas; some most magnificent specimens were
seen. The other species were 8. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, P. vulgare, P. aquilinum
and, hidden away among the rocks, both hymenophyllums, H. tunbrigense and H. wilsonii,
the former in quantity but only one small patch of the latter. One minor variety of A. filix-
femina was collected — ‘Incisum Cristulatum’.

We were joined here by Evangeline Borup and in the afternoon went on to Fingle Bridge
(20/78) where, in 1971, | found a fine colony of D. X deweveri. \t was in the hope of seeing
this again that we returned, but alas! in the intervening years the bracken seems to have

taken over and swamped the site, and all we could find was a single small plant of the hybrid.
Ferns are still as plentiful in the area, particularly the dryopteris species, and in all we re-
corded 16 species — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes,
A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. carthusiana, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. vulgare,
P. aculeatum, P. setiferum and P. aquilinum; as well as D, X deweveri we also found a plant
of D. X tavelii.

From here it was not far to Sticklepath and we drove Mrs. Borup back to her cottage there.
Earlier in the day the trained eye of Chris Page spotted on the roadside bank as we sped
past in the cars, what he was certain was Equisetum X litorale and on the return journey
from Sticklepath we stopped at the spot, on the main road east of Chagford (20/78), to find
that indeed he was correct and the colony is a new record for the West Country. Later in
the week, with more time to spare, we again stopped at the site and found that the horsetail
extended much further along the road in great abundance.

On Wednesday we decided to have a day further afield and visited the south coast at Berry
Head (20/95) to follow up an old record for Adiantum capillus-veneris on the sea cliffs near
there. We searched the likely places in vain, but the tide was in and our access was restricted.
Very few ferns seemed to grow here and only 7 species were noted — A. marinum, A. ruta
muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. filix-femina, D. filix-mas, P. setiferum,and P. aquilinum. After
a short stay here we went on further west to Prawle Point (20/73) where even fewer ferns
were seen — A. billotii, A. marinum, A. scolopendrium and’P. aquilinum. Our chief reason
for this visit was to see the two spleenworts and to show them to our newer members —
marinium is essentially a fern of the sea-cliffs and bil/otii is one of our rarer ferns restricted,
with few exceptions, to the west of Wales and the south-west of England; it is mostly to be
found around the coasts and never very far from the sea. Apart from achieving this object,
the whole day was a somewhat wasted one. It was hot and we got caught up well and truly
in the holiday traffic of this very popular holiday area, something which some of us find

it extremely difficult to tolerate!

We were back in haunts more to our liking on Thursday. About 3 miles north of Bovey
Tracey is a series of reservoirs surrounded by woodland (20/88) and we obtained permission
to explore along the banks. The main attraction was /soetes echinospora, a water fern, and
this we found growing in abundance in the shallow water near the shores. Also, growing in

y <7 ae

great numbers along the high water line among the stones and grass was O. regalis, but all
the plants were stunted and seemed to be struggling against adversity in a habitat which
otherwise was. obviously one which could be well-suited to their demands — presumably
they get flooded too often for their liking when the reservoirs are full. Other ferns found
here and along the nearby road were A. adiantum-nigrum, A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes,
A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. Vulgare and P. aquilinum. One
plant of what seemed to be D. X tavelii was noted but we were unable to agree on a definite
identification. Another “new” was E. X /itorale, obviously found once again by Chris Page,
one of whose special fields of research is the equisetums. One wonders how often certain
ferns and allies are overlooked by us in the field when we do not have with us members with
specialist knowledge! An excellent variety found along the road by Martin Rickard was

A. filix-femina ‘Congestum Crispum’; it is not as congested nor as crisp as the best of its kind
in cultivation, but nevertheless a first-rate specimen of a variety which | have never before
seen in the wild.

Travelling north, a short stop was made at Blackingstone Rock (20/78) to check on an old
record for A. billotii. The Rock is a huge lump of stone standing on high ground at over
1000 feet and marked as a viewpoint on the map. We certainly got a magnificent view from
the top but a strong gusty wind was blowing and we did not stay long to enjoy it. We found
our fern, two colonies of it in rock crevices, one of them large and very vigorous. There were
6 other species on or around the Rock — A. adiantum-nigrum, A. filix-femina, B. spicant,

P. australe, P. vulgare and P. aquilinum. °

We spent the afternoon in a most interesting deep wooded valley near the hamlet of
Teigncombe (20/68). This proved to be a veritable fern paradise and many of the 13 species
seen were growing in great abundance. A very steep and muddy path dropped down to a
footbridge across the River Teign which flows through this jungle-like territory. As we
crossed it we were greeted by a rather nondescript royal fern but others of truly royal di-
mensions were found later along the river bank, presenting a beautiful picture with their
great fronds overhanging the slow-moving water. A colony of D. X deweveri was seen and
some of the plants proved, on later examination, to be one of the parents, D. carthusiana,
although not very characteristic of the species. The common woodland ferns were very
abundant in a habitat very much to their liking; they were growing to a very large size, many
of them in great clumps — A. filix-femina, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas.

With them B. spicant was plentiful and on the higher ground was some O, /imbosperma with,
on a nearby wall, A. trichomanes and, in the more open places, P. aquilinum. Along the
river banks was some D. aemula but we hunted in vain for any sign of either of the
hymenophyllums on the moss-covered large boulders strewn along its course and on the
banks, although the habitat appeared most suitable-for them. The high humidity of the
woods favoured the growth of mosses and P. vulgare on both rocks and trees, particularly
on the south-facing slope of the valley which as well as being densely wooded, was extremely
rocky with large moss-covered boulders and low cliffs. It was a difficult place to penetrate
because of many fallen trees, most of them festooned with vigorous colonies of P. vulgare,
and in the time available we could see but little of it. A good divided D, austriaca was found
early in our searching, which stimulated our efforts but no further varietal finds were made
although it was one of those places which makes the hunter feel there are good things there
to find. We have earmarked this valley for further, more leisurely, exploration.

On Thursday night there was heavy rain which was to affect some of our hunting on Friday

although the day was warm and dry. We had several loose ends to tie up on this last day of
our week and we started off with a quick visit to Venford Reservoir near Holne (20/67) in
the hope of finding one of the isoetes in its waters. We were not successful and the few ferns
seen in this area set in the midst of a sea of P. aquilinum, were A. filix-femina, B. spicant,
D. austriaca, P. vulgare and O. limbosperma, We were near Hexworthy and with the added
search power of our whole party we decided to have another look for Druery’s elusive stone
dyke with its possibly still surviving A. adiantum-nigrum ‘Caudifolium’. Again it was a fruit-
less endeavour but much map-studying later on convinced us we were not looking in the
right place, so there is still hope that the fern will be refound. We did, however, amass a
goodly list of records, 15 in all. Some A. adiantum-nigrum was seen on walls,along with A.
scolopendrium, A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes, P. interjectum and P. vulgare. On the
open slopes grew A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, O. limbosperma and
F, aquilinum. Some P. setiferum and a plant of D. X tavelii were also noted and on a wet
retaining wall along the roadside was a fine colony of Phegopteris connectilis — a rather
surprising find for, although there was plenty of water for the fern, the habitat was an ex-
posed one on an open hillside and the plants were small-growing. It seems surprising that
this fern which is very far from common in the West Country should choose such a bleak
home when there must be many much more confortable and suitable places in the area which
know it not.

In a remote corner of Dartmoor in the Princetown area grows one of the only two known
colonies of Cryptogramma crispa in the south west of England. This one consists of a single
plant growing strongly in an old wall and has not changed in size during the years | have
known it. How it comes to be there, so far removed from its nearest kin and continuing to
‘survive happily as a single plant surrounded by many seemingly suitable walls which its
spores refuse to cotonise, no one can tell. A brief visit to pay our respects and satisfy our-
selves that all was well with the plant was made by a few of us while others paid a visit to
Wistman’s Wood lying to the north of Two Bridges.

Our reunited party travelled across the Moor to the south-west to an interesting wood at
the junction of the Meavy and Plym Rivers (20/56). Our parking place at the bridge proved
to be a popular place for holiday makers but we quickly left them behind as we scrambled
along the rocky wooded valley of the Meavy, rich in ferns; we recorded 13 species. A. filix-
femina and B. spicant were very abundant, and further along we came to one part which
seemed almost exclusively reserved by an extensive colony of O. /imbosperma. Tucked away
among the lush-growing fronds of this fern was a solitary plant of O. regalis. Another smaller
one was seen near the car park and there are doubtless many more hidden away in this well-
wooded and watered area. D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and D. pseudomas were common also

P. aquilinum, and some A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes and P.. vulgare were noted on the
steep rocky slopes, but what interested us most was the profusion of H. tunbrigense which
covered all the rocks near the car park while in one place in the midst of it all was one small
colony of H. wilsonii.

We made a short stop at Blackaton Cross (20/56) where in 1969 we found /. /acustris in

one of the small lakes scattered around this china-clay mining district, but the previous
night’s rain had lifted the level of the lake between 2 and 3 feet and it was impossible to

see the fern ally through the muddy water. We retraced our steps eastwards to Buckfast
Church to make good the deficiencies of our exploration there on our rainy first day, but
found that in spite of the uncomfortable weather conditions of that day we had indeed

239

seen practically all there was to see. This time we were able to enter the quarry and found
its walls well draped with the coloured dying fronds of P. australe, and high up beyond our
reach more of the semilacerum and serratum forms, also more large clumps of A. ceterach.

On Saturday morning we left our centre but, before returning home, some of us went north
to spend the day with the Adlams at Witheridge. Their garden visit, one of the items on
Mary Potts’ West Region meetings programme, had been arranged to coincide with the
finish of our Dartmoor visit, and so we spent a most pleasant day with them, in glorious
weather, a very enjoyable finish to a successful week. On the way there Martin Rickard and
| combined the journey with a little hunting and discovered a lane a few miles from Bovey
Tracey, which we regretted very much not having found earlier in the week. A wooded slope
by the roadside had been partially cleared of trees and P. setiferum was growing abundantly
over a large area, much of it straying well beyond the limits of normal variation for the
species. In the short time we could spare we searched it hurriedly but even so found several
plants which were worth collecting. We are both looking forward to a return visit in the
hope that there are some first-rate varieties there awaiting collection. In this lane in the
River Bovey valley to the north of Bovey Tracey (20/77) we recorded 12 species —

A. adiantum-nigrum, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, B. spicant,

D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, P. vulgare, P. setiferum, P. aquilinum and some
fine specimens of D. X. tavelii.

This field meeting can be regarded as one of our more successful meetings. Where on
previous West Country visits we have logged species up to only the mid-twenties, this
time we recorded 33, and this was only made possible by the energetic and enthusiastic
leadership of Martin Rickard who had done some excellent “homework” in preparation
for the meeting. Also we were greatly helped by having a fern botanist of Dr Chris Page’s
standing to solve many mysteries. My chief help was in the field of fern variation and
never before at any of the Society’s meetings have | been able to record so many inter-
esting plants worthy of a place in the garden. The more notable ones include
A. filix-femina ‘Congestum Crispum’, A.f.’Incisum Cristulatum’, A. adiantum-nigrum
‘Incisum’, D. austriaca ‘\Incisa’, D.X. travelii ‘Tripinnatum’, P. australe ‘Semilacerum’,
P. setiferum ‘Cristatum’, P.s. ‘Imbricatum’, P.s. ’Rotundifolium’. We were using the
new — of the At/as of Ferns for our recording and have been able to add some

w records.

Kettlewell — 2/9 September. This meeting was another repeat visit — our last
meeting at this centre was in 1967 when we had a very large turnout of 35 members and
friends. This time, regretfully, the numbers were very much smaller and only 5 stayed for
the whole week, John Barnett, Jimmy Dyce, Alf and Ray Hoare and Dr Chris Page.
Others came for a day or a few days, Evangeline Borup, Nigel and June Hall, Nick and
Eleanor Hards, Martin Rickard, Robert Sykes and Gwiadys Tonge, and were welcome
additions to the party. Although our Centre was given in the Programme as the Blue Bell
Hotel in Kettlewell (Grid ref. 34/97), in the event it was the Racehorses Hotel, just over
the road, but only the Secretary stayed there; the others found accommodation in the
— or were camping. Our leader, John Barnett, who lives in the area, was staying at
ome.

We started off our first day on the Sunday in a drizzle of rain which fortunately stopped
as we began the ascent of Moughton Fell (34/77), approaching it this time not by the

more usual route from Horton in Ribblesdale but up the west side north of Austwick.
This entailed a longer walk but it was much more varied and interesting. The chief
attraction on the Fell was Polystichum /onchitis; one colony of fair size was known to us
from past visits and we wanted to see how it was faring and also to find out if the fern
extended further over the hill. We had hardly started to climb over the scattered lime-
stone pavement when one solitary plant of large size was found, and during the time
spent on the Fell we increased this number to about 20, some single plants and others in
small colonies of up to 4 or 5 plants. It is thus obvious that P. /onchitis is well established
in scattered colonies all over Moughton Fell. A short visit was paid to the previously
known colony which was found to be flourishing in undiminished numbers.

We first visited Moughton Fell during the last excursion to Kettlewell in 1967 and a few
short forays have been made during brief stays in the area over the intervening years, all
of them made from the east side. We noted this time that, approaching the Fell from the
opposite side, our records of ferns found were exactly the same as those made on the
previous occasions, so | think we can assume that we have fully recorded the ferns in the
area, 18 species in all — Asp/enium ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes,

A. viride, Athyrium filix-femina, Blechnum spicant, Cystopteris fragilis, Dryopteris
austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, D. villarii, Gymnocarpium robertianum, Polypodium
vulgare, Polystichum aculeatum, P. lonchitis, Pteridium aquilinum, plus one addition this
time, D. X tavelii: on the lower approaches Oreopteris limbosperma was seen. |n the
hollows on top of the Fell, from which the lime had been leached from the top layers of
the soil, the noted lime-hater B. spicant grew happily but somewhat dwarfed, in large
colonies. On the other hand, the lime-loving fern P. acu/eatum, a common denizen of
limestone pavement grikes, seemed to be quite scarce.

Returning through Austwick (34/76) we called on Mr Jim Lord to see his fern collection
which contains a large number of very fine varieties. He has moved house since our last
visit to him, but his collection is doing well in its new home with plenty of room to
expand. A brief visit was also paid to another Austwick collection which is the subject of
an article by John Barnett, appearing in this issue. It is now very much smaller than it
would appear to have been in 1892 when it was described by B.H. Speight in his book
The Craven and North-west Highlands. On our way home we paused by the roadside near
Eshton (34/95) to admire a very fine colony of Asp/enium ceterach and A. ruta-muraria;
the former does not seem to be very common in the area and we came across it on only
one other occasion.

On Monday, a fine dry day, we explored Wharfedale along the 4 to 5 mile stretch between
Barden Bridge and Bolton Abbey (44/05), following the river all the way, going down
along the west bank and returning up the other side. Along this very ferny, and in places
very interesting, stretch of the river we noted 17 species, some of them in abundance,

A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, B. spicant, C. fragilis, D. austriaca,

D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas, D. X deweveri, G. dryopteris, O. limbosperma, Phegopteris
connectilis, P. vulgare, P. aculeatum, P. aquilinum, and the fern allies Equisetum arvense
and E. te/mateia. \n places the terrain was quite jungly and early on we noted the
luxuriance of the £. arvense, approaching E. te/mateia in appearance. Large stretches of
P. aquilinum also covered this part of the route. The A. ruta-muraria was on bridges, and
on the walls around the Abbey where it was accompanied by A. trichomanes. The common
ferns along the river were A. filix-femina and D, austriaca, both in great abundance,

_D. filix-mas, D. pseudomas and in places O. /imbosperma. Half-way along our route the
valley narrows to become almost a rocky ravine called The Strid, and the river is a series

of fast rapids. The conditions here are.ideal for ferns and most of the large species already
mentioned were thriving strongly, as well as some of the smaller ones such as G. dryopteris
and P. connectilis which cascaded in extensive colonies down the steep slopes in places.

P. interjectum was also noted frequently and the occasional plant of B. spicant, and a
pleasing find was a colony of D. X deweveri — but while one of its parents, D. austriaca,
was present in quantity, we did not see D. carthusiana although the habitat in places was
suitable for it. Near Bolton Abbey the valley opens out and the final part of our journey
was very uninteresting fernwise. Very few ferns were seen on the Abbey walls, only some
A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes and a fair quantity of P. interjectum, accompanied by

the odd plant of A. filix-femina and D. filix-mas, On our return journey up the other side
of the river we found the ferns to be similar to those on the east side but a few additions
were made to the list. In one wet place were two small colonies of E. te/mateia and
further along some large-growing P. acu/eatum, also a few small plants of C. fragilis growing
in rock crevices.

On Tuesday, a day of rain, we met our leader on the Hebden/Pateley Bridge road, near

his home at Appletreewick, and first we explored briefly one of the old lead mine workings
which abound on the hills in the area (44/06). At the entrance to one mine P. acu/eatum
and C. fragilis were growing profusely in all the crevices. We moved on to Fountains Abbey
near Ripon (44/26) and spent the next hour or so wandering around the ruins in a drizzle
of cold wetting rain which did not help to inspire enthusiasm for fern-hunting. The number
of species seen was small but some of them were in good numbers on the walls and ruined
Abbey — A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes, A. filix-femina, C. fragilis,

D. filix-mas, P. aculeatum and some small plants of polypodium which we were unable to
determine more precisely. We spent the rest of the day at John Barnett’s small fern

nursery on the outskirts of Harrogate, where he propagates a large selection of fern
varieties from spores. For most of us this was one of the most enjoyable events of the
week, for it enabled us to see many most interesting and beautiful varieties of a number

of species, chiefly lady ferns, male ferns, polystichums and scolopendriums. John spends
some of his time exploring in old and derelict gardens and other places over a wide area,
searching for overlooked good fern varieties, and his wide range of first-rate plants results
from the spores collected from the many good finds he has made.

A return visit was made to Moughton Fell on Wednesday morning to show Chris Page who
was not with us on Sunday, the P. /onchitis. This time the approach was made from
Horton in Ribblesdale and we found that the large limestone quarries here are encroaching
further and further into the hillside, entailing a much longer detour round them to reach
the summit of the Fell. On our return journey eastwards we made a stop near Stainforth
to have a look at a beck and waterfall at Billinger Barns (34/86). Ferns abounded in
numbers but not in species and only 6 were seen, some B. spicant, C. fragilis and D. filix-
mas, and large numbers of A. filix-femina, D. austriaca and P. connectilis. From here we
walked over fields to a nearby deep ravine through which the Cowside Beck rushes in a
series of 5 very impressive and high waterfalls, called Catrigg Force (34/86). The Beck has
down deeply into the hillside and is narrowly confined between perpendicular walls,
making it impossible for us to penetrate very far and investigate the fern flora very closely-
This area is on the Craven Fault where the limestones of the north give way to the acid

242

ground on the south, and the habitats are very mixed. We had just left an acid valley at
Bellinger Barns and now, a quarter of a mile distant, were in a dominantly limestone one
which was excellent for ferns and the limestone species abounded. On the high walls

A. viride was common, accompanied by A. trichomanes, some A, ruta-muraria was seen,
and on the rock faces and in an area of scree where the ravine opens out C. fragilis
flourished in abundance. All over the area P. aculeatum was seen in large numbers and
A. scolopendrium was fairly common. Large-growing A. filix-femina was very much at
home as was D, filix-mas, and in places D. austriaca and D. pseudomas were noted. A
luxuriant colony of P. interjectum was perched on a high rock, growing vigorously with
large fronds,and a clump of what was tentatively identified as P. austra/e grew near it.
We spent Thursday morning near Grassington and walked up the Hebden Beck Valley
(44/06). This is a derelict lead mining area and as is usual in such places everything has
been left just as it was when work ceased — spoil heaps, excavations, water channels,
ruined buildings, concrete erections and rusting machinery, a bleak man-ruined land-
scape — for the passing years to soften, something which will take a very long time to
achieve. It is an acid valley and ferns were few; only 8 species were noted. The whole
area was being colonised by P. aquilinum and there was very abundant D. pseudomas in
large clumps, but, most interesting to note, it had all been well-grazed by sheep. None of
the other ferns seen had been touched and we wondered why, in this particular valley,
the sheep had developed a liking for this particular fern. It was a great pity, for the
abundance and strength of growth of the fern could have done much to redeem the
dismal bleakness of the scene had it been allowed to grow without mutilation. The other
ferns were A. filix-femina, B. spicant, D. austriaca and O. limbosperma, all quite common,
and there were a few plants of P. vu/gare on an old bridge, while E. arvense struggled
through the hard ground among the ruins.

During a weekend meeting held in the Kettlewell area in 1973 we climbed up the Blue
Scar near Arncliffe in Littondale (34/97), and among other things we found avery good
crested variety of A. viride, firmly lodged in a very narrow rock crevice from which it was
impossible to remove it. It was too early in the year (June) for ripe spores, so we
promised to return to the spot at a time when we could collect some. But the years have
passed and only now could we redeem that promise, so on Thursday afternoon, ina
drizzle of rain, we set off to find our fern. | had been confident that my mental picture of
the habitat could lead me back even after 5 years, but alas! my confidence was misplaced
and although we searched long and carefully in every likely place, it could not be found,
No rock formations seemed to agree with what | remembered, but of course the frosts of
5 winters could have something to do with it, or the drought of 1976 could have killed
the plant. It was a big disappointment, for the cresting on the fern was superb and John
Barnett was keen to acquire spores to build up a stock of the variety in his nursery. We
found 10 species growing on the Scar, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes,
A. viride, C. fragilis, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, D. villarii, G. robertianum and P. aculeatum.
On our last visit we noted additionally A. filix-femina and G. dryopteris but did not find
D. villarii.

On our last day, Friday, we travelled north up Wharfedale and up Bishopsdale which from
the map seemed promising territory with numerous becks on a north-west facing slope,
parallel to and easily reached from the road. The reality proved otherwise and we con-
tinued on to West Burton (44/08), a small village where there is an impressive waterfall

243

on the Walden Beck. This is a very ferny spot and on the slopes, the rocks, some marshy
ground and a small stone bridge we noted 10 fern species — a few plants of A. ruta-
muraria; A. trichomanes and C. fragilis in quantity on the rock walls close to the water-
fall; A. scolopendrium, D. austriaca, D. filix-mas, P. aculeatum and a fine colony of

P. interjectum. Some E. arvense was seen and in the marshy ground above the waterfall
was a large colony of strong-growing £. te/mateia. A short foray along the beck above the
fall produced nothing more. After some discussion it was decided that it might be worth-
while after all to have a look at the south end of Bishopsdale so we returned to stop at the
Kidstones Gill (34/98) which runs parallel with but drops away from the road in a deep
ravine. This seemed promising ground, but our decision of the morning was fully confirmed,
for we found the area to be acid on gravel clay and only 4 ferns were seen, A. filix-femina,
D. austriaca, D. filix-mas and on some trees P. vulgare. On the roadside above, on a wall
we found additionally A. trichomanes. A short distance to the south a track leads north-
wards across Cray Moss and Kidstones Fell and we drove along this for half a mile, as far
as High Pasture (34/98). We were still off the lime and the few ferns seen on rocks along
the road and on a scar of rough conglomerate grit were A. ruta-muraria, A. trichomanes,
C. fragilis and D. filix-mas, all in very small numbers. Along a stream E, arvense aed

E. palustre were growing.

This finish to our week was not on a very high note, but we were grateful to John Barnett
whose knowledge of the area led us during the week to many odd corners where ferns
flourished and enabled us to see very much more than we would otherwise have done.
And, again we had the fern botanical expertise of Dr Chris Page to help solve many
problems. In all we recorded 23 fern species and 3 horsetails and were able to make a few,
very few, new records for the Fern Atlas.

PTERIDOPHYTE RECORDS — 1978 Compiled by A.R. Busby

May this year saw the publication of the new At/as of Ferns of the British Isles, giving
those of us interested in fern distribution a slim and practical volume which can be taken
into the field for checking our finds on the spot. It is hoped that by publishing new
records annually members will be able to keep their copies up to date.

The At/as omitted to explain the significance of the open and closed circles. Unless other-
wise stated, open circles mark pre-1950 records and closed circles mark post- 1950 records.
The new records are presented with the 100km square number and 10km square number
followed by the name of the recorder, i.e. 100km/1 Okm, Recorder.

A number of new records are still being received with the old 100km square letters instead
of numbers. A table of the number equivalents for the letters is provided for future
reference.

The following new records have been received up to 1st October 1978 and have been

forwarded to the Biological Records Centre.

y R Lycopodium clavatum — 20/66, J. Webster.

3.1 Huperzia selago — 20/56, 20/57, 20/67, 20/77, G & M. Spooner. 20/69, G. Hawkins.
21/63, E. Howard. 22/77, 22/78, A. Chater. 31/10, D. Prowse.

4.1 Diaphasiastrum alpinum — 22/77, A. Chater.

6.1 Isoetes lacustris — 22/78, A. Chater.

7.4x3

9.2

10.1
14.1
14.2

16.1
16.2

Equisetum fluviatile — 20/29, 20/69, G. Hawkins. 20/45, 20/54, 21/54, J. Rees.
20/66, 20/68, G. & M. Spooner. 21/63, E. Howard. 22/77, A. Chater.
31/10, J. Keylock. 43/37, A. Willmot.

Equisetum arvense — 21/54, J. Rees. 20/67, M. Hickmott. 20/75, J.W. Dyce.
2 ,_ A. Side.

Equisetum x litorale — 20/78, 20/88, J.W. Dyce.

Equisetum sylvaticum — 20/69, M. Parkinson. 22/75, 22/77, A. Chater.
31/10, M. Turner. 43/13, 43/25, A. Willmot

Equisetum palustre — 20/29, G. Hawkins. 20/45, J. Rees. 20/99, M. Stile.
43/19, A. Willmot.

Equisetum telmateia — 20/67, G. & M. Spooner. 33/32, A. Busby.

43/08, J. Hawkesford. 43/13, 43/43, A. Willmot. 22/34, 22/46, A. Chater.

Ophioglossum vulgatum — 21/91, M. Page. 31/20, G. Gush. 43/13, 43/44,

A. Willmot.

Ophioglossum azoricum — 29/03, R. Corner.

Osmunda regalis — 20/56, G. & M. age

Hymenophyllum tunbrigense — 20/56, G. & M. Spooner. 22/79, A. Chater.

Hymenophyllum wilsonii — 20/56, ey 20/68, 20/69, G. & M. Spooner.
20/78, J.W. Dyce. 22/78, 22/87, A. Chater.

Polypodium vulgare — 20/75, J.W. Dyce. 20/87, A. Side.

Polypodium interjectum — 20/75, 20/87, J.W. Bucs. 21/91, 32/88, A. Busby.

16.2 x 1 Polypodium x mantoniae — 43/17, A. Willmot.
16.3

17.1
19.1

20.1
21.1

Polypodium australe — 20/78, 20/87, J.W. Dyce.

Pteridium aquilinum — 21/54, J. Rees.

Phegopteris connectilis — 20/67, 20/68, G. & M. Spooner. 22/78, A. Chater.
34/86, J.W. Dyce.

Oreopteris limbosperma — 22/78, A. Chater. 43/37, 43/16, A. Willmot.

Asplenium scolopendrium — 21/54, J. Rees. 32/48, 32/98, 32/99, A. Busby.
43/45, A. Willmot. 52/66, 62/33, E. Hyde.

Asplenium adiantum-nigrum — 21/54, J. Rees. 32/49, A. Busby. 43/45, A. Willmot.
62/13, E. Hyde.

Asplenium cuneifolium — 25/19, A. Stirling.

Asplenium billotii — 20/57, 20/67, G. & M. Spooner.20/78, J.W. Dyce.

Asplenium marinum — 21/54, J. Rees.

Asplenium trichomanes, agg. — 21/54, J. Rees. 32/98, 32/99, 33/90, A. Busby.
43/13, 43/36, 43/37, A. Willmot. 62/13, 62/24, E. Hyde. 43/38, A. Willmot.

Asplenium viride — 43/25, M. Torry

Asplenium ruta-muraria — 20/75, IW. Dyce. 21/54, J. Rees. 32/99, 42/09,
A. Busby.

Asplenium septentrionale — 22/68, A. Chater.

Asplenium ceterach — 20/54, J. Rees. 20/68, G. & M. Spooner, 32/48, A. Busby.
62/59, R. Briggs. 43/32, A. Willmot.

Athyrium filix-femina — 21/54, J. Rees. 22/78, A. Chater.

Cystopteris fragilis — 22/69, 22/78, A. Chater.

Polystichum aculeatum — 20/45, J. Rees. 20/57, G.& M. Spooner. 20/78, J.W. Dyce.

21/63, M. Tulloh. 32/48, A. Busby. 43/06, A. Willmot.

26.2 x 3 Polystichum x bicknellii — 20/77, 20/87, J.W. Dyce.

245

26.3 Polystichum setiferum — 20/69, D. Wigston. 20/75, J.W. Dyce. 43/33, A. Lee.
27.1 Dryopteris oreades — 35/42, M. Coulsen.
27.2 Dryopteris filix-mas — 20/95, J.W. Dyce. 21/54, J. Rees. 43/24, 43/27, 43/36,
A. Willmot.
27.3 Dryopteris pseudomas — 20/45, 20/54, 20/69, 20/87, G. & M. Spooner.
21/54, J. Rees. 22/34, A. Chater. 32/48, 34/86, A. Busby. 32/90, 34/86,
44/06, J.W. Dyce. 43/37, A. Willmot.
27.5 Dryopteris aemula — 20/57, 20/68, G. & M. Spooner, 30/18, J. Knight.
27.8 Dryopteris carthusiana — 20/68, J.W. Dyce. 43/17, B. Fox. 43/13, 43/57, A. Willmot.
27.9 Dryopteris austriaca — 20/95, G. & M. Spooner. 21/54, J. Rees. 21/91, A. Busby.
43/26, A. Willmot. 62/33, E. Hyde.
27.9 x 8 Dryopteris x deweveri — 20/68, 44/05, J.W. Dyce. 43/34, A. Willmot.
28.1 Blechnum spicant — 21/54, J. Rees. 34/86, J.W. Dyce. 33/98, A. Willmot.
29.1 Pilularia glotulifera — 10/72, T.S. Crosby.
30.1 Azolla filiculoides — 21/91, M. Stile. 23/70, K.M. Stevens. 31/01, P. Hill.
43/35, A. Willmot.

The National Grid 100km squares showing letter

identification and the equivalent numbers The number sequence for 10km squares
NA| NB} NC| ND fo9[ 19] 29] 39] 49] 59] 69] 79] 89] 99 |
9") 19 20 ss [os | 18] 28 38] 48] 58 | 68] 78/ 88] 98 |
NF| NG| NH| NU | NK
08 | 18 | 28 | 38 | 48 ,
NL| NM] NN/| NO
OF f 1S) 2 Sa
NR} NS | NT} NU
16 | 26 | 36 | 46
NX | NY] NZ
2 35 | 45
sc | SD} SE 1-TA
24 | 34 | 44 | 54
SH | SJ) | SK] TFI TG
2a 4 324 43° t.. 53.1 63
SM |SN/|SO/]SP | TLITM
V2 122-4 32} 42 1 52 1 62
3 21 | 31 7 “ dy Copied fron, the publications
51 | 61 ¥ the Ord Su. :
sv | sw | sx | sy | sz TV 0 e c mance rvey wi
00 | 10 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 the permission of the Controller
of H.M. Stationary Office.

The publication /nstructions for Recorders, compiled by John Heath and Diane Scott, is
available from Biological Records Centre, Institute of Terrestial Ecology, Abbots Ripton,
Huntingdon PE17 2LS.

THE FIRST WOMAN PTERIDOLOGIST D. E. Allen

In the course of piecing together the very fragmentary records of the old Botanical
Society of London (the ancestor of today’s B.S.B.1.), | recently came across reference

to some impressive-sounding contributions on ferns made in the years around 1840 by

a Mrs Riley, a name hitherto unknown. This is remarkably early for anyone to have been
specialising in ferns, let alone a woman. It is even more remarkably early for a woman to
have been contributing to the proceedings of a national scientific society — even though
she would appear never to have attended the meetings in person. Indeed, it seems very
possible that she was the first member of her sex to achieve such a distinction in Britain.
In view of this it seemed worth making a special attempt to find out more about her, and
with the invaluable assistance of Mr B. R. P. Playle and his colleagues at the National
History Museum, Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, it has proved possible to put together the
following account.

Margaretta (otherwise Meta) Hopper was born on 4 May 1804 in Nottingham, where her
grandfather, as she was fond of recalling in her later years, had entertained the Young
Pretender on his march south at the time of the Forty-five. At the age of twenty-one she
married John Riley, land agent to the Montagues at Papplewick, a village six miles south
of Mansfield, where she was to live for the whole of the rest of her life. The marriage was
childless but, as if in compensation, she and her husband shared a number of enthusiasms.
Foremost among these was the collecting, cultivating and classifying of ferns.

When or how this interest began is far from clear. In a paper, ‘‘Remarks on the British
Ferns’’, an abstract of which appeared in both the Proceedings of the Botanical Society of
Edinburgh (P.55) and the Gardeners’ Chronicle (P.686) in 1841, John Riley mentions
having gathered all the British species of Cystopteris and having had them in cultivation
‘for many years’. She in turn, in a note in the Phyto/ogist in 1841 (vol. 1: 94), arguing for
the distinctness of the British The/ypteris species, puts a wifely gloss on this: ‘We have
cultivated them side by side for years’. If these words are to be taken literally, then their
fern-collecting must have dated from not long after their marriage — an exceptionally early
period for anyone to have been specialising in the native, hardy species.

John Riley was elected to the Botanical Society of London in May 1838, evidently on the
strength of a communication which he had recently sent to it on the subject of hybridity
of ferns, ‘Which excited much interest’ (Ann. Nat. Hist., Ser. 1: 156). \t seems likely that
his wife joined as well in the following year (unfortunately the membership records for
that period are missing), for on 1 November 1839 a paper was read before the Society the
authorship of which two separate sources, the Annals of Natural History and the Athenaeum,
agree in attributing to her unambiguously. Entitled “’On the British genus Cystea” this dis-
cussed the four species that she and her husband recognised as constituting what we now
know as Cystopteris. One month later it was announced that she had donated to the
Society a complete dried collection of every species and variety of fern represented in the
British flora.

Hard on the heels of this, in the spring of 1840, there arrived at the rooms of the Society
a comprehensive monograph. Variously attributed to one or other of them, but surely
their joint work in any case, this was of such elaborateness that the reading of it had to be
spread over three meetings in succession. According to the Annals of Natural History

(Ser. 1, 6: 147-8) it embodied the results of growing every British species side by side and

observing ‘with great care and attention’ their differences. This was presumably the ‘book’
on ferns which she liked to think of in later years as having won her her election to the
Society (according to her obituary in the Nottingham Daily Express), though in reality
that was something probably far more easily come by than she innocently supposed. In

the year following a 29-page octavo volume did indeed appear, in the name of her husband:
A Catalogue of Ferns, after the Arrangement of Sprengel, to which is added a synoptical
table of C. B. Presi’s arrangement of genera. \f this was substantially an offshoot of the
monograph just previously delivered as a paper, then it would appear that Mrs Riley has
some claim to be considered its co-author.

Meanwhile, in August 1840, a further paper of hers had been read before the Society:
“On growing ferns from seed, with suggestions upon their cultivation and preparing the
specimens’. No abstract of this, unfortunately, has been preserved: we know the title
alone from the brief report of that meeting in the Athenaeum.

Mysteriously, that is the last we hear of her in the botanical literature of the period. Her
usband, too, wrote no more. Maybe he felt that Newman’s History of British Ferns,

which had broken on the botanical scene that very year with incomparable ec/at, had

irretrievably stolen their thunder. Maybe, more simply, he felt that all he had to sayhad

now been said. At any rate now he was content to sit back and enjoy some recognition,

as More societies elected him to membership — the Botanical Society of Edinburgh in

1840, the Linnean in 1843 — and two bestowed on him the nebulous office of Local

Secretary for Nottinghamshire.

On 14 December 1846, while on a visit to York, he suddenly died; having barely reached
the age of fifty. Behind him he left a herbarium of some 2,200 sheets, mostly foreign sets,
which was probably sold and dispersed (for it cannot now be traced). He also left a superb
collection of living ferns, allegedly comprising 250 species, which, according to E J Lowe,
passed into the hands of a keen fellow-grower, a general practitioner in Lambeth, James
Forbes Young. What became of this after Young’s death in turn, in 1860, remains un-
known,

Margaretta Riley’s widowhood was to last not far short of half a century, for she was to
live on to the advanced age of ninety-five, eventually dying of bronchitis on 16 July 1899,
after just a fortnight’s illness. By then she had long since become one of the foremost
Personalities of the neighbourhood. ‘A picturesque and highly entertaining old lady......-.--
held in the greatest esteem’ was how the local paper chose to describe her in reporting

her death and funeral. Vivacious to the end and with an extraordinarily retentive memory,
she would love to astound her listeners by recalling in detail the wars against Napoleon
and the actual announcement of the victory of Waterloo.

History, philosphy and politics delighted her all her life. In 1884 she contributed a chapter
on the history of her village to the second series of J P Briscoe’s O/d Nottingham: it is as
detailed and scholarly as one would expect. At the age of fifty she took up watercolour
Painting, pursuing this with distinct success till laying it aside at sixty-eight. She also wrote
Poetry and contributed articles on social and religious topics to a variety of magazines. A
small book, The Duties of Woman, and a club she established locally to encourage thrift
testify to the strength of her principjes.-

To gardening and to natural history, we are assured, she continued to be devoted — though
there is no evidence that she supplied reeords for any of the successive Floras of her county-

248

,

Nor is it clear whether her interest in ferns survived her husband's death, That the Botanical
Society of London was able to persuade her to renew her membership a few months after
that event is possibly indicative, but against that must be set the much more telling fact

of her disposal of his collections. E J Lowe, in various of his works, frequently acknow-
ledges her help and thanks for her specimens, but the deeds he refers to may have long pre-
ceded their mention in print. She had cousins named Lowe, so the two of them were possibly
related, and this might have constituted a more than ordinary reason for her fern work to
receive commemoration.

Her will, now at Somerset House, reveals that she was a person of some wealth. Rather over
£27,000 was a comparatively large sum to leave for those days — and five servants were
among those to whom she left legacies. True to character to the last, her one charitable be-
quest was to the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution.

FERNS IN SOUTH AFRICA Martin Rickard

In the 1977 Bulletin Philip Coke described the ferny side of his recent visit to Australia.

At about the same time | made a short visit to South Africa and | too investigated the local
ferns.

Unlike Philip, | didn’t have the benefit of a recently published book on the local ferns,

but | was extremely lucky in that | was able to borrow a copy of Sim’s Ferns of South
Africa from Professor Schelpe of Cape Town University, who is, | believe, the only

member of the B. P. S. in the Western Cape Province and to meet him was a must if at all
possible. Fortunately, he was in Cape Town during my stay and when we met he was able

to suggest good fern country to search. The real classic habitat locally is apparently
Skeleton Gorge — a deep wooded ravine on the east side of Table Mountain. A description
of my visit to this ravine, therefore, will probably give a good idea of the local pteridophyte
population. — :

Skeleton Gorge is immediately above Kirstenbosch — the world-famous botanic garden full
of Proteas and other species rather too “exotic” for my “temperate” eyes! Ferns here are
relatively few but the collectiqn of the tree fern A/sophila dregei is thriving. There is also

a small fern grotto but in no way could this equal the “real thing” towering above in
Skeleton Gorge on Table Mountain itself.

So | was quickly on my way to the “Smut’s track” which leads up the gorge. Near the
bottom, in wet spots, grows marsh fern, Thelypteris confluens, but apparently identical to
our marsh fern, while in the drier situations there is Pteridium aquilinum, Mohria caffrorum,
Pellaea pteroides, Cheilanthes capensis, Histiopteris incisa, Asplenium lunulatum, A. adiantum-
nigrum and A. aethiopicum. .

Shortly after crossing the Contour Path a small waterfall provides an ideal habitat for
Hymenophyllum tunbrigense, morphologically identical to UK material. However, other
colonies of this fern from other localities where it grows in running water on near vertical
slopes attain frond lengths of six inches or more. These forms are completely different
from UK material both in form and in their choice of habitat. In none of the 30 or so
localities where | have seen H. tunbrigense growing in the UK was it growing in water.

It is in fact hard to believe that this large form is the same species.

Down by the stream around this point are the three common blechnums, B. capense,

249

B. punctulatum and B. australe; Todea barbara also grows about here, and is a common
fern in damp spots in the mountains of the Western Cape Province. Further up by the

side of the track | was pleased to see Pleopeltis macrocarpa, a polypodium type epiphyte,
and nearby, seemingly intent on confusing me, was the superficially similar E/aphoglossum
angustatum.

Soon after this point the gorge really becomes just that and to progress any further it is
necessary to climb a cliff with the aid of chains permanently fixed to the rock. Associated
with the deeper ravine, here humidity is much higher and the fern flora correspondingly
much richer. The Cape tree fern A/sophila capensis is frequent and two beautiful new
filmy ferns appear, Hymenophyllum capense and H. marlothii — the latter | believe in its
type locality. Also growing about this area are Hypolepis sparsisora, Pteris dentata, (both
rather boring!), Thelypteris bergiana and Blechnum attenuatum.

From this point no new species were observed until the open hillside was reached. Then
at the shady base of an open cliff Gleichenia polypodioides was noted, and shortly
above that in full sun more or less on the plateau of Table Mountain a few plants of
Rumohra adiantiforme flourished. This was at an altitude of about 740m — does this
mean this species is hardy? Following Professor Schelpe’s instructions | moved north
from here towards the top of Window Gorge and found Elaphoglossum conforme

while searching for Hymenophyllum wilsonii. The hymenophyllum eluded me here
although | did find it later in Disa Gorge on the Heldeberg Mountain above Somerset
West. This species is to me, as with some forms of H. tunbrigense, very different from
U.K. specimens — but | would hate to have to try and “key out”’ the differences! The
most interesting plant here was a strong colony of Blechnum tabulare. This is not the
hardy species cultivated under this name in many British gardens. The true plant as seen
on Table Mountain has very leathery fronds with smooth edges to the pinnae which in
turn taper towards the base of the frond......but the clincher is the mode of growth; true
B. tabulare has an erect caudex and in its native hills assumes the stature of a tree fern —
with a trunk up to four feet high. The discovery of B. tabulare brought my records for the
day up to 27 — not bad for an area described as fernless by a lady companion on the
flight into Cape Town! ?

Other species of damp or shady places which | didn’t see in Skeleton Gorge but recorded
elsewhere were:— Lycopodium cernuum, L. carolinianum, Elaphoglossum acrostichoides,
Pellaea viridis, Polystichum lucidium, Adiantum aethiopicum, (distinguished from

A. poiretii by the fact that on sterile pinnules the veins end in the marginal teeth) and one
or two unidentified odds and ends!

Another aspect of the local fern flora is the xerophyte element well developed in the sunny

open hills. Species of this type | saw were:— Schizaea pectinata, Ceterach cordatum, Pellaea
atum, Cheilanthes hirta, C. parviloba (a sticky species), C. contracta and C. multifida.

| should add that a must for any fern lover in the area, Particularly if he is lazy or ina

hurry!, is a visit to Stellenbosch University Botanic Gardens. Here the tree ferns and

Platyceriums alone more than justify a visit.

In conclusion it is interesting to note the affinities between the South African and
Australasian fern flora. Several species are identical (e.g. Todea barbara and Rumohra
adiantiformis) and others are obviously closely related (e.g. Hymenophyllum capense/
H, rarum or Gleichenia polypodioides/G. dicarpa).

250

A MEETING WITH CHINESE PTERIDOLOGISTS
IN PEKING AC Jermy

Between 2nd and 13th September 1978 | had the pleasurable experience of visiting the Peoples
Republic of China to meet Professor Ren-Chang Ching, his students and colleagues who

are studying pteridophyte taxonomy.

| had requested a visa to discuss amongst other matters problems in the taxonomy of Dryopteris
in Eastern Asia, the state of pteridophyte research in China and future co-operation between
British and Chinese botanists. The Chinese Academy of Sciences supported my application and
was my host in Peking under an interchange of scientists programme with the Royal Society of
London.

| travelled by train from Hong Kong to Kwangchou (Canton). Here | was met by Mr. Chu-Hao
Wang, a pteridologist and specialist in Aspidiaceae s.s., and an Academy interpreter, Miss Lee.
Miss Lee’s function was solely administrative arranging my further journeys, as Mr.,Wang
spoke excellent English, having been to school in Hong Kong.

| visited the South China Botanical Institute herbarium and the Botanical Garden on the out-
skirts of Kwangchou. This is a beautifully landscaped garden begun in 1958, in which lakes and
tea-houses (for official visitors, as the public are not allowed in unless in organised parties) are
found in a parkland of conifers including many chinese endemics. There is a large shade-house
for ferns and here in this sub-tropical climate plants like Ang/opteris fokiensis, Asplenium nidus
(which the Chinese like to segregate as Neottopteris nidus), Drynariopsis heraclea and Brainea
insignis can thrive out of doors.

The following day a visit was arranged to a hilly forest park, where Pinus marsoniana is planted
amongst Crotoxylon lagaestroemium, Rhus sinensis and Acacia confusa, and which is used by
the people of Kwangchou for picnics and walks. Here along the paths grew Adiantum

Professor R.C. Ching at work on the Flora of Tibet, 8 September 1978
Phot: A C Jermy

1 2 3 4 5 G7 8 9
Phot: A C Jermy

Chinese pteriodologists (with addresses and research interests):

1 Ling Yon-Sin, Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Peking. (Adiantum, Azolla)
2 Wu Shiew- Hung, South China Institute of _ ny, Aceves mia Sinica, Kwangchou, Kwangtung.
(Pte

, Fl. Kwan g)

3 Shiu Pei-Shi, Biology Department, —_ ‘al Teachers Pais, Shanghai. My-iantg ree e)
4 Shieh Yin-Tong, Bio ology Department, Northw . hina University, Wukun Ayre:
5 Wang Chu-Hao, South China nadeate of Botan , Academia erin Kwangchou, een tu

As, bers ae; Fl. Kwangtung a’
6 Kung Shien-Shin, Szechwan Institute of Portes try, Chengtu, Szechwan pecepoatomitd Fl. ee
7 welt Kung-Shia, Institute of Botany, Academia ab Peking. { omium, Gymnogrammaceae
8 weic Yunnan Institute of Botany, Academia ica, Kun ice Yunnan.

Dryopteris; "Fle T Tibet, Yunnan)
9 Wang Chung-Ren, Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Peking. tAteyriam)
Not ecto “oa Wei-Ming, Biology Department, Yunnan Unive ersity, Kunming, Yunnan, a
Fl. ¥a yee n Lai-Kwan, Biology Drpertanne Fukien Teachers College, Foochow, Fu
(Fi. Fukie

flabellatum, Blechnum orientale, Cheilanthes tenuifolia, Lindsaea orbiculata, Pteris semipinnata,
P. vittata and Woodwardia harlandii. Later that day | flew to Peking with Mr. Wang where | =
met by Professor T.T. Yu, Deputy Director of the Botanical Institute and Mr. Kung-Shia Shing
and two interpreters.

During the next seven days | visited the laboratories and herbarium of the Institute. The staff
there were keen to hear what lines of research we were pursuing in Britain. On two occasions
spent an afternoon with Professor Ching, who works at home, being immobilized with a frozer
hip joint; he lives with his son and his family, all of whom were charming hosts during my yore
Ching is actively writing ( with Mr. Wu S-K) a fern flora of Sino-Himalaya (Tibet). He

showed me his most recent major work — a fern flora of Kiangsu Province (published by Bot.

252

Inst. Kiangsu Prov., Nanking; 1976). Ching has just published a checklist of the families and
genera of Chinese ferns (Act. Phytotax. Sin. 16 (3): 1—19; 1978) and he is master-minding
the national fern Flora mentioned below.

Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, when complete, will extend to 80 volumes and contain
24,000 species; it is being compiled by staff of 8 Academy Institutes and by others at
universities throughout China. Five of the volumes will cover the ferns and, | was told, should

be published by 1985. Only one has so far been published (Vol. 2 Ophioglossaceae-Oleandraceae,
406 pp; 1959). It is in chinese of course, but we must hope for a transalation soon.

There are 11 active pteridologists working on the F/ora; nine came to Peking to meet me. They
have a big flora to work (over 2000 spp.) but look to the time when they can develop
cytological and biosystematic studies. In the next three years they plan to introduce living
ferns into several botanical gardens. They need to enrich their large herbaria (100,000 chinese
fern specimens in Herb. Peking) with material from elsewhere, especially S.E. Asia, and welcome |
specimens from foreign institutes. Working so long in isolation there is a tendency to make too
many new species. In addition, work on regional Floras progresses. Those published are of
Canton, Hainan, Kiangsu, N.E.China and Tsinghai; those in preparation are Fukien, Kwangtung,
Szechwan, Tibet and Yunnan.

| returned from Peking by train to Kwangchou (a 33-hour trip full of interest) and spent
another day at that delightful garden. | met there Mr. Chen-Zhi Tang who will spend 2 years at
the British Museum (N.H.), Kew and Newcastle University as from early 1979, in order to learn
fern taxonomy and cytology.

Space does not allow me to elaborate further; my time in China so admirably organised by my
interpreters Miss Fung and Mrs. Wang included visits to the Summer Palace, Forbidden City and
the Great Wall at Chinlung Chao where incidentally | found Se/aginella sanguinea a common
weed. Everyone that | met was charming and keen to exchange ideas and information and | am
grateful to them all. In particular, | would like to thank Professors Ching and Yu, and Wang
Chu-Hao who was a constant and delightful companion throughout my trip.

——————————ooOoOoOoOoOeeee aa SSL...

ES STO

UNDERGROUND FERNS Nigel Hall

Fern enthusiasts are not unduly surprised at often unusual places in which ferns manage
to thrive. | had, however, certainly not anticipated finding ferns growing nearly two
hundred feet in and down a mine. The mine, one of the Blue John mines around Castleton
in Derbyshire, has for some time had electric lighting to illuminate higher interesting
places as well as providing a dim overall illumination. The lighting, in the form of
floodlights, while not particularly bright when it reaches the walls, has been sufficient to
encour ative growth .in several places. In one spot, what appeared to be a large
clump of Athyruim filix-femina dominated a damp overhang. This is the only place
where the ferns reached a reasonable size, the fronds being 12” — 18” long. identification
is only tentative as the plants were growing high above my head and the light was poor.
The lights are on for up to nine hours a day nearly all the year round. The walls are, of
course, damp and in this mine very limey. It is most likely that the spores had been
pie down on the clothes or in the lungs of visitors to the mine which is a popular

ist attraction. Apart from the clump already mentioned, only sporelings
ponte hesieser and moss seem to grow, and as one goes deeper into the mine only the
moss appears to survive.

MIMICRY IN THE FERN WORLD Kay M Stevens

| was interested to read the article written by C N Page, of the Royal Botanic Garden,
Edinburgh, entitled ““An Ecological Survey of the Ferns of the Canary Islands”, which
appeared on page 297 of the Fern Gazette, Vol. 11 part 5; that is, | was interested to see
the photograph of Asplenium hemionitis and to read that this fern resembles ivy, Hedera,
with which it often grows. This, | think, confirms my belief that ferns often mimic other
plants, both in and out of the fern world, presumably for effective camouflage and pro-
tection. They appear to mimic the dominant plants of that particular station in which they
are growing.

A few years ago | was fern hunting at Wootten in the New Forest in Hampshire when | was
suddenly struck by the mimicking of Dryopteris carthusiana and Athyrium filix-femina,
the latter being the dominant plant. They were growing in a swamp in thick forest. | again
saw D. austriaca and A. filix-femina playing the same trick in the chines of the Bourne-
mouth area. | gathered some fronds of the ferns from Wootton and sent them as fresh
material to Jimmy Dyce, asking him to give me his opinion. He replied saying he would
have to dwell on the subject further and discuss it with other ‘fernologists’’, seeking their
opinion. | again asked Clive Jermy if he had ever seen the mimicking of ferns during his
field work. He told me that he had done so, while looking for a fern he wanted to find on
walls on an island abroad.

Hugh Corley and |, when searching for an old record of D, X remota in the woods
bordering on Loch Lomond in Argyllshire, were often “taken in” by bracken resembling
exactly some member of the dryopteris family. The late Mrs Mary Richards and | were
twice ‘‘foxed” by Polystichum aculeatum var. cambricum {lonchitioides), once at Cwm
Aran, Cader Idris, and once on the high rocks at Penant Dovey. Mary really thought we
had re-found the lost (or extinct) P. /onchitis, and in her usual enthusiastic manner
screamed at me, saying “Kathleen, there it is, P. /onchitis — go up to it’! Of course, it
turned out, needless to say, to be merely var. cambricum with an especially long narrow
frond, maybe mimicking P. /onchitis.

At an early age when we ran into the countryside to explore, we learnt that the white dead
nettle mimicked the stinging nettle, merely because we realised one would sting while the
other would not!

John Raven and Max Walters, in their book Mountain Flowers published in 1956 in the

New Naturalist series, definitely saw mimicry on their trips to mountains, and | quote

from page 104, ‘’The most celebrated station for L/oydia serotina is in the Devil’s Kitchen,

where as is so often the case with rare plants, it is effectively comouflaged by a profusion
of a superficially similar flower, the common wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa.

Peter Benoit often points to the fact that Salix herbacea resembles bilberry, and

Stellaria nemorum resembles dog’s mercury, Mercuralis perennis, among which it grows.

| shall be glad to hear from anyone who is of the same opinion as myself re mimicry in

the fern world and has noticed this habit when field botanising.

Editorial comment — This article by Kay Stevens brings to mind some of our own

experiences with mimicry. A classic example known to some of us in the northern

mountains is the propensity for dwarf stunted plants of Cystopteris fragilis growing in

rock crevices to resemble so closely Woodsia alpina growing on the same rocks as to be

positively misleading for the inexperienced hunter. Another good illustration is Dryopteris

pseudomas masquerading as D. oreades (abbreviata) when growing on rocks and in screes

254

where it adopts the same habit of developing a multitude of small crowns with concave
fronds densely scaled — only that teH-tale black spot at the base of the pinnae gives it
away. In parts of the country where D. aemula grows or seems likely to grow, a form of
crispy pinnuled D. austriaca can deceive, and in the past many false records for D. aemula
originated from this similarity. Very small stunted Athyrium filix-femina growing in tock
crevices can look exactly like C. fragilis, and to return to Kay’s example of Po/ystichum
aculeatum and P. lonchitis, we can recall more than one occasion on limestone pavements
in the north of England when the deception was so good that quite lengthy discussion was
required before all members of the party could be convinced that we had not found a new
locality for the rare fern. From one of these localities there are old records for P. lonchitis,
but we were unable to find any and are quite certain in our own minds that the publishers
of the records were misled by.the mimicking P. acu/eatum. Even our common bracken
can mislead at times and there is an interesting article in one of the early issues of the
Gazette (Vol. 2 (19) p. 180) on the subject by C B Green, reinforced by editorial comments
by C. T. Druery.

FERN COLLECTING IN COSTA RICA Judith | Jones

The Southern California Chapter of The Palm Society arranged this two week tour of
Costa Rica following the biennial meeting in San Diego, California. Unfortunately, their
choice of a travel agent was solely profit-oriented and our domestic arrangements were a
horrible nightmare of inedible food, slummy hotels, and a recalcitrant bus driver who
required strong-arm tactics to get him to stop for collecting purposes and not at the next
cantina for liquid refreshment. But all formal complaints having been sent off to the
people responsible we'll put that to rest and re-live only the glorious adventure that
travelling and collecting was in this garden paradise of Central America.

We were fortunate in being able to experience all three climatic zones within the five
provinces through which we travelled, (San Jose, Cartago, Puntarenas, Limon, and
Heredia). The coastal climate is hot and humid below 900 metres, temperate between
900 and 1500 metres, and above 1500 metres is the colder zone where frosts are frequent.
Since the intent of the tour was to observe palms in their native haunts the itinerary con-
centrated on those areas rich in palms but they were also abundant with ferns, bromeliads,
orchids and a host of other tropical plants.

The major problem in writing of my fern collecting experience in Costa Rica is that the
only published work on the flora of this country was last done in the 30’s and does not
include the ferns. So identification of those plants and spore which do survive and
proliferate may be quite a lengthy process of library research. Therefore, | will devote
most of my space to a description of Las Cruces Tropical Botanic Garden near San Vito
de Java. It’s founder and director, Robert Wilson, identified as many ferns as possible and
also gave me a 1974 compilation by Bruce McAlpin. Many of the names on the list are
tentative while plants native to Costa Rica were not distinguished from those collected

in other areas of Central America and established in the Garden. The one of a kind ferns
were taken back to the States for further study with the promise that future spore of
these be shared with the Garden.

Las Cruces is a tropical American plant species reserve dedicated to collecting and
perpetuating plants of the wet tropics and preserving species threatened with extinction.
Robert and Catherine Wilson’s Finca Las Cruces was deeded to the Organization for

255

Tropical Studies in 1968, six years after its inception, in hopes of receiving the financial
stability to continue to foster and encourage basic research in tropical botany and
horticulture. The late Stanley Smith, horticultural philanthropist, provided the impetus
to develop this private collection into a botanical garden and generously financed the
building of the field station for the use of horticulturals and other scientists.

The Garden is located in the mid-elevation tropical rain forest of Southern Costa Rica in
a climate that has been called perennial springtime. Annual rainfall is about 4,000 mm
with a dry season from January through March, often with little or no rain for periods of
several weeks. Temperatures range from 21° C to 26° C in the daytime, with minimum
readings of 16° C to 17° C at night.

The topography is characterized by steep slopes bordering the Rio de Java, and clouds
spilling over the ridges are important in maintaining abundant epiphytic growth on the
trees. Native epiphytes include many gesneriads, aroids, peperomias, orchids, bromeliads,
and ferns. The Garden specializes in obtaining as complete collections as possible of a
number of tropical plants. Well represented are aroids, ferns, palms, gesneriads, bromeliads,
and melastomes, as well as research collections of heliconias, marantas, and gingers.

July is the height of the rainy season, yet as our bus pulled past the spectacular bromeliad
banks which greet incoming visitors we knew a little mist would hardly dampen our ardour
for an immediate trek before dinner. We started out under the direction of Mr. Wilson
through the more formal area of pan-tropic accessions, delighting in the diversity of palms
beginning with two pinnate-leaved Bentickia species from India, the unusually showy-
flowered Polyandrococos caudescens from Brazil, an impressive stand of Trachycarpus
nana (takil), a short robust fan palm of the Western Himalayas, the magnificent blue-green
fan palm of Madagascar, Bismarkia nobilis, and my special favourite, the graceful tousled
Tropical American Aiphanes caryotaefolia.

Impressive as all these palms were to a neophyte palmophile | was most ecstatic when we
trooped under the broadleaf evergreen canopy and encountered a sumptuous spread of
Nephrolepis cordifolia ‘Duffii’. Nephrolepis was well represented throughout the 30
hectares of developed garden with about seven species and twice that in cultivars. One of
the most impressive is Nephrolepis pendula with its long attenuate fronds. The tree ferns
were numerous and unlabelled for the most part but | can cite the genera represented,
according to McAlpin’s list, as Cibotium, Cnemidaria, Cyathea, Dicksonia, Lophosoria,
Nephelea, Sphaeropteris, and Trichopteris. Of all these only Sphaeropteris did not include
species native to Central America. | have labelled spore samples of Cnemidaria choricartha,
Cyathea divergens, and Cyathea mexicana, nestled in with those inevitable envelopes with
a big question mark followed by the collection point and description.

There are some 35 species of Se/aginella found on the shadier slopes as groundcover to
help keep the soil, with its often attendant diseases and bugs, from splashing up on the
plantings. Colourful numbers of gesneriads are also used for this purpose.
Asplenium, Blechnum, Ctenitis, Diplazium, Polypodium, Pteris, and Thelypteris were well
typified by numerous native species but most were only generically recognizable to one
versed in the temperate species. There were innumerable ferns outside my range of
experience and study that | could only assign a common denominator to and bring back

a specimen or frond for further investigation.

But there were such delights as finding gorgeous stands of Osmunda regalis as a flourishing
native. One fern | was very taken with was the spiny scrambling Odontosoria

256

gynmogrammoides. | also spotted its dark-brownish zig-zag rachis and delicate quadri-
pinnate fronds along lowland sunny banks later on in the trip. Sunny banks in the garden
were strewn with Blechnum occidentale, with its striking new reddish growth, the silvery-
sheened Pityrogramma calomelanos, and a powdery white beauty, Pityrogramma ferruginea.

The greenhouses were a treasure trove of tropical plants beginning with an enormous
Platycerium andinum (the only American staghorn) mounted at the entrance and then,
just inside, P. ‘20th Street’ with its wide slightly fuzzy fronds. Mr. Wilson was most
generous with his spore and | came away with Adiantum macrophylium and three other
Adiantums which | have tentatively identified as A. /atifolium, A. fructuosum, and A.
pulverulentum. Then for joining “Los Amigos del Jardin Botanico Las Cruces” we were
able to choose a plant of the graceful and delicate Drymophloeus olivaeformis and the
unique Chamaedorea amabilis.

One of the most exciting finds on the trip for me was a Polystichum my unbotanical
husband (actually a most understanding financial backer) discovered at 1200 m on Cerro
de la Muerte. He insisted to the driver that we had to get out frequently on that rapid
ascent as the flora changed continually. The group scattered in all directions ang | located
two interesting ferns, perhaps a Polystichum and an Asplenium, but husband Clifford
returned with an exceptional Po/ystichum. The dark green fronds are quite long and
linear with the individual pinnules very congested on the pinnae, and the stipe and rachis
are covered with rusty cinnamon scales. I’m going to be trying it this winter for cold
hardiness here in the coastal Northwest. We had another stop near some enormous
felled trees for the bromeliad collectors and | found Jamesonia, two species of
Elaphoglossum, many Asplenium, Blechnum and Polypodium, \n addition to occasional
tree ferns at this cooler elevation there was a short-trunked Blechnum (perhaps B. lineatum)
with such stiff erect fronds it reminded one of a cycad.
The mid and lower elevation roadsides were lined with Lycopodium, Gleichenia, Blechnum,
an occasional Adiantum grouping, and who could keep track of the endless variety of
Polypodium on trees and fence posts. If | missed naming any it’s not because | didn’t see
them but because | couldn’t formally address them.
We travelled to one other OTS station, La Selva, in North Central Costa Rica. La Selva is
a student-run botanic station for tropical studies. There we felt truly in the jungle as we
rode in a 25 foot motorised canoe-like boat in the sweltering heat, slapping insects, and
pointing out alligators to each other. The heavy heat and humidity slowed down our
bodies but not our enthusiasm for new finds. However, here there was no fern information:
available and other than the obviously recognizable Polypodium (Phlebodium) aureum
and other identifiable genera most of my finds are still a mystery. But it was here | first
encountered Zamia Skinneri in its native habitat. Another fortuitous find was the tall
pinnate-leaved palm Welfia georgii whose new fronds emerge maroonish-red. We were able
to collect seed from a farmer’s field on our way back to San Jose.
Our last week was spent visiting areas of interest just two or three hours from San Jose.
The agricultural station, CATIE, at Turrialba, was not only a delight at which to stay but
also very rewarding on the botanizing side. Director Dr. Leon Glicenstein kindly escorted
us through his palm collection where we found viable seed of Astrocaryum confertum,
Areca aliciae, Areca cathecu (Betel-nut), Raphia taedigera, and Livistona rotundifolia.
And who could resist sampling the red fruit of Synsepalum dulcificum which makes sour
foods taste sweet for some time after it is chewed. CATIE raises some 1200 kinds of
coffee and is developing a less spiny-trunked Bactris gasipaes (utilis), (peach-pit palm),
257

for ease in harvest. The peach-pit fruits are roasted and then hawked on the street corners
in San Jose and other cities. It is the colour and texture of a yam with a bit less flavour,

| thought.

But the real fun was traipsing down the steeds river trail where Adiantum
macrophyllum and A. anceps unfurl their magnificent large-pinnuled segments from the
wet bank. This area was particularly rich in endemic plants and we marvelled at the range
of anthuriums, begonias, gesneriads, philodendrons, bromeliads, tillandsias, orchids, palms,
ferns, and etc. Zamia Skinneri was at its most abundant here and in addition to many of
the Chamaedorea and Geonoma palms we'd seen elsewhere we found the charming window
palm, Rheinhardtia and the spiny Acrocomia.

| can’t close without mentioning Captain Hope’s Nursery in Cartago. Although no ferns
are raised here this is a nursery of truly impressive dimension and importance. It is here
that some 750 workers grow, breed, and harvest new varieties of geraniums, petunias,
impatiens, gerberas, abutilon, hibiscus, and countless other horticultural treasures for
gardeners of the world. It was all quite a thrill to meet the men responsible for the lovely
New Guinea and fancifrills impatiens that lend splashes of colour to my hardy fern beds
every summer.

Additional information:

Membership in The Friends of Las Cruces is $15.00 per annum. Members will receive a
newsletter from time to time. For those who visit supplied with import permits they will
receive plants. For those unable to visit, the garden is planning a special list of seeds of
choice tropical plants to be sent in lieu of plant distribution.

Due are payable to: Jack Weaver, Los Amigos del Jardin Botanico Las Cruces, Apartado 10,
Santa Ana, Costa Rica.

EDWARD JOSEPH LOWE C. R. Phillips (nee Lowe)

Edward Joseph Lowe was born on 11th November 1825 and lived at Highfields, Nottingham,
now part of Nottingham University. He started life-long meteorological records at the age of
fifteen and later sent daily telegrams to the Admiralty and the Board of Trade. He was the
inventor of dry powder tests, used in observation balloon ascents, and he help Professor
Baden-Powell with experiments for the British Association. He wrote the Climate of
Nottinghamshire and several books on meteorology.

Lowe was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1848 and was one of the
founders of the Meteorological Society. He became a Fellow of the Geographical Society in
1853 and, in that year, the first part of The Natural History of British and Exotic Ferns was
published. He also wrote The Conchology of Nottinghamshire and helped Professor Edward
Forbes with British Mollusca. He was an expert on snails and was always proud of the fact
that he discovered a new British worm (Megascolex rigida, Baird) amongst his ferns. He was
elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1857 and he wrote British Grasses in the following
year. After this came Beautiful Leaved Plants (containing three exotic ferns) in 1861 and

New and Rare Ferns in 1862.

He went to Spain in 1860 as a member of a Government team to study an eclipse of the sun.
He was left in charge of the meteorological station in Santander and took the opportunity
to look for Spanish ferns.

One of E J Lowe’s Fern Houses.

In 1867 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and later became an Honorary Life
Member of the Royal Horticultural Society. He won many cups and gold, silver and bronze
medals, at their shows.

In 1890 he wrote British Ferns in six weeks. This book, published in the Young Collector
series, describes forty-five species of native ferns, with details of where they could be found
at that date. There is also a list of known hybrids and some notes on cultivation. His last,

al work, was published in 1895. Fern Growing is his account of fifty

and most controversi
eriments

years of hybridising and cultivating his ferns and includes notes on some of his exp
to explain his theories of cryptogamic parentage. Some experiments are apparently repeated
but, according to his grand-daughter, he used to do the same experiment for several years to
make sure the answer was correct.

E. J. Lowe was married in 1849 and he had two sons who were not allowed to leave home.
The elder who was married and had two children, worked the estate and managed the
finances for three generations. The younger was 2 pioneer photographer and took most of
the photographs for his father’s books. They all moved to Shirenewton Hall, Monmouthshire
in 1880 because “the neighbourhood of Nottingham was singularly deficient in ferns’. He
was Deputy Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire and became the same for Monmouthshire when

he moved.

259

od

One of E J Lowe’s Fern Borders

J. D. Lovis in his most interesting and sympathetic assessment of Lowe’s work, states ‘‘it
would scarcely be possible for one man to give so many experiments, including some of a high
degree of complexity, the attention and critical analysis they would properly require.”’ a
(Lovis: Fern Hybridists, 1, E.J. Lowe. Brit. Fern. Gaz. 9 (8) 1967). This is a likely ss
on the other hand, Lowe was unique in being able to devote all the time and energy in his

long life to his studies.

His grand-daughter, who lived with him, remembered that the children were allowed to
help with the meteorological recordings, as long as they were strictly accurate but, although
he had two gardeners, no one was permitted to help with the fern experiments and he kept
all his notes himself, He was not at all despotic but merely disinterested in finance. He gave
away or exchanged his ferns and was a kindly man and very democratic for his times. He
entertained dukes and under-gardeners and they were all treated alike, as long as they
cultivated ferns. When at home, he spent his mornings writing in his library. He had a huge
world-wide correspondence as well as articles and his books to write; his afternoons were
spent doing his experiments or tending his ferns.

Unfortunately his elder son predeceased him and when Lowe died his grandson was fight-
ing in the South African War. Shirenewton Hall with all the contents, including his famous
library and ail his letters and notes, was sold. Some of the ferns went to Clifton Zoo but
everything was dispersed before the return of his grandson who tried but failed to trace
any of his grandfather's records.

260

The above was compiled from “Some Account of the Family of Lowe” by Otto von
Braunsterff, published in Dresden in 1896 and from the unpublished notes of his grand-
daughter, the late Mrs. Graves. The illustrations are from old prints, found loose in one of
his fern books.

(Following the receipt of this article from Mrs. C.R. Phillips, a great grand-daughter of

E.J. Lowe, a visit has been paid to Shirenewton Hall by Matt Busby to find out if any
relics of his ferns still remain. | append his report on the visit. — Ed.)

The present owners, Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Hayward, who only moved into the Hall this year
and were unaware of E.J. Lowe’s connection with ferns, kindly allowed me to inspect

the garden and take photographs. It is partly wooded with large areas very suitable for
fern growing, and | found several clumps of male and lady ferns together with a few
hartstongues and common polypodies, all of them quite normal. On the right-hand side

of the drive in a low area of rockwork, certainly Lowe’s work, | found two varieties of
Polystichum setiferum. Since Lowe’s day, the Hall has been owned by a wealthy family
named Liddel who had business interests in the Far East, and the garden has several features
with a Japanese influence including a Japanese Garden at some distance from the house.
Obviously, in the time of Lowe this had been just pasture but is now a most delightful
garden, and in it | found the remains of the old fern collection. It would appear that when
it had been laid out the Liddels moved most of Lowe’s ferns into it. Some are normal
species and with them are varieties of Asp/enium scolopendrium, Athyrium filix-femina,
Dryopteris filix-mas, P. aculeatum and P. setiferum, also Osmunda regalis. | collected a
number of fronds for pressing, and for exhibition at the next meeting of the Society, when

| can also show slides taken in the garden.
A.R. Busby

FERN NOMENCLATURE — OLD AND NEW JW Dyce
In our Newsletter (predecessor to our present Bulletin) No. 8 of November 1970, |
published a list of the up-to-date names of the British Ferns along with all their older
names, as a guide to help members to find their way around the old fern books and tie-up
the names used therein with present-day, ones. In the intervening 8 years more changes
have taken place, and many new members have joined the Society, so a revised list may
serve a useful purpose. There are members, myself among them, who do not take too
kindly to this continued name changing, but there is nothing we can do about it; the next
decade will no doubt see many more, so that some future scribe (not me!) in the Society
will feel impelled to revise this list once again.

The species are listed under their latest generic and specific names, with the older ones
shown alongside.

Adiantum capillus-veneris

(Maidenhair Fern)
Anogramma leptophylia — Gymnogramma leptophy!la
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum

(Black Spleenwort) Q
A. X alternifolium — A. germanicum, A. breynii

261

A. billot

. ceterach
(Rusty-back Fern)
A. fontanum
A. marinum

(Sea Spleenwort)
A. ruta-muraria

(Wall —.
A. scolopendriu

(Hart’ seus Fern)
A. septentrionale

(Forked Spleenwort)
A. tricho

A. viride
Green Spleenwort)
Athyrium distentifolium
(Alpine Lady Fern)
A. filix-femina
(Lady Fern)
A. flexile
Blechnum
(Hard a

Botrychium lunaria
(Moonwort oat

Cryptogramma
ary Fem)
Cystopteris al
(Alpine Dlatider Fern)
C. dickieana
C. fragilis
Bret Bladder Fern)

(Buckler Ferns)

C. mo
Dryopt
D. aemu

eg Buckler Fern)

austriaca
(Broad Buckler Fern)

(Narrow Buckler Fern)

. Cristata
(Crested (?) Buckler Fern)

. expansa
D. filix-mas
(Male Fern)

(Dwarf Male Fern)

ii
(Lanceolate Spleenwort)

manes
(Maidenhair Spleenwort)

(Mountain Bladder Fern)

— A. lanceolatum, A. obovatum

— Ceterach officinarum

— Phyllitis scolopendrium,
Scolopendrium vulgare

— A. alpestre, Polypodium alpestre
Pseudo-athyrium alpestre

— Polypodium flexile
— Lomaria spicant

— Allosorus crispus

— C. regia

— C. dentata

— Lastrea, Nephrodium

— Lastrea foenisecii, L. recurva

— D. dilatata, Lastrea dilatata

— D. lanceolato-crista
D. spinulosa, Pattee spinulosa
— Lastrea cristata

— D. assimilis, Lastrea dilatata alpina
— Lastrea filix-mas

— D. abbreviata, Lastrea propinqua

D. pseudo
iSely Male Fern)
D. X uliginosa
D. villarii
(Rigid Buckler Fern)
Gymnocarpium dryopteris
ke ik Fern)

G. ro

eke s Fern)

(Limestone Polypody)
Hymenophylium tunbrigense

(Tunbridge Filmy Fern)
H. wilsonii

(Wilson’s fuiad oa
Ophioglossum lusita

Dwarf Adder’s Totiguel
O. vulgatu

(Adder's Tongue)

(Mountain Buckler Fern)
Osmunda regalis

(Royal Fern)
Phegopteris connectilis

(Beech Fern)

Pilularia ——
(Pillw
Paypodium vulgare
Common Polypody)

Sascha acule
ae d Shield Fern)

“tral Fern)
P. setif

(Soft - Shield Fern)
Pteridium aquilinum

T. palust

rai Fern)
Trichomanes

(Killarney Fan

(Bristle Fern)

oodsia alpina

—_ Woodsia)
W. Ilvensi

(Oblong Woodsia)

—D. npebior dt ot pseudomas,
L. paleac

— Lastrea dics

— Lastrea rigida

— Dryopteris linnaeana, Lastrea/Phegopteris/
Polypodium/ Thelypteris dry opteris

— Polypodium robertianum

P. calcareum,
Thelypteris calcareum

— H. unilaterale, H. peltatum

— Thelypteris oreopteris, T. limbosperma,
Dryopteris oreopteris, D. montana,

Lastrea montana

— Polypodium phegopteris,

Dryopter eris/Gymnocarpium/Lastrea/

Thelypteris phegopteris,
Phegopteris polypodioides,
Phegopteris vulgaris

— An aggregate of 3 species,
P. australe, P. interjectum,
P. vulgare (sensu stricto)

— P. lobatum

— P. angulare
— Pteris aquilina
— Dryopteris thelypteris,

Lastrea thelypteris, t palustre
— T. radicans

— W. hyperborea

FERN HUNTING IN THE HOLY LAND Eric Hardy

Ein Fara, the Spring of the Mouse, is an arid, rocky gorge beginning close to the high
Jerusalem hills and descending quickly, via the Biblical Brook Cherith of Elijah, down to
Jericho in the hot rift of the Jordan valley, a dramatic ecological change. Here one January
morning my interest in the ferns of the Holy Land was stimulated by finding particularly
fine plants of the same rustyback spleenwort, Asp/enium ceterach, | had seen growing on
the rocks by Derbyshire’s Lathkill Dale path below Youldale, and other places, under much
colder and wetter conditions. The little water here gave rise to several plants of the maid-
enhair fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris, though not in the wonderful profusion | found among
the more humid springs of the River Barada beneath Damascus, a profusion equal to the
best | have seen down the deep grikes in the limestone of the Irish Burren, between Bally-
vaughan and Lisdoonvarna in County Clare. | found it again on the dry, stony west side of
Jerusalem, at excavations at Mount Zion, also on the hill above Suba Vaillage at Abu Ghosh
and the nearby Jewish settlement of Kiryet Anavim below Jerusalem. It grew abundantly
and luxuriously in caves at the olive groves a mile down the railway from Jerusalem, while
smaller, more stunted plants were on the open limestone rocks. | saw a plant beside the
irrigation channel on the dusty Judean hillside by historic Solomon’s Pools, outside
Bethlehem. A. ceterach grew also at Solomon’s Pools and on the rocks of a small hill above
the railway a short distance coastwise from Jerusalem, and at Abu Ghosh. The maidenhair
was plentiful along the moist banks of a fast-flowing tributary of the Barada, out in the
dusty Syrian hills but at the bottom of a deep thickly-vegetated ravine, near the village of
Ain el Haeour and near the rough mountain road across the Anti-Lebanon ¥ range. | saw it
also at the ruins of St. Peter’s Church near the pool of Solloam, Mount Zion; on the edge
of Jerusalem, and it was the only fern | came across in Sinai. These two British ferns pro-
vided as homely a welcome as seeing the same Plough in the sky at night.
A score of different ferns came our way in the days of the now defunct Jerusalem
Naturalists’ Club. The same ceterach grew also in several walls and cracks in the rocks from
Mt Cassius and Hermon to Wadi Beidan and Wadi Kelt in the arid western mountains of
the Dead Sea, from Baniyas and Barze (Damascus) to Bhamdun (Lebanon) and Bab el Wad
in the Jerusalem hills. Maidenhair became a common find where there were walls or rocks
near water, or in damp caves from Bab el Wad and Tel Aviv to Baniyas, Hermon, Barze and
Tripoli. Near the Greek shrines at Baniyas, at the entrance to caves outside Tripoli, the
lower roadside at Bab el Wad, and rocks south of Deir es Sheikh near Jerusalem, grew the
delicate little annual Jersey fern, Anogramma leptophylla, a rare inhabitant of vertical
roadside earth-banks in the Channel Islands. Another Syrian was our common polypody,
Polypodium vulgare, on damp shaded rocks by the river below Baniyas springs and on the
wooded banks of a stream near Kasab.

| found the delicate little lip-fern, Cheilanthes fragrans, on my Anti-Lebanon expedition
near Damascus, in clefts of rocks at Bab el Wad, and at the gorge of Ein Fara. It grows
also at Bhamdun in Lebanon, on Mt. Cassius, Hermon, the rocky hill wood opposite Abu
Ghosh, and exposed on sun-baked rocks at the top of a bare hill beside the railway there;
it is also found by Solomon’s Pools in May. The largest most profusely growing specimens
| found of this dwarf hill fern with the odour of new mown hay, were in a cave near the
Jerusalem railway in June. The fern which intrigued me most was the woolly Cheilanthes

vellea (Notholaena lanuginosa) which | first found growing by the spring of Ein Feshka,

a sub-tropical enclave on the shores of the Dead Sea, not far from the caves of the famous
Scrolls. Later, | found it near Tiberias in Galilee and down the deep wudyan of Moab. The
whole of the underside of the fronds is a woolly, felty grey-brown, with the top surfaces
greyish green. It grows in cracks in the rocks and tombs near the Greek shrines at Baniyas.
A close relative, C. marantae, with unusually white scales, was collected by a friend on a
very dry steep bank in the forest near Kasab on the Turkish frontier of Syria, where the
bracken-like Pteris /ongifolia is also found. Confined to Lebanon and Cyprus is the rigid
buckler fern, Dryopteris libanotica, growing at Kasab and Baniyas Castle. Another Briton,
A. adiantum-nigrum, was found by a colleague in the Syrian woods near Kasab and on

Mt. Cassius. | found no ferns on an eight day journey through the Wadi Aravah from the
Dead Sea to the Red Sea.

Many of the ferns of the Holy Land have become scarcer with modern changes and collec-
tion. The Royal fern, Osmunda regalis, used to grow by the upper Jordan and on the banks
of the Leontes, common hartstongue, A. sco/opendrium, in caves from the Lebanon to
central Israel, and the related A. hemionitis in caves at Mount Gerizim. Hard fern, Blech-
num spicant, lingers in Lebanon, even the humble bracken by the Leontes in Galilee.
Cystopteris fragilis, the brittle bladder fern, grows at 6000 feet in Lebanon, which illu-
strates how alpines grow highest in the southernmost parts of their range. This is probably
one of the world’s most widely distributed ferns, growing from Greenland to Kerguelem
Island in the Pacific.

Adder’s tongue, maidenhair spleenwort, lady fern, male fern, rigid buckler, prickly shield,
smooth rock spleenwort, lanceolate spleenwort, and Pteris cretica are also among the Holy
Land’s fern flora. This is most numerous among the Mediterranean flora of the hills of
Lebanon, the Anti-Lebanon and northern Israel, becoming less further south and least in
the hot arid Sinai and Jordanian desert lands where ferns are confined to the more shaded,
humid wudyan or ravines. There, contrary to many ideas, torrential rain falls on rare
occasions and stores underground. Likewise, the delicate clubmoss of English greenhouses,
Selaginella denticulata, grows on shaded rocks above Beirut in the north, but not in the
south. This may explain the absence of ferns in the abundant flora of the Bible. As there
Was apparently no herbal or food use for these plants, they were probably as unknown to
the ancient chroniclers as to the modern flower-clutching tourist. The royal fern got into
the often misleading and erroneous Bible Garden at Bangor Cathedral, North Wales, in
association with St. Mattias. The Garden’s originator, the late Professor T. Whitehead, whose
handbook to the Garden is full of botanical errors, erroneous guesses and repeated fallacies,
was ignorant of all the modern work on Biblical flora by Professor Zohary and his successors
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Botany Department where most of our expeditions
ended for discussion. It needs more than a brief packaged tour to the Holy Land to under-
stand the ecology of its fascinating flora; we spent two years on field work and still had
much more to explore. Biblical natural history suffers a plethora of armchair compilations,
inventing or repeating errors of assumption without any scientific foundation, by academics
as well as old wives. Consider the Christmas Fern, Po/ystichum acrostichoides; it comes
from North America, not the Holy Land. No such nickname has been given to its British
relative, the holly fern, P. /onchitis, a rare fern of our maintains.

265

A LITTLE-KNOWN HARDY FERN COLLECTION
IN YORKSHIRE John Barnett

Austwick in North Yorkshire is the home of one of the best hardy fern collections in the
country. | am, of course, referring to the splendid one owned by Jim Lord, which was
acquired in the 1930's by his father from his father-in-law Robert Bolton of Warton near
Lancaster.

Not many people, however, are aware that Austwick also possesses another earlier but
little-known collection dating from the end of the 19th century, which is fully described
by B H Speight in his The Craven and North-West Highlands published in 1892, from
which the following extract comes.

“In peeping about the country gardens sometimes you come across a rare flower
or fern, which may have found a congenial home, or haplessly otherwise, by such
removal from its Aaa scars or moorland fells. One of the most interesting
cultivated collections | have met with is that of Mr. Wm. Handby, of Austwick,

three years ago had nearly 70 kinds of ferns growing in his little
garden-plot, and all of his own gathering from the immediate neighbourhood. As
he has carefully preserved a list of them, and as they are fairly representative of
the native ferns of this district, their enumeration here will be referred to wit
interest. Doubtless, were a careful search to be made of the whole area, the list
might be considerably extended.

Polystichum lonchitis (from various localities), P. aculeatum, P. angulare, var.
lineare, var. gracile, var. cristatum, var. proliferum Wollaston, var. polydactylum,
ar. apu. ,

var. apuaeform ach officinarum (fine bushy plants from Moughton,
Swarth Moor, and Malham), Asplenium adiantum-nigrum (from Wharfe),
A. viride os incisum, A. he omanes, A marinum (not local,

var. ‘ere, var. Posaeiceiy var. Bollandiae, var. ae var, incisa, ks 'filix-foemina,

va var. um, var. Cambricum, P. dryopteris, P. phegopteri
Athyrium filix-foemina, var bes itv var. /aciniatum, var. thy. es

var. Frizell r. Barnesii Var confluens, v

ran ar. madiebelrinetinie: var. citibenadaean var. Victoriae, coaiieulh

grandiceps, v
fragilis var. Dickieana, Scolopendrium vulgare, var. crispum, var. subcornutum
var. polyschides, var. polycuspis-undosum, var. gymnosorum, var. bi marginato-cordatum,
Blechnum —) var. polydactyla, var. concinnum, Allosorus crispus (Helwith moss),
Botrychium luna.
Although Mr. Wm. Handby was doubtless indulging in a little gentle leg-pulling, he did
indeed own a very interesting collection of ferns, some of which have survived to the
present day. Sadly, however, neglect had reduced the collection considerably and the
present owner, Mr. Handby Ewbank, recently asked Jim Lord and me to restock his
fern border. In return, he very kindly gave us some of his surplus plants and thus |
acquired a small clump of Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Bollandiae’ and a quadripinnate form of
Polystichum setiferum. This latter plant is unlike the plumoso-divisilobes of Jones and
Fox and only exhibits its full bie when well grown when it is a truly superb
~ plant.

Indeed there still exist rare and interesting plants in many old country gardens, which
await discovery.

SOUTHPORT FLOWER SHOW 1978 — 17/19 AUGUST JW Dyce

This year the Show was held in perfect weather, with no rain, and neither too hot nor too
cold. The year has been a good one for ferns and this was reflected in the quality of the
exhibits — sun scorch was absent from all of them. The usual exhibitors supported the |
competitive fern classes, and it was pleasing to see one new entrant, a lady, carrying off
some of the prizes with very well-grown plants.

Noel Brookfield’s large group once again won the premier prize and the award of our
Society’s Silver Challenge Trophy. It was a very good display with well-grown ferns,
among them some of the well-known old varieties, Athyrium filix-femina ‘Victoriae’,
‘Cruciatum’, ‘Frizelliae’ and a selection of ‘Plumosum’ and ‘Cristatum’, Pol/ystichum
aculeatum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’, some P. setiferum variants, Polypodium australe
‘Cambricum’ and its varieties and several small Osmunda regalis plants. Rodney Brookfield
came second with an entry very little inferior to that of his father, andé much the same
ferns featured in it. A very inferior entry came third and | was rather surprised to see that
it was given a prize. ~

The other classes contained some first-rate ferns, among them A.f. ‘Clarissima’,
‘Frizelliae’, ‘Victoriae’, Dryopteris pseudomas ‘Angustata-cristata’, ‘The King’,

P. aculeatum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’, ‘Pulcherrimum Drueryii’, P. setiferum ‘Plumoso-
divisilobum Iveryanum’, Asp/lenium scolopendrium ‘Bolton's Nobile’, P. australe
‘Cambricum’ varieties and a superlative very large plant of Adiantum raddianum.

The prize-winners are listed below in order of winning —

Class 7 Group of hardy British ferns arranged naturally in an area not exceeding
100 square feet
J Brookfield and Son, R F Brookfield, W W Howarth
Class 8 Six hardy British ferns (dissimilar)
R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son
Class 9 Six greenhouse ferns (dissimilar)
J Brookfield and Son, no second awarded, W W Howarth
Class10 Three hardy British ferns, 3 distinct species, NOT varieties
Mrs S G Tordoff, J Brookfield and Son
Class 11 Three foreign ferns, hardy in Great Britain
R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son, R F Brookfield
Class 12 Three scolopendriums
R Trippitt (one entry)
Cfass13 Three polypodiums
R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son, R F Brookfield
Class14 Three polystichums
Mrs S G Tordoff, R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son
Class 15 Three athyriums
Mrs SG Tordoff, R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son
Class 16 =Three dryopteris
Mrs S G Tordoff, R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son
Class 17 = Three plants, gymnocarpium, phegopteris and/or thelypteris
R Trippitt, J Brookfield and Son

267

Class 18 Three aspleniums, excluding Asplenium scolopendrium
Mrs S G Tordoff, R Trippitt

Class 19 One British fern
A R Busby, R Trippitt, Mrs S G Tordoff

Class 20 One greenhouse fern
A R Busby, no second awarded, Mrs S G Tordoff

We had a new judge this year — Reginald Kaye has moved on to judge the alpine section
at the Show, and Mrs Hazel Key, of Fibrex Nurseries, has taken his place in the fern
classes.

Our Stand in the Societies’ Tent was organised by Matt Busby who was in attendance,
assisted by Jimmy Dyce, for the duration of the Show, and we were assisted part-time by
some of our visiting members — 17 called, among them our President and Mrs Walker,
who spent some time with us. Many non-member callers who over the years at the Show
have become old friends, called to chat about ferns and thus helped to pass many pleasant
hours, and we had the usual many requests for help with identifications and other
problems. The Stand was decorated with pot ferns and a large number of vases filled with
fronds of various varieties, and a selection of fern books and our publications were on
show. Matt had his demonstration exhibit showing the propagation of ferns from spores
and this attracted a lot of interested attention from members of the public passing by.
Many were stimulated to ask questions and learn more about this fascinating subject —
who knows! we may have started some of them off on a new interest which will come to
absorb them just as much as it does us!

YOU HAVE TO SMILE ! A R Busby
Overheard at Southport Flower Show

A woman passing with a recently purchased Pteris cretica ‘Albo-lineata’ in her shopping
bag, glanced at the Society’s Fern Stand and remarked — ‘‘I would not give a fern house
room’

A gentleman after having the spore germination display explained to him, pointed to
the pot of healthy prothalli and commented — “Pity you have that nasty growth of
algae on that one”.

An obviously keen vegetable grower, surveying one of the fern exhibits, pointed to a
lady fern with finely divided dense cresting and asked the Secretary who happened to be
standing by, what THAT was doing in a fern exhibit. He adamantly refused to believe

it was a fern, and with a pitying look stalked off in high dudgeon, remarking — “’You
can’t fool me — | know parsley when | see it”.

Older members often relate a story told by the late Rev E A Elliot when he was in
charge of our Stand many years ago. A passerby stopped, stared intently at the name
‘British Pteridological Society’ on our name board, then noticing the reverend gentleman’s
dog-collar, asked quizzically — ‘Is that a new religion?”

| am sure that other members could relate amusing tales of things heard and seen at
Southport, and at other shows or places where ferns make contact with the general
public, Please pass them on to me.

WORLD FERN SOCIETIES J W Dyce

Continuing this series, introduced in the last issue of the Bulletin, we give some inform-
ation about more of the newer societies which in the postwar years have come into
existence as a result of the worldwide awakening of interest in ferns in both the botanical
and horticultural fields. We cannot claim to be in touch with all of them and shall be glad
to hear from members — and others — who can add more to our list, with, if possible,
some information about them which we can publish.

THE INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL FERN SOCIETY

Among America’s newer societies is this very active, go-ahead one with its headquarters
at 3720 S W 34th Street, Miami, Florida 33165. As well as having several chapters in its
home area, it is a federation of several district and county fern societies extending far
beyond the Florida peninsula. The chairman of the governing board, Mr Milton D Piedra,
tells me the Society was founded in 1975 and within 6 months had over 1200 members —
the number now in less than 3 years is nearly 6000 in 50 states of the USA and 36 foreign
countries. There is thus a very large pool of enthusiasm on which to draw for its many
activities which include monthly meetings by the Society and by the more than a score of
its associated bodies, fern forays, workshops, fern shows and fern exhibitions on a vast
scale, conducted tours, lectures to all kinds of organisations and advertising in the leading
Florida papers and on radio and television.

A monthly journal, the Rhizome Reporter, is published and when | saw a copy crammed
full of interesting reading with useful informative articles covering the whole field of fern
interest, | decided forthwith to join the Society. For US dollars 7.00, the present annual

dues, it is a real bargain!

We congratulate the Chairman, Mr Piedra, on the tremendous achievements of his Society
and send our good wishes for its continued success.

SCHWEIZERISCHE VEREINIGUNG DER FARNFREUNDE (SVF)

The following letter, dated 16 December 1977, was received from Dr J Schneller, Obere
Heslibachstrasse 16, CH-8700 Kusnacht, Switzerland, a Swiss member of our Society. We
are very pleased to welcome this new fern society, the first, to our knowledge, on the
European Continent, and to wish it every success.

“For some years Swiss fern friends organised regular meetings and this year they decided
to form a society. It has been decided at Sargans Castle, in the Canton St Gallen, on 8
September 1977, that the society will be called Schweizerische Vereinigung der
Farnfreunde (SVF), The President, Dr H Nageli (also a member of our Society - Ed.)
requested me to contact other such organisations in different parts of the world. The
executive committee is formed of seven persons. The Society has at the moment about
45 members who are mainly interested in floristic aspects and field botany. The Society
also would be pleased to have the opportunity for spore exchange.”

REVIEWS

ee FERNS, Clubmosses, Quillworts and Horsetails by H A Hyde, A E Wade, Sixth

Edition, revised, expanded and rearranged by S G Harrison, 178 pages, illustrated in
black-and-white with 14 plates and 82 text figures. 140 x 220 x 16 mm. National
Museum of Wales, Cardiff, 1978. Price £3.00.

The text of this sixth edition remains basically unaltered except where taxonomic and
nomenclatural changes have had to be made. Expansion in the descriptions of hybrids
reflects current trends. Lists of herbarium specimens have been extended for some taxa,
or omitted where the numbers had become too large and every vice-county in Wales was
represented.

The fifth edition was reviewed in the British Fern Gazette, Vol 10: 105 (1969) and over
the years has proved a most useful reference book on British ferns; it was ridiculously
cheap at £1.25. The new edition is still priced at a very moderate figure and is excellent

/ value for the money.

ATLAS OF FERNS OF THE BRITISH ISLES by A C Jermy, H R Arnold, Lynne Farrell
and F H Perring. 101 pages, 210 x 295 mm. Published jointly by the Botanical Society
of the British Isles and the British Pteridological Society, London 1978. Available from
F & M Perring, Oundle Lodge, Oundle, Peterborough PE8 5TN, England. Price (paper-
back) £3.50 (including packing and postage).

A full review of this book, by Dr C N Page, appears in the 1978 issue of the Fern Gazette

(Vol. 11 part 6), but for the benefit of members who do not receive the Gazette it is
reviewed briefly here.

The book is a second edition of the Pteridophytic section of the Atlas of the British Flora
published in 1962. It is a tribute to British botanists and especially to British pteridologists,
not only the professionals but to the amateurs who have contributed much over the years
since 1962 to make this edition a success. It will supply a real need and will clearly stand
as a pteridological milestone, and a valuable foundation on which further recording can

be based. The present known ranges are given for 80 pteridophyte species or subspecies
(including 24 fern allies) and 29 hybrids (including 7 fern allies) in 95 clear, large format
(17.5 x 19.5 cm) black and white dot maps which appear one per page. Species are
recorded on the now familiar 10km British grid squares used for the original At/as, and
each map is accompanied by textural comments on the taxa by A C Jermy

A high standard of presentation has been largely achieved, but some unfortunate errors
have occurred. We are not told that open circles, in general, denote pre-1950 records and
solid dots post-1950 records (not 1930 as in the old At/as); but sometimes (in map keys
to pp 15, 22, 50, 52, 55, 63, 77, 79, 84, 92) solid dots are used, unnecessarily, to distinguish
between two species on one page; on pp 58 and 59 solid and open circles are used in
another way; on pp 50 and 52 solid dots denote all records. In the index italic page-
numbers refer to a mention in the text. Ambrosiae should be corrected to ambroseae on
Pp 87, 95, 100. We have found that some of our records passed on to the Biological
Records Centre have not been included, but this is understandable since the work of
collating and presenting in map form the vast volume of information fed into the Centre
made some errors of omission inevitable.

It is still not a volume which can be carried in the pocket in the field, something which
many of us would find of great value, but it is much more manageable than its predecessor
which of course had to accommodate a// plant records, not just the pteridophytes. A second

270

copy will be useful to carry in the car or in the rucsac, for just as that first At/as did 16
years ago, the new Atlas of Ferns shows that there is still much more work to be done on
the distribution of our ferns and it will stimulate us to greater efforts.

JW Dyce

FERNS FOR MODERN LIVING by Elaine Davenport, illustrated by John Pike.

80pp, 112 illustrations in colour plus 9 on covers. 229 x 152 mm. Merchants Publishing
Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, 1977. Price US dollars 2.95. (Not available in
this country at present).

The “Fern Craze” has got the USA in its grip and many new and excellent books on ferns
are being published. Some of them, in various ways, manage to reach our shores, and
among them this very attractive production which was “discovered” by a visitor to the
USA and brought back to this country. The description given to me sounded so good that
| wrote to the publishers who have kindly sent me a review copy and are arranging to let
me have copies for our Booksales.

The book is aimed chiefly at the house and greenhouse grower of ferns, a kind of fern
book which is sadly lacking in this country, and although it is written for American
consumption it will be equally valuable to the British grower, and indeed to indoor growers
worldwide; it also deals with a small number of outdoor ferns. The outstanding thing about
it is the large number and excellent quality of the colour photographs, covering most, if
not all, the popular indoor ferns, and for this reason alone the book will be a delight to
have on one’s bookshelves for their pleasing clarity and value for reference and recognition
purposes.

With so many illustrations included in a book this size, it will be understood that the
letterpress has to be concise and to the point. Descriptive and cultural notes are brief but

- fully adequate, dealing with soils, watering, temperatures, light and fertilisers. There is
also a general section dealing with the same subjects and short chapters on potting,
propagation, terrariums, pests and diseases and cultural problems.

If | looked closely there are things | could criticise, such as errors in nomenclature and
wrongly applied captions. Such things are regrettable since they tend to be perpetuated in
future literature but no doubt the publishers have some friendly critics nearer home, who
will ensure that following editions of the book have the necessary corrections made. If |
may, however, and | do it reluctantly, | would draw attention to the inclusion of asparagus
“ferns”. In the opening sentence to the short chapter dealing with them, it is made
abundantly clear that they are NOT ferns, but there will be readers into whose minds the
fact will not sink, who will enter these plants in fern classes at shows and be disappointed,
confused or even belligerent when their entries are not accepted. However, this is too
small a matter to cavil over, and the standard of the four asparagus plants depicted is so
excellent that no-one can be blamed for wanting to include them among the ferns.

This most reasonably priced book can be highly recommended to the indoor grower of
ferns. It is not yet available in this country but can be obtained through our BPS Book-
sales. Readers in the Americas will prefer to purchase it from outlets nearer home since
our price will have to include the freight on a return journey across the Atlantic —
nevertheless, still excellent value!

JW Dyce

271

FERNS by Philip Perl and the Editors of Time-Life Books, 160 pp, fully illustrated in
colour. 217 x 280 mm. Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 1977. Price US
dollars 8.95.

The enthusiasm which enlivens so much of the United States literature shines through
Ferns, one of the books in the Time-Life Encyclopedia of Gardening. This most attract-
ive volume runs to 160 pages lavishly illustrated with 31 full pages of colour photo-
graphs and numerous tinted drawings of ferns, terrariums, etc. The brisk down-to-earth
all-made-easy tone which runs through text and pictures removes the fern world from
the slightly Victorian atmosphere which it has in Britain, and this alone may make it
refreshingly different for readers who feel the 19th century dowdy.

Some BPS members may recognise the frontispiece of the Glasgow case but raise an eye-
brow at the “terrarium” and its being “modelled after the Crystal Palace’ — rather it is
1870’s Moorish. The photographs are of high quality and sharpness, and the one showing
the spore release from a maidenhair is exciting. The chapter ‘’The Bostons: a line of
freaks’’ makes us realise what the British pot-plant trade lacks — the wonderful

ephrolepis exaltata cultivars; they are like the best curly endive or the most plumose
Edwardian athyriums, as far removed from “our” Boston Ladder-fern as the Welsh Poly-
pody is from the common polypody. The text is practical, easy to follow, and would
inspire the most timid beginner. Both the biology and propagation of ferns are clarified
by simple line and colour drawings; it appears that unlike the average BPS member the
American grower is instructed to use fertiliser rather like we would on house-plants or
outdoors for roses.

Half the book is an illustrated encyclopaedia. It will interest readers on this side of the
Atlantic to see old friends with “new” names, such as Deer Fern (blechnum) and

Scouring Rush (Equisetum hyemale). It is the first time | have seen United States poly-
podiums in colour; seemingly familiar, P. glycyrrhiza strongly resembles our P. interjectum
and P, scouleri our P. australe. What surprises by their absence are crested or showy
cultivars apart from the magnificent nephrolepis ones; only one other is shown, a fingered
Dryopteris filix-mas, A feature which may be novel to British readers is the climate zone
and frost date maps; these may be common in the USA where the temperature range is
greater and the geographical areas covered much vaster.

The work seems well-researched and the majority of the species are described in a clear
manner. Readers may have difficulty in recognising the Killarney Fern from the illustra-
tion on page 143! However, the book can be heartily recommended and it will appeal
equally to the old hand and to the novice,

Alison Rutherford

(We are advised by the publishers’ London office that this book is not available in this
country but a European edition will be published in Spring 1979 (published
simultaneously in English, French, German and Dutch and edited to relate to the
respective areas). The UK cost will be £5.95. A supplementary review will appear in the
1979 Bulletin. — Ed.)

MEMBERSHIP LIST — Additions and amendments

New Members

ADDINGTON Peter, Stream Cottage, Churchwood, tet Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 1HP

BAINS Kenneth, 21 Uvedale Hoad, Entel, Middlese

BARKER Miss J, 115 Rutland Street, D

BARKER Miss Marian A, 9 South nig cig Irby, W ral, sep eg L61 2XL.

BEBROUTH MB, 15 Cavendish Avenue, wt ons DA16

BENNETT PTY. LTD James, Booksellers, 4 Collaroy Street, Fic New South Wales, Australia 2097

BLOOMFIELD J V, Manton House, Marlborough, Wilts.

BOYD pth Elaine J, 32 Rayment Street, Lathlain 6100, Western Australia

BROTHERTON C s, 43 ~sierepayag te Road, Sedgley, Dudley, West Midlands DY3 3BJ.

BRUCE ee Richard S, 4602 N E Skidmore, Portland, Oregon 97218

CHALMERS W T, Dept of Botany, University of British as Cohunbsies Vancouver, ‘ag V6T IW5, Canada.

COLLINS Mrs Margaret W, 73 Hazelwood Road, Acocks Green, Birm am 2

COLLINSON Miss Margaret E, BSc, Palaeontology Dept, gic eae Mee History), Cromwell

Sgygereet SW7 5BD.

COOPER Frank, 604 E Florida Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801,

COVENY Robert, c/o National Herbarium, Royal Botanic een Seteed: New South Wales,
Australia

CROCKETT T B, Drumrainey, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

CRUMMEY Mrs Barbara, P O Box 933, Selma, abate 36701, USA

DAGGITT S, 22 St Michael’s Terrace, Leeds Ls6 —

DAVIES Kelvin L, Briardale, Church Road, Ystalyfera, Swansea, W. _—

DAYMAN A J, 13 Palmer Road, Oakdale, Poole, Dorie BH15 3AR

a
30602, USA.
Nick and Mrs Eleanor, 4 Seni diet acho Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6TD
AWAND UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, cota Division, 2550 The Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822.
ILL i i

a
HOLLIS Mrs Sue, 3542 Central, Kansas City, Missouri 64111, USA
HUDDLESTON Robert, Moxley Jenner & Partners, 7 King Street, Bristol poe 4EJ.
UNT Roger, Sidhaven, 29 Fore aan: Sidbury, Sidmouth, Devon
IDE Dick, Wing House, 148 a oad, cues

ley
IREDELL Mrs Jan, 50 Sugars Road, Moggill, Brisbane, Pst heieille:
JANSSEN Mrs Margret, Guneak Strasse rmany
JONES S F, Lovett H Ibury ighton

n

LARLHAM Brian G A, 243 Bellenden Road, London SE15 4DQ.
LATHAM Geoffrey S, Bel Air, 11 peeks Avenue, Bewdley, a DY12 !/BP.
LOBIN Wolfram, Institut fur Naturschutz, Havelstr. 7, mstadt, West Germany.
MA . .

T
MEULDER J van, Stationstreet 70, 3530 Houthalen, Belgium.
R rs M, Faith Cottage, West Lambrook, South Petherton, Somerset.
see J, Rijksherbarium, Schelpenkade 6, Leiden, Holland.
L, 78 Culvert Street, Torrington, CT SA.
A TOMAL BOTANIC GARDEN OF SOUTH AFRICA, Kirstenbosch, Private Bag X7,
Claremont 7735, South Africa.
NICHOL P, BSc, M.1.Biol, salar 18 oo. Avenue, St Leonards-on-Sea, E Sussex.
PAULEY R Aand JL, P O Box 28, Gumeracha, South Au stralia 5233.
eccnin font cap cece: eston Square Lib London SW. f Pri Industries, William Street
n t oO ma . ’
EENSLAND GOVERNMEN e Libraria p Se ry woomitag ho
RAYNER Dr E W, 24 Sirdar Street, Kensington B, uss 2194, South Africa.
REID Miss A B, 22 Adecroft Way, East Molesey,
ROSCHER Dr Helge E, Lorenzer Strasse 16, DY8411 Haabictiee, West Germ
ROTHE Keith F “136 Swanport Road, Murray Bridge, South Australia 5253.
RUSS Brian, East Lodge, Hall Lane, Lathom, Ormskirk, ;

273

SAHASHI Norio, School of Pharm. Science, Toho University, 2-2-2 Miyama, ——
Chi

ba 274, Japa
SCANNELL Miss Maura J P, — National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, lrish Republic.

aaane Rich oo T, 19 Sudbrooke Road, London
SIMPSO 2 RK F t1, 10 aoelee a Sheffield $11 SAW.
TITT M ongacres, Braintree,

TAYLOR BW, 25 Upper Town Road, Reade, Middlesex UB6 QJE
TAYLOR Dr W Carl, PhD, Milwaukee Apo Museum, 800 W Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA.
ee Ms K E, ‘5A Ca mbray Road, Balham, London
WALLACE K, Viney’s Saale Dural, New ater Wa les = 2188, Australia.

DAP, 97 Broomspring Lane, Sheffield S10 2
WARWICK UNIVERSITY. , Poet So ce Bon. pot twood, re Warwickshire.
WHITE Mrs G T, 6 Cooloon Court, Maniana 6107, West Australia
WILLIAMS R J, 83 Hertford Street, Uhabvidie
ZOGG Professor Emil, Krontalstrasse 16, CH- 9000 St Gallen, Switzerland.
Re-insert in Membership List
CHINNOCK R J, State Herbarium of South Australia, Botanic Garden, North Terrace, Adelaide,

A.5000, Australia.
DYER T A and Mrs E M, Rockfield, Park Road, Alrewas, nr. Bienes ten Staffs.
EGYETEMI KONYVTAR, POB 4 483, 1372 Budapest, Hungary
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore ht Chicago,
lItinors 60605, U

OFFEY, Mrs E F, 27 Priory Road, Malvern, Worcs, WR14 pee
SIRtITATD BOTANICO DR JULIO HENRIQUES, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
VASUDEVA SM, Department of Botany, Punjabi Po a Patiala 147002, India.
Si of Address

BUCHANAN Mrs J D, JP, Rose Cottage, Owston, Oakham, Leics, LE15 oe

BUCK William R, The Herbarium, University of Michigan, North Segclagintes Building, Ann Arbor,
chigan 48104,

poet end UNIVERSITY, The Library, Serials Department, Storrs, Connecticut 06268, USA.

CRONK QCB, Church Farm House , Horsmonden, Tonbridge, Kent ™N128

NS Dr A Murray 0, USA
FAIRWEATHER Graham and Mrs Janet, 3 — Street, Lowerhouse, Burnley, Lancs BB12 6NQ.
FRASER JENKINS Ppihanahar R, 46 Harcourt Terrace , London

ND Neds e House, —— Mid. Glam.”
GASTONY Professor Gerald J, Department of Biology, Indiana precena Bloom
GERBER-CLAVUOT Adolf, Adler-Apotheke, Gemeindestrasse 9 "CH BOS). USA 7, Switzerland.
GORDON LS, Lot 7, Mansfield Green, Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

GS2 IHS.
Y Dr James H, PhD, 851 Arbor Lane, Glenview, Illinois 60025, U
HAUFLER Dr Christopher, The Missouri Botanical Garden _ Tower Grove Avenue, St Louis,
ri 63110, US
KAWAKAMI Syohgo, Department of Biology, Aichi humane of ¢ Educa Sor Hirosawa | ip oe
Kariya-city, Nippon 448, J
KOH Mrs Esta, 9 —— sige Addl onpe nag Surr

rrey.

LAWRENCE D W, Montana, Blagdon Hill, Taunton, Somerset TA3 7SF.
LELLINGER Dr David 5. ". S. National atanuae NHB 166, Smithsonian Institute,
ashington DC 20560,

LITTLE Mrs Audrey, Tallawalla Fernery, 22 Tallawalla Road, Se 2280, New South Wales,

MARSDEN Crai . R, a see a Fsnomante City, A. vt ide 2601, nubcisatias

MARSHALL E, 4 htown, South rt, Merseyside PR9 8QD.

MISSISSIPPI STATE) UNIVERSITY. § Serials Technical Rowe chell Memorial Library,
i pkey MS 39762, USA

MORTIMER A J, P O Box 594, Gawler 5118, South pre :

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS, The Librarian, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, og Republic.

OLLGAARD Benjamin MSc, Tokkerbakken 9, DK-8240 Risskov, Denma

O’SHEA B J, BA, FL: LS, 58 Thornlaw Road, Lo don SE27 OSA.

E i E Mrs Greta, 15 St in $s Close, Stourport-on-Severn, W.
POTTS Christopher M and Mrs E Mary, 4 Kennel Lane, Wi amtegore co oe eee aaa
SHAW Mrs Elaine, Dorrego 2699, 25/6, 1425 favenes Aires, Argenti

SPE Sees hey sews A. Maes-y-coed, | Einios Cottages, Furnache, gag gone Powys, Wales.
TONGE Mrs Gwiadys, 32 Horn Street, Winslow, Bucks MK18 3AW
TURCHAN ‘Michael J, 108 Chapman Street, Watertown, Mass. 02172, USA.

Changes of Name and Other Changes
Delete — Gibby J Mand Mrs Mary Re-insert as— GIBBY Dr Mary
(

address unchanged)
Hall Nigel A HALL Nigel A and Mrs June
(address unchanged)
Kanamori K YASUDA K
(address unchanged)
Merry weather J W and Mrs ME wip babeg Mork James W

c/o Biology Department, University of
York, Heslington, York YO1 5DD.
ROTHWELL Mrs Margaret E,
8 Howard gr Fulford Road,
York, YO1 4BQ.
Smith R J SMITH R oh and Mrs Brenda
(address unchanged)

Delete from Membership List

Mrs M Bushby M Heki R C Reeves
Dr — Mrs C H Catlin J C Hodrien PD ee
pes of Cults M C Johnson Dr med Rube

M G Kunkel Sarasota ee Inc
JM Grade Dr S Kurata Mrs EE
DrJE Craig aceecalles D C Lindsay DrAH acai
P A Dent Lucky S Nurse AM Stirling
CA Devall Mogi a A Sactoneld Mrs L Strong
Mrs M B Field R A Todd-White
Jack Gibson E Milne-Redhead Miss S M Tu
JB Gibson A Watson

wer L O’Brien IFW
E E Green A J Pearce Mrs M B Wilson
Mrs E Hance Mrs M T Petch P R Winstanley
Mrs W E Hazen Miss R D Pullinger
OBITUARIES

It is with regret that we announce the following deaths —

Dr Satoru Kurata whose death was recently announced to us was a forestry officer in the
Forest Department of the University of Tokyo in Japan, and has published a several
volume work on Japanese trees. He also studied ferns and was an active member and
officer of the Nippon Fernist Club. He joined our Society in 1967.

Dr A H Sparrow whose death was advised to us in the spring of this year joined our
Society in 1971 when he came over from the USA to live in this country for a time.

John S Fudge. As we go to press we have just learned of the sudden death of this member
from Portishead, who joined the Society only this year but was already taking an active
Part in our affairs.

We extend our sympathy to their families.

275

MEETINGS PROGRAMME 1979

Meetings Secretary
Meetings Committee
Saturday

10 February
Saturday

10 February
Saturday

19 May

Saturday/Saturday
9/16 June

Saturday
23 June

Friday/Sunday

A J Worland, 102 Queens Close, Harston, Cambs. CB2 50N.

J A Crabbe, J W Dyce, M H Rickard, J R Woodhams.

Indoor Meeting at the British Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD at 2.00 pm

Annual General Meeting to be held at the British Museum (Natural
History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD at 2.15 p

Visit to the Fern Houses and outside fern — at Kew Botanic
Gardens. Meet outside Fern Houses at 2.

Week Meeting at Criccieth, Gwynedd, North Wales.

Leader: Jimmy Dyce

Centre: Caerwylan Hotel, Criccieth.

Visit to Cambridge Botanic Gardens. Meet at 2.30 pm at the
Trumpington Road entrance on A10.

Leader: Tony Worland.

Weekend Meeting in North Somerset

29 June/1 July Leaders: Christopher and Mary Potts
Centre: The Oak House Hotel, The Square, Axbridge, Somerset.
Friday/Sunday Weekend Meeting in Edinburgh, including visit to the Botanic Garden.
27/29 July Leader: Chris Page
Centre: Ash Lyn Hotel, 42 Inverleith Row, Edinburgh
Saturday Visit to Liverpool Botanic Gardens, Calderstone Park, Liverpool
4 August Meet at 2.30 pm at Main Gate.
Leader: Waldy Pierozynski
Thursday/Saturday Southport Flower Show
16/18 August Many fern classes showing selection of best varieties
Visit the Society’s Stand in the Societies’ Tent.
Sunday Day Meeting in Norfolk. Meet at Horsey Mere, by the windmill
19 August at 11. _
Leaders: Martin Rickard and Tony Worland.
Friday/Sunday Weekend Meeting at Chepstow, Gwent
7/9 September Leader: Matt Busby
Centre: Beaufort Hotel, Beaufort Square, Chepstow
Saturday Indoor Meeting at Chelsea Physic Garden, Royal Hospital Road,
13 October London SW3 at 1.30 pm.
REGIONAL DAY MEETINGS
Suitable dates will be arranged by direct personal contact with Organisers —
Midlands: A R Busby, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Aston
in Birmingham, Gosta Green, Birmingham B4 7ET. Tel: 021 359 3611
Ext. 773
South-west England = Christopher and Mary Potts, 4 Kennel Lane, Webbington,

near Axbridge, Somerset. Tel: Edingworth 545.

Members who would like to receive their Regional Meetings programme should apply to
the Organiser, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope.

—-aflsHo Fu..4S AND THei. ULTIVARS ie ey ee
A very comprehensive collection is swcked by =
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SILVERDALE, LANCASHIP= ie a is =e
CATALOGUE ON REQUEST.

FIBREX NURSERIES LTD. Bie ree as,

. Begonias, Ciowinine: Fidabex Hydrangeas, Primroses, Arum tities ;
and Plants for the cool. greenhouse — re age
Catalogue on request

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