w- 1 / THE BRITISH PERNS, R. Hardwire, 192 Piccadmy, Seprj.l85;). PLAIN AND EAST ACCOUNT BRITISH FERNS; TOGETHER WITH THEIR CLASSIFICATION, ARRANGEMENT OF GENERA, STRUCTURE, AND FUNCTIONS; AND A GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL AND OTHER TERMS. EDITED BY MRS. LANKESTER. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS LONDON: ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY; AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. ADVERTISEMENT. THE first edition of this little work was issued in 1854, just at the time when Ferns became the objects of popular taste. In the following year the Plates were added. A second edition, enlarged and rearranged, was published in the autumn of 1855. Since the second edition was printed, there seems to have sprung up a greatly extended demand for popular scientific manuals ; and it has been felt that the existing edition was somewhat too methodic and uninviting, and that a more popular edition would be acceptable. The Author of the work, as it originally stood, being pre- cluded by indisposition from undertaking the task of recom- posing his manual, the Publisher is indebted to the pen of a lady for the present edition. The only portions of the old edition now retained are the title-page and the plates ; and he hopes that the public will find in these pages an easy and plain solution to any little difficulty with which they may meet in collecting or cultivating these interesting plants. 2091 235 INDEX TO ENGLISH NAMES. Plate, fty ADDER'S-TONGUE, COMMON (Ophioglossum vulgatum). . 27 61 ADDER'S-TONGUE, LESSER (Opkioglossum lusitanicum) — 60 ALPINK FERN (Woodsia ilvensis hyperborea) 20 85 BEECH FERN, or MOUNTAIN POLYPODY (Polypodium Phsgopteris) 40 70 BLADDER FERN, BRITTLE (Cystopteris fragilis) 21 51 BLADDER FERN, MOUNTAIN (Cystopteris montana] ..— 53 BRAKES, BRACKEN, or EAGLE FERN (Pteris aquilina) 18 74 BRISTLE FEKN (Trichomanes radicans) 36 81 BROAD PRICKLY-TOOTHED, or CRESTED FERN (Aspi- dium dilatatum) 10 12 CURLED ALLOSORUS, or PARSLEY FERN (Allosorus crispus) 24 5 EAGLE FERN, BRAKES, or BRACKEN (Pteris aquilina) 18 74 FILMY FERN (HymenopJiyUum tunbridgense) 38 57 FILMY FERN, WILSON'S (Hymenophyllum Wilsoni) . . 33 59 GYMXOGRAMMA, FINE-LEAVED (Gymnogramma lepto- pJiylla — 55 HARD FERN (Blechnum Spicant) 26 45 HART'S-TONGDE (Scolopendrium vulgrire) 31 78 HOLLY, or HOUGH ALPINE SHIELD FERN (Aspidium Loncldtis) 3 19 LADY FERN (Asplenium Filix fcemina) 23 30 MAIDEN-HAIR, TRUE (Adiantum Capillus Veneris) ..25 1 MALE SHIELD FERN (Aspidium Filix mas) 13 viii INDEX TO ENGLISH NAMES. Plate. Pag« MAESH FERN (Aspidium Thelypteris) 2 62 MOONWOKT (Botrycldum Lunaria) 28 47 OAK FERN (Polypodium firyopteris) 42 67 POLYPODY, ALPINE (Potypodiwm alpestre) 13 65 POLYPODY, COMMON (Polypodium vulgar e) 41 7i POLYPODY, LIMESTONE (Polypodium calcareum) .... 39 68 ROYAL or FLOWERING FERN (Osmunda regalia) 29 63 SHIELD FERN, BROAD (Aspidium spinulosum) 15 24 SHIELD FERN, CRESTED (Aspidium cristatum) 7 10 SHIELD FERN, MALE (Aspidium Filix mas) 8 13 SHIELD FERN, MOUNTAIN (Aspidium Oreopteris) . ... 5 20, SHIELD FERN, RIGID (Aspidium rigidum) 6 22 SHIELD FERN, SOFT PRICKLY (Aspidium aculeatum). . 1 7 SPLEENWORT, ALTERNATE-LEAVED (Asplenium germa- nicum) 35 35 SPLEENWORT, BLACK (Asplenium Adiantum nigrum) 11 28 SPLEENWORT, COMMON WALL or MAIDEN-HAIR (Asple- nium Tnckomanes) 32 43 SPLEENWORT, FORKED (.4 splenium septentrionale) .... 19 42 SPLEENWORT, LANCEOLATE (Asplenium lanceolatum).. 9 36 SPLEENWORT, SCALY (Ceterach officinarum) 37 49 SPLEENWORT, SEA (Asplenium marinum) 12 38 SPLEENWORT, SMOOTH ROCK (Asplenium fontanum) . . 17 33 WALL RUE (Asplenium Ruta muraria) 30 40 WOODSIA, ALPINE (Woodsia ilvensis hyperborea) .... 20 85 WOODSIA, OBLONG or RAY'S ( Woodsia ilvensis) 22 84 The text of the work is arranged in alphabetical order, accord- ing to the Latin name of each fern ; thus, Adiantum Capillus Venerix is described at page 1 ; Allosorus crispus, at page 5 ; and so on. INTEODFCTOKY REMARKS, THIS little book is intended as a guide to the lover of Nature, who, though not perhaps scientifically acquainted with botany, may partake of the desire so natural in all minds, to possess, in the best way cir- cumstances will allow, some shadow of the green country lanes and lovely scenes, so refreshing even in the remembrance. The most desirable way to accom- plish this, and even to bring something of the verdure of a country lane into the close atmosphere of a city, is by means of a closed or Ward's Case, in which not only Ferns but some other plants will live and thrive. Mr. Ward, the ingenious inventor of this device, suc- ceeds in cultivating many spring flowers — fairy roses, and the most luxuriant tropical plants — in his cases ; but it must be remembered that the chief object in these closed cases is to secure a moist atmosphere, and freedom from the all-pervading dirt and dust of cities. To many plants the moisture thus secured is injurious, but to nearly all ferns it is peculiarly grateful, and to them, therefore, especially, this mode of culture is chiefly applicable. In Mr. Ward's own book on the subject, he speaks of what may be done to imitate nature in the growth of ferns ; how bits of natural scenery may be artificially built up, with water trick- X IN-DOOR CULTIVATION. ling down from elevated portions of rock, and flowing out of the fern-bouse in one continuous stream. In such a house each fern would find its natural position, and attain a luxuriance astonishing to those who have never tried the experiment. " Each fern could be supplied with a proper base of earth or rock, and each could have the amount of light most suited to its fullest development." Mr. Ward goes on even to suggest what he himself has so beautifully carried out, — the culture and growth of majestic tropical forms of vegetation under glass covering, such as may easily be constructed in a London yard. Tree-ferns, palms, and the numberless variety of mosses and ferns brought from distant regions, would herex flourish in their native perfection. To begin, however, with something much less ambitious, we will suppose that we are visiting some rural district in England — Devonshire or the Isle of Wight, — where the lanes and coppices are luxuriant with the bright green fronds of familiar ferns. With a trowel, or some other instrument, we dig round the roots, and deeply down, so as not to injure them; and, removing each specimen with a good portion of its natural soil, we consign them to our vasculum, until, returning to our town home, we think of establishing our fern-case. The elegance of this may vary, according to our means or our pleasure, the humblest form being, as far as we know, as successful, according to its size, as the most elaborate. The first thing in any case is to secure good drainage, by one or more holes at the bottom of the case ; be it either a large earthen flower-saucer, a soup-plate, or a zinc 1N-DOOR CULTIVATION. XI constructed case. Broken flower-pots, cinders, bits of sandstone, and then a compound of peat-earth and silver sand, should fill these pans or cases, and porous bits of stone forming artificial rocks may be built up and around the ferns when they are planted. On these rocks, mosses and lycopocliums will grow and thrive. For the covering of the commonest kind of case, obtain a bell-glass just large enough to fit tightly round the edge of the pan, so as to exclude the external air. This may be removed occasionally, and the fronds sprinkled with water, but not too often ; and, as far as possible, the glass should be kept bright and clear. The soil, before being used, should be care- fully sifted, to prevent any worms or insect eggs being admitted with it. Any appearance of blight may be treated with lime-water. The case itself should not be placed in too retired a part of the room (except as regards that containing Trichomanes brevisetum, or Ilymenophyllum), as the natural tendency of the plants to creep towards the light would thereby be increased. An important point in the success of a fern-case is the removal of dead or decaying portions, as they soon spread, and produce disease in the whole case. It will be found that all species of ferns will not grow well together, requiring, as they do, in some cases, different treatment. A case may be specially devoted to shade-loving ferns, such as Hymeiwpliyllum and Trichomanes, and sheltered from the light by a gauze covering, or coloured glass ; but this is best learned by studying the natural habits of each indi- Xll OUT-DOOR CULTIVATION. vidual species, and as far as possible imitating their accustomed conditions. To those who are fortunate enough to live away from the smoke and noise of great cities, an open ail fernery will afford much delight. To such we would say, choose a sheltered and shady situation — if under the defence of a wall the better, — and one looking north or west. Make up your raised bed with a light soil, largely intermixed with frequent rough porous stones. Front it with rock-work, wherein to fix, especially, the smaller and wall kinds ; the larger and more feathery being of course placed behind in the bed itself. Set them not in too closely together, and remember that those having creeping roots will often extend themselves, and reappear in adjacent spots. If the ground slopes too much, many are inclined to slide downward into the lower positions. Water before planting, and from time to time as needed ; but let there be opportunity of drainage, so that the bed never becomes marshy or sour ; as though Osmunda and Aspidium Thelypteris like this, and some few others, as Blechnum, Aspidium spinulosum and dilatatum, can endure it, to the majority it would be injurious, if not fatal. Should the heat of summer be too great, and shrivel up any of the tender plants, they may be restored, and kept in order by duly watering at night. The wild plants may be removed at any season of the year, though the autumn is the fittest. In the winter many will have died down, till hardly discernible, except to a practised eye. A fresh addition of peat, or leaf-mould, seems to be the only DKTING. Xlll manure yet recommended. The more delicate sorts may, perhaps, be well covered in from the frost by straw or heaps of leaves. Another method of preserving ferns is in the herba- rium ; and of all plants they seem best to stand the process of drying, and to lose less of their original colour and beauty of form than any others. We would now refer to the " Fern Collector's Album," * to which this little book is intended as a companion, and which affords great facilities for the preservation of dried ferns. To those who have not already made dried botanical collections, we would give the following simple direc- tions for their guidance : — Before you leave home, get any carpenter to plane you two deal boards, about half an inch thick, a foot wide, and a foot and a half long ; between these place one or two quires of Bentall's drying-paper ; or, if unattainable, common blotting-paper and old newspapers will answer very well. Round the boards put two narrow but strong leather straps, which cost about a shilling each : these must be drawn as tightly as possible, and will secure a great amount of pressure on the plants inside, and the whole may be strapped on the top of a box in travel- ling, so as not to take up any room. In gathering the ferns, cut them as low down the stem as possible, and in small specimens get up the radix if you can. In putting them to dry in the blotting-paper, have respect to the natural position of the fern, and also to * London : Robert Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly. XIV INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. the size of the sheet of paper on which they are to be finally placed. When the fronds are long, or the specimen large, they may be bent so as to lie in a smaller space than they otherwise could ; and if dried in a certain position, will retain the form easily. It is best at first to make the pressure lightly, so as to alter the form of the plant if needful before it is completely dried, then increase the pressure day by day until the specimens are ready to remove. Ferns dry quickly and easily, and may, without injury, be kept in the drying-paper for some time. When, how- ever, they are removed to put down finally, they should be secured by little thin strips of gummed paper, which is best prepared beforehand by covering a sheet of note-paper with a strong solution of gum, which, when dry, may be kept for a long time ready for use. The thinner the slips are cut the better, so as to hold the parts of the plant in their right posi- tion. This plan is preferable to gumming the whole plant, or portions of it, as the little slips can at any time be removed with a penknife without injuring the paper or book in which they are fixed, should there be occasion to remove the specimen. In drying your ferns, be careful to change the blotting-paper two or three times a week, so as to remove any dampness, and dry your paper in the sun or before the fire very often. It is best to have two sets of paper, so that one can be dried while the other is in use. Any ordi- nary fern will be fit to put into the folio in two or three weeks at most. In describing the forms of British ferns in this INTRODUCTORY KEMARKS. XV little book, we have followed the arrangement and names given by Mr. Bentham in his " Handbook of the British Flora," with the exception of one or two varieties which he does not give. The synonyms given to each species are intended as a guide to those who wish to read further about the plant, and refer to the names under which it may be found in the works of our chief botanists ; otherwise there would often be difficulty in recognizing the same species under another name. Messrs. Bradbury's beautiful but expensive volume of " Nature-Printed Ferns " is most valuable as a book of reference in the naming of species. We would also refer to " The Ferns of Great Britain," by Miss Anne Pratt, Mr. Moore's little " Handbook of British Ferns," Mr. Sowerby's volume on the " Ferns of Great Britain," and Mr. Newman's complete and exhaustive work on " British Ferns." To those who really in- tend to make a study of this branch of botany, we would recommend any or all of these volumes. ELEGANT PRESENT FOR THE COUNTRY OR SEASIDE. Handsomely bound in cloth gilt, price One Guinea, THE FERN COLLECTOR'S ALBUM : a descrip- tive folio for the reception of Natural Specimens, containing on the right-hand page a description of each Fern, printed in colours; the opposite page being left blank for the collector to affix the dried specimen, forming when filled an elegant and com- plete collection of this interesting family of plants. London -. RoBBBT HABDWICKE, 192, Piccadilly, W. FEENS. TRUE MAIDEN HAIR. ADIANTUM CAPILLUS VEFERIS. [Linnaeus and all other Writers.] (Fig. 25.) THIS is the only British species of the genus, and is easily recognized by its fan-shaped leaflets, and the little wiry black stalks which support them, so thin and hair-like as to have given rise to its specific name. It grows from nine to fifteen inches high, in circular masses, and is of a light bright green colour and very ornamental in appearance. Its slender creeping rhizome is shaggy, with black hair-like scales, and the base of the stipes is of a rich red-brown colour. The pinnules are very irregular in shape, but mostly wedge-shaped, or tapering at the base, with rounded or egg-shaped apex ; and they have generally some variation of a fan-shaped outline. The veins in all the pinnules are two-branched or forked from the base, and extend in straight lines to the margins, where, in the barren fronds, they end in the marginal notches, but in the fertile fronds extend into the indusium, and 1 2 TRUE MAIDEN HAIR. form receptacles for the spore-cases. The sori are very small, and chiefly seated on the under part of the lobes of the higher pinnules, which thus form a membranous indusium for the development of the clusters of fructi- fication. This beautiful little fern is evidently a wanderer from warmer climates, and is only very locally distri- buted in Great Britain. Cornwall, Devonshire, and the southern parts of Ireland are its chief resorts. It is found only in moist caves, or the fissures of rocks, most frequently near the sea-coast, where the water trickles over its roots, or where it is exposed to the sea spray. It is found in abundance at Ilfracombe, and in many places on the south coast of Devonshire. Mr. Henry Newman, in a letter, describes his dis- covery of this shade-loving beauty, in its retreat in Wales, growing out of a rock encrusted with a soft deposit of carbonate of lime left by a trickling stream and looking very much like cream cheese. The spot is very near the lodge gate of the Dunraven estate. There are three varieties of this fern, so distinct as to be considered as species by some writers. The first is a stronger, coarser, more robust plant than the others, with thicker stalks and larger fronds ; the stipes has also a peculiar purple bloom. The second is the true normal form, our present species, the Adi- a/ntwm Capillus Veneris of Linnaeus. The third is a looser, less compact variety, with the stalks of the pin- nules set on at acute angles, and the pinnules more deeply divided. It is not so common as the other forma Aspidiiun Crishaiiun. HaxdwLGke, Aspiduisn/ ~ 'ix MCLK if. Sep!1 1.1859. TRUE MAIDEN HAIK. S From the earliest times the fronds of this fern have had a reputation as a remedy in pulmonary diseases, on account of the mucilage they contain. John Ray cites the Maiden Hair as a cure for innumerable maladies, •when used in decoction, by pouring boiling water on the fronds. Like other ferns, it is slightly astringent, and imparts a bitter taste to the water, and has also a smooth mucilaginous property, which may account for its supposed virtues. As in the case of many other vaunted remedies, faith and belief in its power doubt- less made up for all its real deficiencies as a curative The Canadian species of Maiden Hair was intro- duced into this country by John Tradescant, and it grows in such profusion in its native district, that it is frequently used as a package for goods. The French chemists use this species extensively in the manufacture of capillaire, a sweet syrup, which is sold very largely both in Paris and London. The True Maiden Hair is employed chiefly in England for this purpose, and is a safer plant than the Canadian one, which acts as an emetic when taken in any quan- tity. Dr. Ball, of Dublin, says that the inhabitants of Arran, where the Maiden Hair grows plentifully, employ it as a substitute for tea. The Maiden Hair is a beautiful fern in cultiva- tion j it grows freely in a green-house, without any artificial heat beyond what is afforded by the protec- tion of glass. It should never be exposed to the direct rajs of the sun. In Wardian cases it is eminently successful, if its natural requirements be B 2 4 TRUE MAIDEN HAIR. attended to, and, under favourable circumstances, no fern can rival it in delicacy and brilliancy of foliage. Dr. Ball pointed out to Mr. Newman a curious pro- perty possessed by this fern when growing in a Ward's case, without communication with the external air. The sori under these conditions will vegetate in situ, and the young plants take root like parasites in the substance of the old one. The soil in which the Maiden Hair is best grown is a mixture of loam, leaf-mould, and silver sand, mixed with small pieces of sandstone or free- stone. It looks very pretty in a hanging basket or cocoa-nut shell, or growing between two large shells of the Pecten kind, filled with soil and moss, and suspended by wire, in the inside of a conservatory or Ward's case. The fronds resist water, or are so smooth that it always runs from them ; so that Pliny says, " In vain you plunge it in water, you cannot wet it." PARSLEY FERN. CURLED ALLOSORUS, OR PARSLEY FERN. ALLOSORUS CRISPUS. \Berrihardi, Babington, Moore, Newman, Bentham^ (Fig. 24.) SYNONYMS. PTERIS CRISPA. — Linnceus, Smith (Rock Brakes). CRYPTOGRAMMA CRISPA. — Brown, Hooker, Arnott. OSMUND A CRISPA. — LinnoBus. THIS elegant little fern might at first sight be mistaken for a tuft of parsley : it is as bright and green as that herb in the early summer. The fronds average about six inches in height, and are of two kinds. The barren fronds have broad, flat, and leaf- like segments, and are two or three times pinnate. The fertile fronds are known by their oblong or linear segments. They are nearly triangular, and the indu- sium is covered by the reflexed edge of the frond. The veins are alternate, often forked, and each branch ending in a cluster, having no indusium, but concealed by the reflexed edge of the leaflet. The stem is slender and very brittle. The duration of this most beautiful little fern is very short ; it does not reach 6 PARSLEY FERN. maturity until June, and becomes disfigured by the first morning frosts of autumn. It is confined exclusively to Europe, and in Great Britain is rather a local than a rare fern. Its favourite place of growth is among rugged masses of stones and broken rocks, which lie at the base or slopes of moun- tains in the north of England, and in Wales. On the rocks of Snowdon it may be seen covering the other- wise bare surface, and growing luxuriantly in the clefts and ledges of the slate and trap masses which there abound. In Scotland it is abundant ; and it is to be found in Ireland, though more sparingly. In cultivation, this charming little fern succeeds well. Nothing can be better adapted by natural habit to the rock-work and masses of dark granite or basaltic rock, on which it should be placed in the fernery. In a closed case it also does well, if protected from the direct heat of the sun, and supplied with fragments of stone, or mortar, or bits of slate. A peaty bog-earth is the best soil for it ; and, as in the case of all other ferns, its natural circumstances should be as much as possible regarded in its artificial treatment. SOFT PRICKLY SHIELD FERN. SOFT PRICKLY SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM ACULEATUM. //~ WILDENOW'S FERN. \Swarte, Smith, Hooker, Bentham, Arnott.] (Fig. l.) SYNONYMS. POLYSTICHUM ACULEATUM. — Babington, Moore, New- mem, Roth, and others. POLYPODIUH. — Linnaeus. THIS species is almost evergreen in a sheltered situation. It is a stout plant, having tufted fronds, rising from a short thick stem or crown from one to two feet high. Their form is lanceolate, twice pinnate ; the texture harsh and rigid ; the upper sur- face dark green and shining ; and the stalk or stipes, below the leafy part, from one to six inches long, very shaggy, with brown scarious scales. The veins are alternately branched, and do not join together, but extend free to the margin. There is nothing remark- able in the fructification, which is generally abundant, beyond the regularity of arrangement in the sori, which lie in lines on each side of the mid- rib of the upper leaflets. The root is large and woody. 8 SOFT PRICKLY SHIELD FERN. The European range of this fern extends to every country excepting Spain, where it has never yet been found. It is very commonly distributed throughout the United Kingdom, and is abundant on hedgerows, and in shady places in England. It seems to delight in cultivated districts, and is seldom found on open heaths or downs. The young fronds make their appearance in April, and attain their full expansion in July, while in August they are loaded with dark masses of fructification. They retain their green colour throughout the year, and the old fronds of one year may be seen contrast- ing with the delicate green of the young ones as they develop. • VARIETIES. ASPIDIUM ACULEATUM LOBATUM chiefly differs in the narrow outline of the frond, which is simply pinnate. The pinnules are more decidedly decurrent. It is also of a more rigid texture ; the pinnae lobed or pinnatifid. The variety ASPIDIUM ACULEATUM ANGULARE is recognized by Moore and some other authors as a distinct species. It is a rather larger, more luxuriant, and less stiff variety; more divided than Aspidium aculeatum. The fronds lax, drooping, and lanceolate, with more distinct segments; the lower pinnae evi- dently stalked. The whole plant has a very vigorous appearance, and retains its green colour even in winter. The stalk SOFT PRICKLY SHIELD FEElf. 9 is covered with a mass of scales of a rust-red colour, which are distinctly observable even in the young plant. Mr. Newman mentions a property as belong- ing to this fern, which, though common to many exotic species, is not found in any other British fern, — that of producing new plants from " bulbilli, which originate from the main or partial rachides at the axillae of the pinnules." This condition of the plant was fully described by Professor Kinahan, in a paper read before the Dublin Natural History Society, in June, 1852. If these bulbilli be taken off the parent pinnules and planted in a good light soil, they will grow with great rapidity, and form strong plants. 10 CRESTED SHIELD CRESTED SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM CRISTATUM. \Swartz, Smith, Hooker.'] (Fig. 7.) SYNONYMS. LASTREA CRISTATA. — Babington, Presl. POLYPODIUM CEISTATUM. UnnCBUS. POLYPODIUM C ALLIPTERIS. — Ehrliart. LOPHODIUM CALLIPTEEIS. — Newman. THIS fern is not very common in England, but is easy to distinguish from other species. The fronds are but few in number, and rise from the crown of each growing branch of the rhizome, which is stout and strong. They attain a height of two or more feet under favourable circumstances, and are peculiarly erect, narrowing towards the upper part. Rather more than a third of the stem is bare of pinnae, and covered with pale brown membranous scales. The sori are in two single rows, between the margin and the centre of the frond, and generally on the upper pinnules. The fronds appear in May, and the fructification is matured about August or Septem- CRESTED SHIELD FERN. 11 ber, soon after which, except in very mild seasons, they perish by frost. This fern is often confounded with Aspidium Fitix Mas, which, however, differs in many important points, as will be seen. This plant is very local in its distribution, being confined to boggy heaths and moors, and occurring but in four counties of England ; viz., Nottinghamshire, Cheshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. The places recorded as producing it, are Bansey Heath, near Lynn, Fritton Dersingham, and Edgefield, in Norfolk ; Oxton Bogs and Bulwell Marshes, in Nottinghamshire ; and Wy- bunbury Bog, in Cheshire. The Suffolk station is doubtful, but Mr. Davy is said to have gathered it on bogs among alder-bushes, at Westleton, in that county. Mr. Mackay gives this fern as a native of Ireland, and Sir W. Hooker as a native of Scotland. It is not uncommon in moist and boggy places in Europe, Asia, and North America. It is not a difficult fern to cultivate, and bears a change of condition better than many plants which are considered more hardy. It succeeds best in a turfy peat soil without any admixture, and bears drought better than would be imagined from its love of damp shady situations. It is better adapted for out-door cultivation than for glass. 12 BROAD PRICKLY-TOOTHED OR CRESTED FERN. BROAD PRICKLY-TOOTHED OR CRESTED FERN. ASPIDI UM DILA TA TUM. (Fig. 10.) SYNONYMS. LASTREA DILATATA. — Presl, Babington. ASPIDIDIUM SPINULOSUM. — Hooker. LOPHODIUM MULTIFLORUM. — Newman. THIS is one of the most common and generally distributed of British ferns, growing in woods and on sheltered hedgebanks everywhere. Unlike Aspidium spinulosum, the rhizome is not all creeping, it rarely branches, but forms a strong, enduring, erect, stem-like base, that not unfrequently rises from six inches to a foot above the soil. The fronds are pinnate; the pinnae nearly opposite; the pairs gradually approxi- mate from the base towards the apex ; the first and second pairs are very broad at the base, the third pair longer and narrower, and so on with the rest until they reach the apex of the frond. According to Babington, this species is distinguished chiefly by having the stipes clothed with long, pointed scales, with a dark centre and diaphanous margin. It is a very variable fern, and can with difficulty be re- _ Liwyaliitunv ^ 11 *-^g f~ >x«X ^^} R.Hai-dw,oke H)^ , .Se^l.1859. J.R Jo MALE SHIELD FERN. 13 cognized as a species even by the experienced botanist. Mr. Newman and others, however, think it convenient to assign a name to every plant which the accustomed eye acknowledges to be distinct, and in conformity with this principle we give Aspidiv/m dilatatum as a species, MALE SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM FILIX MAS. \Swartz, Smith, Hooker, Bentham.] (Fig. 8.) ^ SYNONYMS. LASTREA FILIX MAS. — Presl, Babingtvn. DRYOPTERIS FILIX MAS. — Newman. THIS is a most abundant fern, deriving its name from its robust appearance in contrast with the more delicate though similar Lady Fern, Aspidium Filix Fcemina. The stipites or stalks are densely scaly. The fronds grow in circular clumps about two or three feet in height : they spring in a circular manner from the large scaly rhizome, and, in the early part of the year, as they uncoil themselves from their ring-like condi- tion, have a very beautiful appearance. The upper and lower pinnse are much shorter than those of the middle, which gradually taper off to the point. The 14 MALE SHIELD FERN. fronds are from five to ten in number ; their position nearly erect, or radiating from the centre. The sori are rather large on the upper branch of the forked lateral veins, and covered by a conspicuous kidney- shaped indusium, which is attached to the vein just at the point where the stalks of the capsules are situated. It is one of the best species to study, with a view to understand the fructification of ferns, on account of the prominence of the indusium in fully-developed fronds. It is of a more permanent character than most other British ferns. The Male Fern is found in every country of Europe and Northern Asia, and has been collected in Africa ; but is not recognized as belonging to America. It delights in woody and shady districts, and may be found in almost every country ramble in England. It is most abundant in cultivated districts, and in rich soils it lives to a great age ; the fronds of each suc- ceeding year appearing to increase in size. The medicinal properties of the Male Fern have been held in high repute for many ages ; it is even now retained in our Pharmacopoeias as a vermifuge, and was recommended by Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and Galen. Lately it has been extensively employed as a remedy for tapeworm, and with good effect.* Tragus has a very curious passage on the subject of its curing wounds caused by reeds, and says that the * The attention of modern medical practitioners was probably first directed to it in consequence of its being the ostensible remedy of Madame Norisser, of Switzerland, who sold her secret method of expelling tapeworm to Louis XVI. for 18,000 francs. MALE SHIELD FERN. 16 antipathy of the Male Fern and the Reed is so great, that the one will not grow in company with the other. The same author also recommends a piece of the root of the Male Fern to be laid under the tongue of a horse that may have fallen sick from any unknown cause ; by which means the disease will be expelled, and the horse restored to health. Even the homoeo- pathic Pharmacopoeia recognizes the use of the infusion of Male Fern roots as an agent in medicine. Schkuhr speaks of the ashes of this fern being used in bleaching linen and in the manufacture of glass ; also of an extract obtained from its roots as used for tanning leather. Parkinson also mentions it as form- ing an ingredient in the making of a coarse green glass in France and in England, in his time. In Norway it is employed as fodder for cattle, when dry as litter, and when decayed as manure. It is very amusing to find among old botanical writers, the curioTis and often absurd uses to which they assign various vegetable productions ; and while repudiating many that have been formerly received, and lamenting the ignorance and folly of past times, they themselves were perpetuating and fully believing in even greater absurdities. Thus Gerarde, who warns his readers against too ready a faith in the virtues of the Male Fern, asserts his own implicit belief in the marvellous fable of the production of the barnacle goose from the blossom of the trees, which overhang the water, being converted into sea acorns or barnacles, and then hatching into a white feathery goose. A species of Aspidium growing in Russia and Tartary, and very 16 MALE SHIELD FERN. nearly allied to the Aspidium Filix Mas, is the Scythian or Tartarian lamb, about which so many wonderful tales have been told, that the world has doubted whether or not to credit them. Struys, who travelled through Russia and Tartary in the middle of the seventeenth century, gave one of the earliest and best accounts of this curious plant. He says " it has the shape and appearance of a lamb, with feet, head, and tail dis- tinctly formed : its skin is covered with a white down as soft as silk. The Tartars and Muscovites esteem it highly, and preserve it in their houses with great care. The sailor who gave me one of these precious plants, found it in a wood, and had its skin made into an under waistcoat. I learned at Astrachan that the lamb grows on a stalk about three feet high ; that the part by which it is sustained is a kind of navel, and that it turns itself round and bends down- wards to the herbage, which serves for its food. They also said that it dies and pines away when the grass fails. They added, that the wolves are very fond of these vegetable lambs, and they devour them with avidity, because they resemble in taste the animal whose name they bear ; and that in fact they have bones, flesh, and blood ; and hence they are called zoophytes, i. e. plant-animals. Many other things I was likewise told, which might, however, appear scarcely probable to such as have not seen them." This wonderful tale of Struys's, though of course much exaggerated, is based on truth. The rhizoma of Aspidium Baromez does, when the fronds are removed, somewhat resemble a lamb in appearance, and is MALE SHIELD FERN. 17 covered by a soft downy substance, which may be compared to a fleecy coat. Like the stems of other ferns, the inner parts are soft and pulpy, and have a sort of flesh-colour ; the sap is also of a rich red hue, resembling blood ; so that from these materials the inventions of the wonder-loving peasantry of Tartary formed the fable which met with ready belief from the credulous traveller, who was strongly imbued with the love of the marvellous, so common in the age in which he lived. This fern, however, possesses astrin- gent properties in a somewhat greater degree than other species, and was formerly in repute as a styptic. Fresh plants were often brought to the markets at Macao, but none ever reached this country alive. Aspidium Filix Mas has been often employed in brewing, as a substitute for hops, and has been found to be one of the most successful ingredients in beer when hops are absent. VARIETIES. ASPIDIUM FILIX MAS INCISA is a larger and more striking plant than the normal form, more robust, and sometimes growing to a height of three or four feet. The fronds are directly bipinnate and lanceolate, not contracting abruptly at the apex. The vernation is more distinct and clearly developed. The pinnules are longer, narrower, and more distant j the first upper pinnule is generally much longer than the first inferior. This variety is called by many writers Las- trea erosa, or Aspidium Filix Mas erosa. 0 18 MALE SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM FILIX MAS, PALEACEA (or BORRERI, as it is sometimes called), has lanceolate fronds of a yellowish kind, and bright golden scales on the rachis. It also differs from the other varieties in having purple ribs and veins, and in the sides of the indusium being inflated beneath the spore-cases. A very curious form of the Male Fern has the points of the fronds and of the pinnae divided into a fringe or tassel, — a curious transformation, which occurs in British species only in this and the Lady Fern. ASPIDIUM FILIX MAS PUMILA is permanently smaller than the original plant, seldom reaching more than a foot in height. The pinnae are short, bluntish, and pinnatifid. The sori are borne only on the lowest anterior branch of each pinnule. It is of rare occur- rence, but seems to have been brought originally from Snowdon. When fresh, the young fronds have a sweet fragrant smell, something like mignionette. ASPIDIUM FILIX MAS ABBREVIATA is a permanently small form of the Male Fern, about a foot in height, in which the pinnules become rounded lobes, and the fructification forms a line on each side of the mid-vein of the pinnae. It is found in woods and banks in Cumberland and Yorkshire. Asplenuun'fonlamun R.Harctwcke, 192 Piccadilly, Sepr 1 . 1859. HOLLY OK ROUGH ALPINE SHIELD FERN. 19 HOLLY OR ROUGH ALPINE SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM LONCHITIS. / \Swartz, Smith, Hooker, and Arnott.] (Fig. 3.) SYNONYMS. POLYSTICHUM LONCHITIS. — Roth, Bobington, Moore, Newman. POLYPODIUM. — Linnaeus. THIS is a rigid and prickly-looking plant, whence comes its English name. The fronds grow in a tuft from the extremity of a very slowly-lengthening rhizome. The size of the fronds is very variable, from a few inches to a foot and a half in height ; they are generally of a rigid texture, but this depends greatly on situation ; sometimes they are thinner and spread- ing, or even almost pendulous. The colour is of a deep glossy green in the Irish and Scotch specimens, while in the English and Welsh it is duller ; and the whole plant is not so prickly and holly-like as in the Irish and Scotch planta The margin of the fronds is set with spinous teeth. The sori are circular, disposed in long series on each side of the mid-rib, and often become confluent in maturity. c 2 20 MOUNTAIN SHIELD FERN. This rare fern seems to have been very familiar to older botanists and herbalists, and is frequently men- tioned by Ray, Gerarde, and others. It is exceedingly difficult of culture, and even when established, is often disappointing to the cultivator; for it is only seen in perfection on its native rocks, in the open air in Ire- land, Scotland, or Wales. In the south of England it seldom thrives, and, on this account, is best left out ot a growing collection of ferns. MOUNTAIN SHIELD FERN. ASP I DI UN OREOPTERIS. [Swartz, Smith, Hooker.] (Fig. 5.) SYNONYMS. LASTREA OREOPTERIS. — Presl, Balnngton (Sweet Moun- tain Fern). LASTREA MONTANA. — Newman. POLYPODIUM FRAGRANS. — Linnceus. THIS is a difficult fern to distinguish from Aspi- dium Filix Mas, especially when fully grown. Its fronds are lance-shaped. The pinnules dwindle at the base to a mere leafy excrescence close to the ground. The sori are placed like beads under the edges of the lobes, which do not turn back as in MOUNTAIN SHIELD FEKN. 21 the Marsh Fern (Aspidium Tlwlypteris). Over every portion of the under surface lie numerous small, round, shining, bright-yellow glands, which give the young fronds a golden tinge, and when rubbed or bruised emit a pleasant resinous odour. The fronds make their appearance about the beginning of May, and before they unfold look like little silver balls amidst the grass. They attain a height of two or three feet, and sometimes even of five feet, accord- ing to situation. It delights in exposed and heathy places, and dry pastures, and is found more or less throughout Europe in open districts. It grows on Hampstead Heath, Wimbledon Common, and Black- heath ; also at Tunbridge Wells, and is abundant in Scotland. A special characteristic of this fern is men- tioned by Mr. Newman, which is worthy of observa- tion. He says : " Immediately the fronds begin to unroll, they exhibit the pinnae placed at right angles with the main stem, and are not convolute, as in the allied ferns." Many persons complain of great difficulty in rearing or establishing Aspidiutn Oreopteris, which after a time fades and dies, and it is almost impossible to cul- tivate it with other ferns in a closed case, as it re- quires so much more moisture than most others. The best plan to secure its continuance is to transplant it with some of its native earth into a pot with pure loam, and to keep the soil wetted during the winter, either by a constant flow of water from a siphon, or by a saucer full ot water, in which it may stand. The first plan appears the best, and might be 22 KIGID SHIELD FERN. adapted to a green-house or rock-work, in which the fern might be planted. Each plant seems to adapt itself to the circumstances by which it is surrounded in its earliest state ; and in transplanting wild ferns it is well to observe these closely, and adapt the arti- ficial treatment as much as possible to them, not fol- lowing exactly any one rule for the treatment of any one species. There is no difficulty in obtaining young shoots of this fern, as the seedlings are always most abundant. RIGID SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM RIGID UM. [Swariz, /Smith, Hooker.] (Fig. 6.) SYNONYMS. LASTREA RIGIDA. — Presl, Babinyton. LOPHODIUM JRIGIDUM. — N&wman. THIS species may be known from those to which it is allied by several characteristics. The fronds are comparatively small, generally broadest at the base, always covered with minute glands, bipinnate; the segments two to five-lobed, not spinulose ; the stem always covered with long pointed scales, and, like the Mountain Fern, it has a peculiar fragrance when RIGID SHIELD FERN. 23 bruised. The veining is similar to that of the large variety of Aspidium Filix Mas. The fructification is borne on the lowest anterior branch of each venule. The indusium is conspicuous and persistent. This seems to be a very local species, being almost exclusively confined to the mountainous districts of the north of England. It was first discovered as a British fern by the Rev. Mr. Bree, at Ingleborough, and has since been found abundantly in the limestone districts of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It grows with vigour in common garden soil, re- quiring no shade, but enjoying moisture. Its culture is similar to that of the other large-growing kinds, the only important points being to secure moisture and good drainage. The introduction of limestone in its bed is suggested by its natural habitat ; but this does not seem to be essential to success. It is not one of the most attractive of the ferns, but is valuable in group- ing, as forming a contrast with the more ornamental species. The rhizome should not be buried, but the crown left above the surface. BROAD SHIELD FERN. BROAD SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM SPINULOSUM. [Smith, Hooker, Eentham,.] (Fig. 15.) SYNONYMS. LASTREA DILATATA. — LASTREA SPINULOSA. — Presl, Babington, Moore. LASTREA SPINOSA. — Newman. LASTREA F(ENISECII. — Watson. LOPHODIUM ULIGINOSUM. — Newman. ASPIDIUM DILATATUM. — Smith. ASPIDIUM EECURVUM. — Bree. THIS is the most variable of all our Shield Ferns, and is difficult to distinguish from others, of which, indeed, it is regarded as a variety by many botanists, and we find it described under various names in different books. It is nearly allied to the Male Shield Fern, but is not so tall, of a paler green, and very much broader; the general outline is nearly ovate, from one to two feet long, or rarely more ; the lowest pair of pinnae not much shorter, and sometimes longer than the others. The fronds are bipinnate ; the segments of the pinnse deeply toothed, pinnatifid, or thrice pinnate. Its chief characteristics are the BROAD SHIELD FERN. 25 lower pinnae not decreasing in size, and the sori, which are circular, being covered by a kidney -shaped indusium, having the margin entire. The plant in the Royal Gardens, Kew, under the name of Lastrea uliginosa, corresponds with this species. It is one of the most common and generally-dis- tributed of our British ferns, growing in woods and on sheltered banks throughout the kingdom. It is common on the continent of Europe and Russian Asia ; and is to be found in Epping Forest, near London, in Cheshire, Norfolk, and Nottingham- shire. This fern is by no means difficult to cultivate. It will bear exposure, if well supplied with water ; but to obtain it in its beauty it must be screened from the direct heat of the sun. When potted, it requires nothing but peat, and should be kept constantly standing in water. It is often mistaken for Aspidium dilatatum, especially when dried ; as, indeed, in this state all plants are more difficult to recognize than when freshly gathered. Useful as is the herbarium in preserving the outlines of each plant, its style, tints, character, and texture, must of course be lost in the sameness of one now uniform body. It is " And yet it is not, no more than the shadow Upon the hard, cold, flat, and polished mirror, Is the warm, graceful, rounded, living substance Which it presents in form and lineament." SIB WALTER SCOTT. ASPIDIUM SPINULOSUM RECURVUM is a variety figured in our plate (Fig. 16) ; it differs from the original 26 MAKSH FERN. fern only in the pinnules being somewhat smaller and narrower, and a trifle curved forward in their margins, so as to present a prickly-looking surface, like that of holly. MARSH FERN. ASPIDIUM THELYPTERIS. [Swartz, /Smith, Hooker, Hentkam.] (Fig. 2.) SYNONYMS. LASTKEA THELYPTERIS. — Babington, Presl, Moore. HEMESTHEUM THELYPTERIS. — Newman. THIS fern has been described by botanists under the generic names of Polypodium, Acrosticum, Las- trea, and Polystichum, but has always retained its specific name, Thelypteris. It has a short creeping root-stock, with single (not tufted) erect fronds, which are bipinnate and without glands. The fronds are of two kinds, barren and fertile ; the former appear in May, the latter in July. The pinnules of the young frond stand out at right angles with the stem. The fertile fronds are much taller than the barren ones, sometimes attaining a height of three feet. The indusium covering the spore-cases is thin, and soon thrown off and lost. This fern delights in marshy, boggy lands, and is MARSH FERN. 27 found amongst sundews, heather, and asphodels : its distribution is very general. Where the soil is light and moist, so that the rhizome may extend itself with freedom, it is most abundant. It has disappeared from many districts where it once grew, on the intro- duction of drainage ; this peculiarity will suggest the necessity for preventing the escape of moisture from its roots in cultivation. In this country its distri- bution may be considered somewhat local, but it is to be found in most English counties, though rarely in Ireland and Scotland. In Wales it is not unfrequent, and near London it grows on Wimbledon Common and in Epping Forest. A botanical collector and enthusiast, writing from a spot in Warwickshire, where this fern formerly abounded, regrets its absence, and attributes it rather to the rapacity of other col- lectors than to the introduction of drainage and cul- tivation. It should be borne in mind in gathering specimens for the herbarium, or in taking roots for cul- tivation under other circumstances, that in no place will the plant thrive so well as in its native soil, and that to remove the whole of a rare plant is perhaps to exterminate it for ever. Notwithstanding the diffi- culties we may expect to find in growing this fern artificially, Mr. Sowerby assures us that he has grown specimens for many years in common garden loam, the roots covered with black peat to prevent evaporation, and having no more than the usual watering given to its neighbours. 28 THE BLACK SPLEENWORT. THE BLACK SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM ADIANTUM N1GRUM. [Linnceus.] (Fig. 11.) THIS fern grows from six inches to a foot in height. The fronds are triangular or broadly lan- ceolate, the dark shining purple or black stalk being often as long as the leafy part. They are of a thick firm texture, with numerous veins, and ot a dark green colour. They are bipinnate, or sometimes tripinnate, the pinnae gradually decreasing and less divided towards the point of the frond. The sori are at first distinct, placed near the mid-rib ; but as the plant becomes older, they are generally confluent in a mass, often covering the whole under-surface of the pinnule. It is one of the latest of our ferns in un- folding its fronds, which are not often open until the middle of June. It is a conspicuous ornament of the situations where it occurs ; chiefly on old walls, or hanging in graceful sprays over rocks, or on the hedgebank of the dry but shady lane. The fronds grow erect or stooping, according to the position of the plant; they have generally a triangular outline. They are not crisp, like the fronds of most of our ferns, but have a Wo o ds tau fihx R.Hardwicke,l92Piccadillv, oppz- 1.1859. THE BLACK SPLEENWORT. 29 leathery sort of texture, and are much veined. It is found only very sparingly in Ireland. This fern does not thrive well in the closed case, but does best on rock-work in the open air, in a shady situation. When this fern assumes a much more blunt form, it constitutes the variety called by botanists Aspidium Adiantum nigrum obtusum ; while sometimes it ac- quires a tapering slender shape, and is then called Aspidium Adiantum nigrum acutum ; both these forms are rare in this country — on the Continent they are well known, and are considered so permanent as to be ranked as species. 30 LADY FERN. LADY FERN. ASPLENIUM FILIX FCEMINA. \Bentham, JBernhardi, Hooker, and ArnoU.] (Fig. 23.) SYNONYMS. ATHYRIUM FILIX FCEMINA. — Bdbington, Moore, Newman. ASPIDIUM FILIX FCEMINA. — Swartz, Smith. POLYPODIUM FILIX FCEMINA. — THIS is the most lovely of our British ferns, and by its delicate cutting, its bright green colour, and exquisite grace of form, has gained special admira- tion from those who find it in its native haunts. Its habit is tufted ; it has the short woody root-stalk of the Male Fern, but is more divided ; the stalk is less ecaly, and the sori different. The fronds, which appear in May, are lanceolate, twice pinnate ; the pinnules deeply cut or pinnatifid ; the lobes sharply toothed. At first the vernation of the fronds is circinate, but as they advance, the apex becomes free and hangs down, as in Aspidium Filix Mas, assuming the appearance of a shepherd's crook. The fronds are exceedingly fragile, and wither almost immediately on being gathered. The sori are very abundant, covering the back of the LADY FERN. 31 pinnule ; they are shortly oblong, diverging from the centre of the segments, with the indusium attached along one side, as in other spleenworts, but showing an approach, by the kidney shape of some of them, to the Shield Ferns. The varieties of this fern are very numerous, many only dependent on situation and circumstances, but some decidedly persistent. Professor Lindley enume- rates seven permanent monstrous forms. The fructification of the Lady Fern is so abundant that Sir J. E. Smith has remarked : " If a single plant were uninterrupted in its possible increase for twenty years, it would cover an extent equal to the surface of the whole globe." The Lady Fern is distributed more or less all over the British isles, its favourite resort being moist warm woods; but it does not shrink from the exposure of open moors and naked hill-sides. In Ireland it takes the position of our common brake, and, like that, is employed as a packing material for fish and fruit. It is found in Scotland, and is alluded to by Sir Walter Scott in " Waverley," who expresses its love for moist, shady woodlands thus : — " Where the copse-wood is the greenest, Where the fountain glistens eheenest, Where the morning dew lies longest, There the Lady Fern grows strongest." It occurs in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, though the specimens sent from America differ in many respects from the true Lady Fern. No collection, either in the open air or in a case, is 32 LADY FERN. complete without the beautiful Lady Fern. It hears civilization admirably. In rock-work it should occupy a low, boggy situation, as it loves shade and moisture, planted among turfy soil, kept well mois- tened and drained. Placed at the edge of a cavern or pool of water, no object can be more lovely, and nothing will grow so freely. A modern writer says — " Supreme in her beauty, beside the full urn, In the shade of the rock stands the tall Lady Fern." VARIETIES. Among the varieties of the Lady Fern we would mention as most persistent : — ASPLENIUM FILIX FCEMINA LATiFOLiUM, known by its more hardy appearance — broader pinnules, which are set more closely together, lobed and deeply cut at the edges, almost to the mid-rib. ASPLENIUM FILIX FCEMINA CONVEXUM is also very distinct ; it has more slender fronds than any form of the Lady Fern, and its pinnae and pinnules are smaller. ASPLENIUM FILIX FCEMINA MOLLE has a short stalk, with broad and short scales. The frond rarely exceeds a foot in height, and is erect and of a bright green colour. Its outline is egg-shaped and lanceolate. SMOOTH BOCK SPLEENWORT. 33 SMOOTH ROCK SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM FONTANUM. [Bernhardi, Smith, Hooker and Arnott, cmd R. Broum.] (Fig. 17.) SYNONYMS. ASPIDIUM FONTANUM. — Swartz. ATHYRITJM FONTANUM. — Presl and Babington. POLYPODIUM FONTANUM. LinnCBUS. THIS is one of our rarest British ferns ; indeed, some botanists regard it as an alien. It is a small tufted- growing species, seldom seen more than three or four inches in height. The small fronds are evergreen, and mostly grow upright ; the upper surface is deep green, the under part of a lighter shade. It greatly resembles Asplenium lanceolatum, but is distinguished by its winged rachis. The sori are two to four on each seg- ment, oblong and distinct when young, but when old united into an irregular mass, covering the upper part of the segment. This fern may be considered a rarity in England, but is sometimes met with on old walls and rocks. It was described by Hudson as growing near Wybourn, in Westmoreland. It formerly grew on the walls of D 34 SMOOTH ROCK SPLEENWORT. Amersham Church, in Buckinghamshire. It has been found at Matlock, in Derbyshire, and on a very old wall at Tooting. Specimens exist in the collection of the Botanical Society of London, said to have been gathered in Wharncliffe Wood, in Yorkshire. Through- out the continent of Europe, chiefly near the sea, in Madeira, and northward to the English Channel, this fern is found. It is recorded by Pallas as being a native of the Ural Mountains, in Siberia. In the open air this pretty little fern is not very successful, and is exceedingly liable to die off in the winter, unless great care with regard to shade, shelter, and moisture, be taken ; but under glass, in a Ward's case, or in a greenhouse, there is no difficulty in rear- ing it. In a small collection it is particularly desir- able, from its small size and evergreen habit. Sandy peat, well drained, suits it best ; and it is well to raise the caudex a little above the level of the soil, by means of pieces of soft sandstone. Ji V £>* •t % Veneris. 26 Ulechmurv S R.HardwiGke.192 Hcwadilty, Hep1" 3 . J859. ALTERNATE-LEAVED SPLEENWORT. 35 ALTERNATE-LEAVED SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM GERMANICUM. [Weiss, Babington, Moore, and JBentham.] (Fig. 35.) SYNONYMS. ASPLENIUM ALTERNIFOLIUM. — Wulfen, Smith, Hooker, and Arnott. AMESIUM GERMANICUM. — Newman, THIS is very like the last species, and is perhaps only a variety, but the segments are much narrower. It grows in little tufts. The whole frond is narrow usually — simply pinnate — with the lower segments three -lobed, or very rarely bearing three distinct segments. The pinnae have two or three distinct lines of sori crowded on their under surface, which ultimately meet in the centre. The indusium is entire at the edge, not jagged, as in the Wall Rue. This is, perhaps, the rarest of our British ferns. It has very seldom been found in England, Wales, or Ireland, and rarely in Scotland. Mr. Newman men- tions three localities there where it has been gathered ; viz. — near Dunfermline, Dunkeld, and on rocks on the Tweed, two miles from Kelso. In other parts of Europe it is occasionally seen, but grows very sparingly. D 2 36 LANCEOLATE SPLEEN WORT. The scarcity of this fern prevents our saying much as to its artificial growth in the open air. It is much prized in Germany and the south of France, and is frequently brought here from thence as a foreign plant. We have seen it growing luxu- riantly in a glass case, in the smoky atmosphere of London ; but it is seldom that it succeeds so well in artificial circumstances. In attempting its cultivation, however, care must be taken that moisture should not accumulate on the fronds, or stagnate about the roots ; it must be kept as dry as possible without causing positive drought. LANCEOLATE SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM LANCEOLATUM. [Smith, Moore, JBabington, and Neumum.] (Fig. 9.) THIS is a low tufted fern, with twice-pinnate lan- ceolate fronds, which are usually three to six inches high, the longest pinnse rather below the middle of the frond. They are ovate, deeply and sharply t oothed or lobed. The sori are two to four on each segment, distinct and oblong when young, but when old united into an irregular mass, and covering the upper part of the segment. It is not in perfection until September or October, and remains green through the winter. LANCEOLATE SPLEENWORT. 3? This plant was well known to John Ray and the older botanists ; it is one of the few species that have escaped all confusion in nomenclature. It is a very local fern, and though not confined to the seacoast, must be considered chiefly a maritime species ; for, with the exception of Tunbridge Wells and Snowdon, it does not appear to have been found far from the sea. In the south of England, near the coast, it is seen springing out of almost every wall. Among the damp rocks of Lizard Point, in Cornwall, it attains great luxuriance. In the Channel Islands, Jersey especially, it is very abundant. Like other maritime species of ferns, it is not adapted for out - door cultivation, especially near London. In a hothouse, under a frame, or in a Ward's case, it does well, if properly managed. Pro- bably there may be a little difficulty in a closed case, from its objection to continual moisture without evaporation ; but this can be obviated by securing good drainage, and by occasionally admitting the air into the case. Mr. Newman gives directions for the cultivation of this fern in a greenhouse, which, if properly attended to, would, we doubt not, secure success. He says : — " Fill the flower-pot to the depth of four inches with small pieces of charcoal, in pieces not larger than a hazel-nut, clean silver-sand, fibrous peat chopped into bits, and light friable loam sifted fine, so as to get rid of pebbles ; these ingredients, after being mixed well together, should be passed through a coarse sieve. Hold the fern in the middle of the pot, with the roots SEA SPLEEN WORT. spread as widely and loosely as possible, and with an iron spoon fill in the mixture, carefully and equally, shaking it down until the pot is full. Stand the pot in a feeder, constantly full of water, but supply no water on the fronds or the surface soil." SEA SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM MAEINUM. \Linruxua, Smith, Newman, Bentham, and Babington.] (Fig. 12.) THIS is a very handsome evergreen fern, and, like the former, is a maritime species. It has pinnate tufted fronds from six inches to a foot in height. It is narrow, lanceolate in outline ; the pinnse are stalked and serrated, connected at the base by a nar- row wing extending along the rachis. The pinnse are unequal at the base, the upper side or edge being much developed, while the lower portion looks as if a piece had been cut off. The sori are borne on the mid-rib ; they are linear and large. It is abundant on all our coasts excepting the eastern side of England. In the south-west of England and in Wales it is most profuse : it abounds about Ilfracombe and Lee. It grows out from the sides of caves near the sea-rocks or cliffs. It is found SEA SPLEEN WORT. 39 at Hastings, and as far north as Scarborough, in York- shire. In every county in Ireland which borders the sea it is abundant. The visitor to the lakes of Kil- larney cannot fail to observe this beautiful fern in its luxuriance on the almost inaccessible rocks which abound there, where, from its situation, it is tolerably safe from the rapacious hands of the fern-collector. In the Channel Islands it is luxuriant. Its European range seems limited to the coasts of France and Spain. It is plentiful in Madeira and Teneriffe. Although so common a fern on our sheltered sea- coasts, it is very difficult to deal with artificially, and seldom succeeds in the open air — never in the neigh- bourhood of London. In a Ward's ease, however, with the Lanceolate Spleenwort and Maiden Hair, it does exceedingly well in a warm room. They all enjoy warmth, and being all evergreens of moderate size, are well adapted for such a position. It may here be remarked, that for the successful cultivation of all small evergreen ferns of this kind great care must be had to the drainage. Turfy peat and silver-sand, mixed with friable loam, and pieces of porous sand- stone or brick added to fibrous loam, is the composi- tion which suits them best. They should never be kept wet, but moderately moistened, and the roots tolerably dry. This fern is most difficult to dry for the herbarium, on account of the quantity of salt con- tained in its fronds. It is best to dry it separately, if possible, in order to prevent mischief to other specimens. 40 WALL RUE. WALL RUE. ASPLENIUM RUT A HUE ART A. [Linnceus, and generally adopted.] (Fig. 30.) SYNONYMS. AMESIUM RUTA MURAEIA. — (Some Authors.") THIS little fern, if once seen, will be easily recognized. It has densely-tufted, thick, dark green fronds, about two or three inches long. The stalk is more or less pinnately divided. The pinnae are alternate, having pinnules variable in form, some- times long-stalked, wedge-shaped, toothed, or con- tracting into a roundish point above. The sori are linear, becoming united into broad patches when old. The whole form of the plant resembles the Garden Rue. It occurs abundantly in old walls and rocks through- out England and Ireland. It seems to prefer the arti- ficial position of a wall rather than that of a rock or bank. It is found, however, on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, and about the Peak in Derbyshire. It is not very abundant in Scotland. More or less it is met with in every country in the world, and is one of those plants which seems to have deserted its WALL RUE. 41 native wilds, and to have taken up its residence near the habitations of men. It may almost be called the Churchyard Fern, being so commonly found on old churches and churchyard walls. In a charming little book on the ferns of Devonshire it is mentioned espe- cially as growing inside the tower of Morwinstowe Church, and round about the sad memorials of the drowned and shipwrecked sailors who lie buried there in close proximity to the devouring element which engulfed them. It is not a melancholy fern, and its bright tiny fronds, springing from their resting-places, serve to remind one of the new life which is to come, and of the " haven of rest, where no storms shall blow." We need walk no further from London than Green- wich Park to see it flourishing abundantly on the brick walls surrounding a part of the park ; and those who are wishing to meet with it may find it most likely on the first garden- wall they pass by. Those who desire to domesticate this fern will find it difficult to remove from its native haunts, as its wiry roots seem to intersect the bricks or pieces of rock on which it grows. It should only be removed with a portion of the wall on which it has fixed itself, and then surrounded with brick rubbish, mortar, and sandy peat. In this way it will often thrive well if sheltered from the sun and cold winds. Mr. Newman says : — " It seems to disapprove of the attentions of the gardener, to loathe his waterings and his syringings, to despise his composts, and utterly to eschew the confinement of a bell-glass." 42 FORKED SPLEEJJWOBT. FORKED SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM SEPTENTRIONALE. [Babington, Hooker, Moore, and Bentham.} (Fig. 19.) SYNONYMS. A CROSTICHTJM SEPTENTEIONALE. — LinnceUS. AMESIUM SEPTENTEIONALE. — Some Botanists. THIS species, again is, like the Wall Rue, and has similar tufted fronds, but the whole frond is a grass- like spike, forked towards the top, and divided into two or three thickish sharp-pointed segments, about half an inch long, containing on the back two or more sepai'ate lines of sori, which eventually occupy the whole space. The fronds make their appearance in March or April, gain maturity in August, and remain green throughout the winter. There is scarcely any danger of confusing this fern with any other, although its similarity to the Bucksliorn Plantain might mislead a very casual observer. It is decidedly a rare British fern. It grows only in the interstices and fissures of rocks and stone walls. It is found at Llanroost, near Con way, in Wales ; in Cumberland, Yorkshire, and some other northern coun- ties of England ; and in only two localities in Scotland. COMMON WALL SPLEENWORT. 43 Mr. Ward found it plentifully in Somersetshire, and Mr. Newman says Poten, a well-known collector of ferns, brought hundreds of roots from the parish of Culbone, in that county. When cultivated, it requires the shelter of a close frame or bell-glass. The same treatment may be pursued as with Asplenium Ruta muraria, bearing in mind that no superfluous moisture must be allowed. Mr. Wollaston says that it not only requires very careful potting, but great care and attention after- wards. The best soil is sandy peat, with some old mortar mixed with it. COMMON WALL SPLEENWORT, OR MAIDEN HAIR SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM TRICHOMANES. [Linnaeus, Smith, Newman, Moore, and Sabington.] (Fig. 32.) No SYNONYMS — being recognized by allBot anists under this name. IT is a pretty little tufted fern, generally from two to six inches high. It has a slender hair-like black stalk, and regularly disposed-of ovate pinnae forming the fronds. They are of a deep green colour, slightly crenated at the margin. The pinna3 are attached to the rachis by a very short stalk, forming 44: COMMON WALL SPLEEN WORT. the attenuation of a wedge-shaped base. When old, the pinnae fall off, leaving the black glossy hair-like stalks naked, mingling with the green fronds. Both this pretty little fern and its variety Asple- nium viride are abundant on shaded rocks, in old walls and buildings throughout Great Britain, Europe, Central and Russian Asia (except the extreme north), in North and South America, and in Australia. In the west of England, and especially in Wales, it is a common fern. In the valley of the Wye it grows in profusion, covering whole masses of ground, and pre- senting a lovely appearance. In Germany there is a legend attached to a well near which this fern grows most luxuriantly. A lady keeping tryst with her lover, he was suddenly, by some evil spell, changed into a wolf. In her terror, she fled before him, and in her haste fell over a precipice, her beautiful hair becoming entangled in the bushes. Immediately, on the spot, a clear spring welled up, and her hair took root and grew into the lovely fern now called "Maiden's Hair Spleenwort." The well is called Wolf's Spring ; and after hearing the legend the traveller is expected to take with him as a relic a bunch of " Maiden's Hair." A tea or syrup made of the fronds has long been recommended as a remedy in pulmonary affections. The Common Spleenwort is easily cultivated, and is one of the prettiest of our smaller ferns. It is well adapted for rock-work or for insertion in the crevices of walls or buildings, where the mortar and brick- work insures perfect drainage, while it absorbs mois- HARD FERN. 45 ture. In Ward's cases, where its size is suitable, it should have the upper and dry portions of rock-work. From the experiments of M. Wollaston it was found that a soil of sandy loam is best adapted for its suc- cess, as it requires less moisture than most other ferns ; in fact, the crown or centre of growth should never be wetted. A variety of this fern, believed by many botanists to be a distinct species, Asplenium Trichomanes viride (the Green Spleenwort), is known by its stem being green instead of black or dark-brown at the base only. HARD FERN. BLECHNUM SPICANT. ]/ \Bentham, Roth, Whithering, and J/oore.] (Fig. 26.) SYNONYMS. BLECHNUM BOREALE. — Swartz, Smith, Babington, and Hooker. LOMARIA SPICANT. — Desveux. OSMUNDA SPICANT. — Linnaeus. THIS hardy fern has simply pinnate fronds, tufted, of two kinds — fertile and barren. The fertile fronds are in the centre of the tuft, erect, from a foot to a foot and a half high, with narrow acute segments. 46 BAUD FERN. The lower half of the stem is dark purple, smooth, shining, and naked ; the under surface of the pinnae densely and completely covered with seed. The barren fronds are deeply pinnatifid, from one and a half to two-thirds as high as the fertile fronds ; they assume a spreading or horizontal position, and are attached to the caudex by a very short scaly stipet. The fertile fronds arrive at perfection in September, and shed their seed and disappear before winter ; but the fertile ones remain green throughout the year. It is by no means a rare fern, and delights in moist boggy land. It is also found on stony heaths and woods throughout England ; indeed, scarcely any lover of wild flowers can fail to have observed it in the hedges among the ferns and grasses of summer. By old writers the plant was called Rough Spleenwort ; and old Gerarde, of whom we have before spoken, mentions an " old wife's fable," about the efficacy of this plant, when boiled, in curing diseases of the liver, and "hardness and swelling of the spleen." It is almost in vain to look for this fern on a chalk soil, as it is rarely met with there. Mr. Newman does not recollect having seen a specimen from the chalk hills of Kent, Sussex, or Surrey. In rock- work, or in any out-door collection of ferns, this Blechnum does well, and requires no special atten- tion beyond a sufficient supply of moisture. In trans- planting, it is well to bring away a good portion of its native soil around the roots. In cases it does not flourish so well, as it seems to require open air to thrive. MOONWORT. 47 MOONWORT. BOTRYCHIUM LUNARIA. [Swartz, Hooker and Arnott, Babington, Moore, and Newman.] (Fig. 28.) SYNONYMS. OSMUNDA LUNARIA. — Linnmus. THE frond of this curious little fern rises early in the spring, and in its early stage would scarcely sug- gest the idea of a fern. An upright simple stem is the first appearance presented, which is, in fact, a bud inclosing the frond, or rather the two fronds, a fertile and a barren one, clasping each other. The stem is separated into two branches, one of which is spread- ing, leafy, and lance-shaped. The pinnae are obliquely fan-shaped or lunate segments, of a thick consistence, and entire or crenate. The fruitful branch of the stem is pinnate ; the pinnae generally corresponding in number to those of the leafy branch on which dis- tinct globular capsules are borne, which, when mature, open and allow the seeds to escape. Occasionally, but very rarely, two fertile branches are produced, and there is a variety in which the pinnae are pinnatifid. On dry open moors, among harebells and heather, 48 MOONWORT. this fern is not uncommon throughout the United Kingdom, but from its diminutive size it often escapes observation. In England it is chiefly found in the counties of Staffordshire, Surrey, and Yorkshire, and also in the Isle of Wight. The curious crescent-shaped pinnae of this fern, from which it derives its name Moonwort, doubtless induced the older botanists and alchemists to believe in its wondrous potency. From what we can gather about these ancient superstitions, the plants were to be gathered by the light of the full moon, or all their powers were lost. It was supposed that this plant possessed the power of opening locks, loosening fetters, bars, and the shoes from off horses' feet. Withers says, writing in 1622 : — "There is an herb, some say, whose virtue's such, It in the pasture, only with a touch, Unshoes the new-shod steed." There is a tale told, that the Earl of Essex and his followers being drawn up in a body upon White Down, in Devonshire, near Tiverton, the shoes of their horses fell off, and it was discovered that Moonwort was growing on the heath. To us this story seems very like that told of Tenterden Steeple and the Godwin Sands. Our old friend Gerarde makes mention of the use of this fern by alchemists, and as a remedy for "green and fresh wounds." A large and succulent species of Moonwort is boiled and eaten in the southern states of America. Of all ferns this is one of the most easy to cultivate, SCALY SPLEEXWORT. 49 never refusing to grow freely if properly treated. It requires a good depth of soil in the fernery, and must not be kept too damp. Mr. Newman regards the plant as an underground parasite. The best plan to secure success is to transplant the roots with a portion. of the soil in which they are growing, or to remove the sod for some distance round the plant, so as not to disturb it. SCALY SPLEENWORT, OR CETERACH. CETERA Off OFFICINAR UM. V \Willdenow, Bentham, Hooker and Arnott, Babington, and Moorel\ (Fig. 37.) SYNONYMS. SCOIOPENDRIUM CETERACH. Smith. GRAMINITIS CETERACH. — Swartz and Hooker. ASPLEKIUM CETJERACH. — Linnasus. THIS is a downy evergreen pretty-looking fern, growing in tufts. The fronds are thick and fleshy, green, and glabrous on the upper side, but underneath thickly covered with brown scales, which completely conceal the sori. The green of the upper surface con- trasts prettily with the rust-coloured brown edge formed round the margin by the scales underneath. B 50 SCALY SPLEENWORT. The outline is long and narrow, very deeply divided into rounded lobes standing in an oblique position towards the mid-rib. The short tough roots of this fern insinuate them- selves into the crevices of old walls and ruins, in rocky places, and especially in limestone districts in England and Ireland. It is rare in Scotland, but is found in middle and southern Europe and in Africa. On the old walls of -churches and ruins this pretty fern seems to be quite at home, and is often found in company with the Wall Rue. It is to be seen on the walls of Jerusalem. Its medicinal properties were at one time thought to be of great value, but it has fallen into disuse with the progress of knowledge, and the discovery that all these supposed peculiarities, existing iu various herbs and plants, depend on some astringent or other principle which is better supplied to the system in a more concentrated form from some other source. The common name Spleenwort takes it origin in a curious story, — that in Cerito there is a river which divides two portions of land, the Ceterach growing abundantly on one side of the stream and not on the other. On the side where this fern grows, the pigs are said to have no spleen, but on the other side no such deficiency is recorded. Hence the name Spleen- wort, or Asplenon. To this day, Arabian and other eastern writers believe in the virtues of this fern in diseases of the spleen and liver. To cultivate this fern with any success, its natural habit must be attended to as much as possible. It OsmunAou Regalis Asplauurrif Rutcu Muraria/. R.Hardwicke,192 Bccadilly, Sepf 1.1859. BRITTLE BLADDER FERN. 51 does best in the interstices of a wall, where the mortar has begun, to crumble. In. pot culture the soil should be prepared with great care : old crumbled mortar, peat earth, and limestone or oolite, should be well mixed together, and placed in shade. It is generally supposed that it is impossible to grow this fern in the atmosphere of London ; yet Mr. Sowerby tells us that the best specimen he ever had flourished in the old wet mortar of a wall in Hatton Garden, where not a ray of sunlight ever reached it, and where the atmosphere was as full of London smoke as it is anywhere. BRITTLE BLADDER FERN. CTSTOPTERIS FEAGILIS. \Bernkardi, Hooker and Arnott, jBabington, Moore, and Newman] (Fig. 21.) SYNONYMS. CYSTEA FKAGILIS. — Smith. CYATHEA FRAGILIS. — Some authors. POLYPODIUM. — Linnaeus. THE whole of this genus consists of small fragile but beautiful and interesting ferns. They are all more delicate in texture than most of our native ferns. The present species has fronds from five to six E 2 52 BRITTLE BLADDER FERN. inches high, growing in tufts. They are lanceolate and twice pinnate. The stalk is erect, slender, dark- coloured, and almost without scales. The veining in the fronds is very evident, owing to their delicate and almost transparent texture. The mid-vein of the pinnules is somewhat winding, with a venule simple or divided, branching off to each lobe, one branch extending to the point of each marginal tooth. Almost each vein bears at its termination a cluster of capsules of a roundish form, which contain the seeds : these increase very rapidly, and at last become con- fluent. This beautiful little fern is distributed widely over the United Kingdom, and prefers moist and moun- tainous districts, in the fissures of rocks, or the inter- stices of stone walls. It is rare in Ireland. It is found all over the world in favourable situations, ex- tending even to the Arctic regions. The varieties are easily distinguished. They are : — CYSTOPTERIS FRAGILIS DENTATA, which is smaller than the original fern, and always blunter in form. The veining is similar, but the fructification is at the margin and not near the middle of the secondary vein. One great distinction from the Brittle Bladder Fern is that the clusters of sori as they ripen form a brown ridge on the under surface of the pinnules. It is found in the North of England chiefly. CYSTOPTERIS DICKIEAKA is a variety of fragilis having a very compact frond. It may be dis- tinguished by its deflexed over-lapping pinnae ; the pinnules decurrent, broad, obtuse, with a few shallow MOUNTAIN BLADDER FERN. 53 marginal teeth. It is of a deep-green colour and very transparent. It has only been found by Dr. Dickie in sea-caves near Aberdeen. Few ferns can be cultivated with greater facility than these. They may be grown in the open garden- border, or in closed cases ; they do best, however, in the open air, as they are subject to the attacks of a red mildew, which is increased by confinement. MOUNTAIN BLADDER FERN. C7STOPTERIS MONTANA. [Link, Hooker and Arnott, Babington, Moore, and Bentham.~\ SYNONYMS. CYSTOPTERIS MYRRHIDIFOLIUM. — Villars ana Newman. POLYPODIUM MONTANUM. — Allioni. ASPIDIUM MONTANUM. — Swartz. IT grows from four to eight inches high. The root is creeping. The fronds grow simply, and are tri- angular bipinnate ; the pinnae of the lowest pair being much larger and more divided than the others. The whole plant greatly resembles the Oak Polypody, only it is of a much more delicate texture. The sori 54 MOUNTAIN BLADDER PERN. are numerous and circular, very conspicuous when fully grown, and, though crowded, do not run into masses. This rare species of fern occurs wild only in Great Britain, although it is found in rough and stony places in several parts of the continent of Europe, and in America. It was first found by Mr. Wilson, on Ben Lawers, in Forfarshire, in 1836; and has since been esta- blished by other botanists as a truly British species, though rarely to be found. Little can be said about the artificial treatment of this fern, as it does not appear to have thriven well where it has been tried. Its natural condition, however, would suggest a very open medium for the roots, which thread their way through dripping rocks and constantly abundant though not stagnant moisture.* * Mr. Newman suggests a small quantity of sphagnum and charcoal to be mixed with the soil in which it is planted. FINE-LEAVED GYMNOGRAMMA. 55 FINE-LEAVED GYMNOGRAMMA. GYMNOGRAMMA LEPTOPHYLLA. [Desveux.] THIS delicate little fern resembles at first sight very small specimens of the Curled Allosorus (Allo- sorus crispus). The fronds are in little tufts, ovate, twice pinnate, fragile ; the pinnae roundish, wedge- shaped, three-lobed ; the lobes cut and toothed, obtuse. The whole plant is from two to six inches high, with slender black stalks. The sori are oblong, nearly covering the under surface of the segments on which they are borne. From the recent discovery of this little fern in the island of Jersey, it is now included in the British Flora, although there are but few localities where it is found in Great Britain. It is a native of the South of Europe and of the Atlantic Islands. A correspondent of oiirs says that it has lately been seen in Devonshire. A diligent search for it in warm sheltered places in our southern counties would, doubtless, repay a collector by its discovery. It is found in a light loamy soil, among mosses and Marcfiantia, near springs, and on shady banks. In 56 PINE-LEAVED GYMNOGRAMMA. the island of Jersey it is widely distributed, the prin- cipal localities being near St. Haule, St. Albin's, and several places near St. Lawrence. In one spot, near the last-named place, it grows plentifully for a con- siderable distance along a hedge-bank, extending as far as the bank is exposed, but ceasing exactly where the lane is shaded with trees. Mons. Piquet, of St. Hellier's, kindly forwarded to us a specimen of this fern taken from a bank with a south-western aspect near that place, not densely shaded by trees, but protected from the direct rays of the sun by dwarf vegetation. The soil used for this fern should be a light sandy loam. It requires constant moisture, and does well in a closed case. Marchantia and mosses should be allowed to grow freely around it. It is strictly an annual fern, and springs up without further trouble after being once established. FILMY FERN. 57 TUNBEIDGE HYMENOPHYLE, OR FILMY FERN. H7MENOPHYLL UM TUNBEIDGENSE. [Smith, Hooker and Arnott, Bentham, Babington, Moore, and Newman.~\ (Fig. 38.) SYNONYM. TBICHOMANES TUNBRIDGENSE. — Linnceus. THIS little fern has a creeping root with minute twisted fibres. The fronds are not above two or three inches long, pinnate, lanceolate in general out- line, and of an olive-brown tint. The veins are so strongly marked that they may be said to form the fronds, the leafy part being a very delicate mem- branous kind of wing on each side. The clusters of capsules are formed round the axis of a vein which runs beyond the margin of the frond : it is inclosed in a kind of cup which forms the involucre. The tufts of this fern grow so closely together, and are of such a brown tint of colour, that they may almost be taken for a kind of moss, or for a withered plant. The whole family are ' the smallest of our native ferns, and although so delicate in form and 58 FILMY FERN. texture, retain their appearance well, when dried, in the herbarium. Both species may be distinguished from other ferns by the matted growth of their thread-like roots, and their thin membranous appear- ance. This fern is not confined to the neighbourhood of Tunbridge Wells, although, being first found there, it was named accordingly. It grows in many parts of the United Kingdom in mountainous and rocky dis- tricts ; among moss on the trunks and roots of old trees near lakes or rivulets ; and in many moist and shady places. It is found in many parts of the Continent ; and is everywhere a pleasing variety amidst other ferns and wild plants. This species, according to Mr. Newman, prefers shade, warmth, and shelter ; whilst its ally, H. uni- laterale, establishes itself on bleak exposed situations. It can be grown successfully in the open air by imitating its natural condition ; and under glass, if certain conditions be attended to ; viz. — a close atmo- sphere, shade, moderate warmth, constant but not stagnant moisture, and a porous surface. WILSON'S FILMY FERN. 59 WILSON'S FILMY FERN. HTMENOPHTLLUM WILSONI. [Hooker and Eabington.] (Fig. 33.) SYNONYM. HYMENOPHYLLUM UNILATEEALE. — Wildenow, Moore, and Newman. THIS plant is regarded as a distinct species by some writers, although it differs so slightly from Hymeno- phyllurn tunbridgense that we can hardly consider it as such. It is found in the same districts, and often accompanies it. Perhaps, however, the variety is the more common in Scotland and in Ireland than the original fern. The principal characters of distinction are found in the fructification. The cups or seed- vessels are larger, the valves more rounded, meeting by their edges, not compressed toward the apex, and never serrated. The darker green hue and coarser texture of the plant will generally enable the collector to distinguish this variety. The pinnae also are turned back in a direction contrary to the fructification. Mr. Newman gives ample directions for the culti- vation of this fern and the preceding species, and suggests that it be grown on the surface of an inverted 60 LESSER ADDER'S TONGUE. flowerpot, well covered with a composition of silver sand, peat earth, and loam, resembling mortar, the flowerpot being first filled with wet sphagnum, and mounted into a saucer, likewise filled with sphagnum. The luxuriant growth of the fern is almost certain in this way. Both these ferns are very suitable for closed cases, and do well in them ; but we are advised by those who have tried the experiment, to have two small apertures near the top of the glass shade, so as to prevent any retention of stagnant moisture. Mr. Clowes, whose culture of these ferns has been very successful, says that he has observed that the fronds of H. tunbridgense are strictly annual, never growing for more than one year, while those of H. Wilsoni go on growing year after year. LESSER ADDER'S TONGUE. OPHIOGL OSS UM L USITA NIC UM. OPHIOGLOSSUM LUSITANICUM is a small variety of the former species, not exceeding two or three inches in height, the tiny spike arising from its bright green leaves in the same manner. It may be recognized by its narrower frond and thicker (more fleshy) texture. The only British locality in which it has been found COMMON ADDER'S TONGUE. 61 is the island of Guernsey, although it has long been known as a native of the South of Europe. It arrives at perfection in January. Its very early fructification and minute size suggest the cause of its being long overlooked in the spot where it is now found, and render it possible that it may also have escaped notice in other localities. COMMON ADDER'S TONGUE. V OPHTOGLOSS UM VULGA TUH. [Linnaeus, and generally adopted.] (Fig. 27.) THIS is a curious species of fern, reminding one, in its mode of growth, more of the little plant known by the name of " Cuckoo Pint," or " Lords and Ladies" — Arum maculatum of botanists — than of a true fern. It is a small stemless plant, from three to nine inches high. The barren frond, which appears like a single green leaf, smooth, ovate, obtuse, with veins forming a distinct network, seems to inclose the stem or rachis of the fertile frond, which is an upright spike tapering towards the summit, and consisting of two lines of crowded spore-cases buried in the substance of the spike. When ripe, this spike opens and the pollen is discharged, so that the spike eventually resembles a double row of round empty cavities. 62 COMMON ADDER'S TONGUE. This fern should be sought for not later than the middle of June, at which time it is fully developed. It is generally distributed all over England, and is very abundant where it does exist ; so much so as to be injurious to other crops in many places. It is less frequent in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but is found on the continent of Europe, Africa, and North America. The virtues of this plant have been highly extolled by the older writers, and even now large quantities of it are gathered in the villages of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey, and prepared according to the old prescrip- tions. A preparation, called " Green Oil of Charity," is made made from it, and applied to wounds ; and Gerarde says : " The leaves of Adder's Tongue stamped in a stone mortar and boiled in oyle of olive, and then strained, will yield a most excellent green oyle, or rather a balsam, for greene wounds, comparable to oyle of St. John's Wort, if it doth not far surpasse it." We incline to think that the only efficacious part of this ointment was the oil of which it was composed. Dr. Lindley, in his " Vegetable Kingdom," says : " The herbage of these plants is mucilaginous ; whence the species have been employed in broths. Ophioglossum vulgatum has been used in medicine as a vulnerary, but it seems to possess that quality as little as the magical virtues once ascribed to it." Mr. Newman quotes a poet who says : — " For them that are with newts, or snakes, or adders stung, The seeking out an herb that's called Adder's Tongue, As Nature it ordain'd, its own like hurt to cure, And sportive did herself to niceties inure." ROYAL OR FLOWERING FERN. 63 There is no great difficulty in cultivating this fern, if it be removed carefully without disturbing the roots, which should be dug up in a good quantity of their native soil, and then planted in loamy ground, and kept well watered and cooL ROYAL OR FLOWERING FERN. OSMUNDA REGALIS. [Linnaeus, and generally adopted] (Fig. 29.) THIS, the most stately of the British ferns, well de- serves its name, and is, from its appearance, readily distinguished from all others. Its flowery panicle crowns the otherwise leafy fronds, and rises three, or even four feet high, and sometimes attaining a height of eight or ten feet. In old plants the stem assumes the appearance of a trunk, and from the crown of this trunk grow the fronds, which are bipinnate; the pinnae lanceolate or ovate lanceolate ; the pinnules oblong and nearly egg-shaped. They are somewhat ear-shaped at the base, and mostly opposite. The upper portion of the frond is so densely covered with the brown clusters of capsules as to look like a spike of small flowers. The barren frond is entirely leafy. 64 ROYAL OR FLOWERING FEFxN. The plant appears in May, and is matured in August, but is destroyed by the early winter frosts. This beautiful fern is to be found in most marshy, boggy situations throughout Britain. It is extremely abundant and luxuriant in some parts of Ireland, and at Killarney assumes a pendulous form, fringing the river between the lakes, and forming a prominent feature in the lovely scenery of that district. It is said that when Sir AValter Scott visited this far-famed district, he appeared but little interested in the scenery until coming upon the spot where the water is fringed by these magnificent ferns, he exclaimed, " This is worth coming to see." In the northern counties of England, the Osmunda is not uncommon. In the bogs of Lancashire it is frequently seen, and in the southern counties it is very plentiful. Old Gerarde knew of its existence near Brentwood, and when de- scribing its stem, which, on being cut through, ex- hibits a whitish centre, he calls it the " Heart of Osmund the Waterman," referring to a tradition existing, that a waterman of this name, dwelling at Loch Tyne, on one occasion bravely defended his family from the cruel Danes, and sheltered them among the tall branches of this magnificent plant. The medicinal properties of the Flowering Fern are extolled by old writers as having "all the virtues mentioned in other ferns, and is much more effectual than they both for inward and outward griefs, and is accounted good in wounds, bruises, or the like. The decoction to be drunk, or boiled into an ointment of oil as a balsam or balm ; and so it is singular good ALPINE POLYPODY, Ci> against bruises and bones broken or out of joint." The root, when boiled, yields a sort of mucilage, which, in the North of Europe, is used for stiffening linen. This showy and attractive fern should find a place in all collections. It is not difficult of culture, and thrives well on the margin of a piece of water, or on rock-work near water. On the banks of ponds or lakes, and in a damp peaty soil, with plenty of mois- ture, it will attain its natural luxuriance. Mr. Ward, the inventor of the closed cases, and the successful cultivator and lover of ferns, has in his garden at Clapham so aiTanged an artificial water- course as to grow Osmunda regalis, and other bog- plants, in great luxuriance in the narrow limits of a London garden. ALPINE POLYPODY. POLYPODIUM ALPESTRE. [.Koch, Spurgel, Moore, and fientham. ] (Fig. 18.) SYNONYM. PSEUDATHYRIUM ALPESTRE. Newman. THIS fern bears so great a resemblance to Asplenium Filix Fcemina, that it has frequently been overlooked, and considered merely a variety of that fern. The F 05 ALPINE POLYPODY. fructification is, howevei-, very different from that of the Lady Fern ; and it has a short, thick, erect, tufted caudex, forming several crowns. The fronds are from a foot to a foot and a half high ; they are lanceolate, twice pinnate ; the segments numerous, sharply toothed ; and the leafy portion continues almost to the base of the scaly stalk. The fructi- fication is on the back of the frond, occupying about two-thirds of the upper portion of its length. The sori are small, circular, distinct, but become confluent in maturity. There is usually no indusium, but in some specimens there appears to be an abnormal development of a membrane covering the spri. The fronds are annual, and perish early in the autumn. It is only lately that this fern has been added to our British Flora, and as yet has only been found in the Highlands of Scotland, where it grows in the greatest profusion, particularly in Forfarshire. It is a fern which does not generally flourish well in artificial circumstances. Free air and shade, with a pure atmosphere, seem essential to it, and it is therefore not desirable to inclose it in a glass case or O green-house, but rather to imitate its natural con- ditions as much as possible. B.HorctwirJ«U92 Hooadillj, Rr^pTl. 1859. OAK F£EN. 67 OAK FERN. POL TPODI UM DR TOPTERIS. \Linnceus, Bentham, and Newman.'] (Fig. 42.) SYNONYMS. POLYSTICHUM DRYOPTERIS. — Roth. GYMNOCARPIUM DRYOPTERIS. — Newman. THIS is one of the most delicate and elegant of our species of ferns. The roots are creeping, fibrous, and black, forming a dense, matted mass. The young fronds make their appearance in March and April, as Mr. Newman expresses it, " Each at first resembling- three little balls on wires." These balls gradually unfold, and display the triple character of the frond. They soon arrive at maturity, and are often loaded with fruit as early as June : they disappear in the autumn. The stem is very slender, purple, and shining, and is frequently twice as long as the frond. There are a few scattered scales towards the base. The fronds are slender and delicate, broadly triangular or rhomboidal, with three branches ; the dursions pinnate j the pinnae cut into segments nearly to the mid-rib ; the uppermost entire. The colour is a p 2 68 OAK FERN. brighter green than almost any other British fern, which, however, it is apt to lose if too much exposed to the sun. The sori are borne on the margins of the segments. This pretty and delicate fern occurs chiefly in wild mountainous districts, wet woods, and the vicinity of waterfalls, in our northern English, Welsh, and Scotch counties. In Ireland it is a fern of great rarity. Throughout Europe it is very generally distributed. This is peculiarly a shade-loving fern. Besides the delicate texture and graceful habit, the vivid green hue of its foliage is its great attraction, and cannot be preserved in exposed situations. Although a free supply of moisture is recommended, care must be taken that it does not remain stagnant, as it will speedily destroy the plant by the decay of the rhizoma. By care and attention to these facts, this beautiful little fern will be found a pleasing and satisfactory addition to a fernery. From its small size, it is well suited for a fern-case. VARIETY. POLYPODIUM CALCAREUM (fig. 39), or the Limestone Polypody (known also as Polypodium Robertiana), appears to be merely a variety of the Oak Polypody, of stouter growth, and occurring in limestone districts. Its chief distinctions consist in the pinnate rather than the ternate divisions of the fronds, which have a glandular, mealy, or tubescent appearance. In de- OAK FERN. velopment, the fronds never assume the appearance of the three little balls, as in Dryopteris. It is of a darker duller green ; its stalk is more scaly at the lower part — green instead of purple, and the clusters of sori more densely crowded. It is found commonly in Derbyshire, near Matlock, and abundantly in Cum- berland, Westmoreland, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. It does not seem to have been found in Scotland or Ireland. The mealy dust which characterizes this fern is a beautiful object under the microscope, each slender stem supporting a globular head ; but as this appear- ance soon goes off when the specimen dries, it is best to examine freshly-gathered plants. There seems to be no great difficulty in cultivating this fern in the ordinary soil of gardens, although it does not thrive so well as some others in the atmo- sphere of towns. When grown in the greenhouse, it should be planted in large pans, with a free admix- ture of limestone and crumbled and sifted mortar ; full exposure to the sun has rather a beneficial effect on it than otherwise. 70 EEECH FERN. BEECH FERN, OR MOUNTAIN POLYPODY. POLYPODIUM PHEGOPTEEIS. \Linnceus, Bentham, and Moore.] (Fig. 40.) SYNONYMS. POLYSTICHUM PHEGOPTERIS. — Roth. LASTKEA PHEGOPTERIS. — Newman. GYMNOCARPIUM PHEGOPTERIS. — Newman (B. Ferns). THIS is a delicate plant, and disappears with the first frosts of the autumn. It has a slender creeping scaly stem, with black fibrous roots. The fronds ap- pear in May, and are about six inches to a foot long. The stipites are generally twice as long as the leafy part of the frond, and are fleshy and very brittle. The fronds are triangular, extended into a long nar- row point at the top : they are pinnate only at the base. The lower pair of pinnae droop downwards, the rest upwards. The mid-rib, principal veins, and margins of the frond, are more or less hairy on the under side; by which this species may be distinguished from the smaller specimens of Marsh Shield Fern, which it resembles. The soil are small, almost at the margins of the lobes. BEECH FERN. fl This fern delights in wild and mountainous dis- tricts, wet woods, and the vicinity of waterfalls. In the vicinity of the falls of Lodore, celebrated in song by the poet Southey, this fern is to be seen glistening with drops of spray from the water, which there comes " Dashing and flashing, and splashing and clashing, And so never ending, but always descending, Sounds and motions for ever and ever are blending, All at once and all o'er, with a mighty uproar, — And this way the water comes down at Lodore." It is rather limited in its range, occurring, however, in England to the southward, westward, and north- ward ; but appears to be entirely absent from the large midland and eastern tract. In Scotland it is not uncommon, but is rarely found in Ireland. There is no authority for its specific name of Beech Fern, as it is not found to grow especially around or near that tree. This is an elegant little species of fern, and grows freely, requiring but few conditions, excepting shade and freely-percolating moisture. It is well adapted for planting out on rock-work and old stumps of trees. 72 COMMON POLYPODY. COMMON POLYPODY. POLTPODIUM VULGARE. [Linnceus, Bentham, and Moore.] (Fig. 41.) SYNONYM. CTENOPTERIS VULGABIS. — Newman. THIS is one of the commonest and best known of our British ferns. It has thick woody creeping roots. The fronds are about six inches to a foot in height : they are always pendent in maturity, broadly oblong, lanceolate in their general outline. The fructification is very conspicuous, and usually at the upper part of the frond, in large circular patches of a golden colour. It is somewhat parasitic in its habit, growing on old trees and on walls and moist rocks. It is a very generally common fern throughout Great Britain and Ireland, and in Europe, Russian Asia, and North America. Just as the Common Brakes seem to shun the habitation of man, so does the Polypody seem to flourish most in his vicinity, establishing itself on church towers, cottage roofs, and old walls. It especially delights in decaying trees, COMMON POLYPODY. 73 and may often be seen crowning some perishing trunk with a coronet of green waving leaves — "A gilded halo hovering round decay." Like our Common Brakes and many other ferns, the Common Polypody contains a large quantity of potash, which caused it to be used in former days by glass manufacturers. It had also a reputation as a medicine, its mucilaginous nature recommending it in pulmonary diseases. In Paris, even now, it is used as a domestic remedy for colds and coughs. Mr. New- man says he has seen women collecting it in Here- fordshire as a specific in hooping-cough. It is gathered in October and November, when full of seed : the barren fronds are rejected. It is then hung up in the cottages to dry, and when required for use, is slowly boiled with raw sugar. The poor people call it " Maiden's Hair," or " Golden Locks." The ancient reputation of this species of Polypody is very curious. Pliny says that it is good for chaps on the toes, and also recommends the root dried and powdered to be snuffed up the nose, to consume a polypus. It is doubtless the " rheum-purging poly- pody" of Shakspeare. The foreign species of Polypodium are much larger than our own ; and in the South-Sea Islands there is one which is called by the natives " Pigs-god," and is the presiding deity of these animals. Dr. Joseph Hooker mentions that, during his resi- dence in India, he frequently partook of shrimp 74 EAGLE FEEN. curry, into which the young tops of the common Polypodium entered. This fern well repays any trouble that may be bestowed upon it. Care must be taken in its removal not to break the fibrous roots, which become entangled with the substances around them. In a green-house, or large case suspended in a wooden basket, well covering the roots with moss and leaf-mould and sand, it forms a beautiful object. Out of doors, too, it is a pleasing addition to the rockery, or stumps of old trees. It does well for bouquets, as it will live a long time in water. BRAKES OR BRACKEN— EAGLE FERN. PTERIS AQUILINA. [Linnceus, Smith, Hooker and Arnott, Bdbington, Bentham, and Moore.] (Fig. 18.) SYNONYM. EUPTERIS AQUILINA. — Newman. A WELL-KNOWN and very common species of fern, not at all difficult to recognize, by its large and strong growth, and the continuous lines of marginal sori on the compound bipinnate fronds. They are sometimes ten or twelve feet in height, and their texture is crisp EAGLE FERN. 75 and brittle. Each frond appears singly, and the growth of the plant is the reverse of being tufted. The root attains a very large size in a favourable soil, and Mr. Newman says he has found them buried as low as fifteen feet. The plant spreads very rapidly, and in some places acres of land are covered by it. The fronds turn brown at the first approach of frost, and decay away in the winter. The stem being hard and tough, and deeply buried in the earth, is not easily rooted up ; but when cut across, presents on the two divided surfaces the figure of an Oak Tree, or, as some fancy, a Spread Eagle ; hence its specific name. Although one of our commonest ferns, this plant is not luxuriant on chalky soil, but in sandy and stony districts it is most abundant, and by its handsome feathery fronds and rich green appearance, adds greatly to the scenic effect of many a rural district. It forms a hiding-place for game ; and the fern- coverts are well known to sportsmen, and are cele- brated in song : — "The wild buck bells from ferny brake." The economical uses of this fern are many. As a manure it is largely consumed in some places ; and in the western parts of Scotland is a profitable source of alkaline ashes for the glass and soap-maker. As a litter for horses, it is in great request in some parts of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. The stalks are used as material for thatching, and this seems to be a very ancient practice, — as early as the year 1349. In the Forest of Dean, pigs are fed upon the fronds. A 76 EAGLE FEKN. botanical friend of our own, rather given to speculative devices, sent us one day a dish, consisting of the lower parts of the stem of this fern, cut off just below the ground, so as to retain the white delicate appear- ance of underground growth, assuring us it was quite equal to asparagus. It was accordingly cooked, and j served as seakale or asparagus, and pronounced to be quite palatable, though not equal to either of the other named vegetables. It might, however, well form a substitute for them, and, being so easily and inexpensively obtained, it is sui'prising that it does not oftener find its way to the poor man's table. The astringency of this fern is great, so much so that it lias been recommended for dressing and preparing chamois leather. As a material for packing fruit, &c., it is invaluable. This plant was undoubtedly the original fearn of our Saxon ancestors, from the abun- dance of which the names of so many towns and villages have originated ; such as Farnborough, Farn- ham, &c. It is to this fern we may attribute chiefly the many superstitions, legends, and proverbs con- nected with ferns generally. It seems to have been associated with our popular fancies for many a long day. Shakspeare speaks of the " fern- seed by which we walk invisible." Ben Jonson says — " I had no medicine, sir, to walk invisible, — No fern-seed in my pocket. " There was a homely proverb, once in common use, which we may quote : — EAGLE FERN. 77 *' When the fern is as high as a spoon, You may sleep an hour at noon ; When the fern is as high as a ladle, You may sleep as long as you're able ; When the fern begins to look red, Then milk is good with brown bread." The beauty and pleasant associations of this luxuriant fei-n are celebrated in song by a modern poetess, who says, in her appropriate lines, — " Have ye to learn how the Eagle Fern Does in its heart enshrine An oak-tree, like that which the hunter Hearne Haunted in days ' long syne ' 1 " Aii oak-tree small is repeated, all Complete in branch and root, Like the tree wheveunto King Charles did flee, WTheu press'd by hot pursuit." From its large and rapid growth, the depth of soil required for its roots, and the amount of space necessary, this fern is scarcely adapted for an ordi- nary fern collection, although there are positions where it is very ornamental ; such as in shrubberies, in parks, and paddocks. It is not difficult to trans- plant, if only care be taken that the large long rhizome be not injured in removal, which had better take place in the winter. Any soil is indifferent to its success, so that it be not chalky. 78 COMMON HART'S TONGUE. COMMON HART'S TONGUE. SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE. \Symons, Smith, JBentham, Hooker and Arnott, and Moore.] (Fig. 81.) SYNONYMS. PHYLLITIS SCOLOPENDRIUM. — Newman. ASPLENIUM SCOLOPENDRIUM. — Linnaeus. SCOLOPENDRIUM OFFICINARUM. — Swartz. SCOLOPENDRIUM PHYLLITIS. — Roth. THIS is a readily-distinguishable species of fern, and is very graceful and beautiful, contrasting, as it does, with the feathery appearance so common in other ferns. It grows in tufts ; the fronds, which are ever- green, are oblong, strap-shaped, and simple : they vary in length from six inches to a foot and a half. At first they appear erect and stiff, but afterwards assume a pendulous habit, spreading out in a circular manner from the clumps of roots which, are so well known in every rural district. The sori are arranged at short intervals on the upper portion of the frond, in the direction of the veins. The name of this species is an alteration of Scolopendra, or Centipede, from a fancied resemblance between the feet of the centipede COMMON HART'S TONGUE. 79 and the arrangement of the sori. It attains perfec- tion in July and August, and remains green all the winter. The difference of circumstances, especially in cultivation, causes such changes in the appearance of this plant that many varieties have been described ; but few are, however, permanent, or requiring special notice. Scolopendriwm crispum, Scolopendrium poly- schides, Scolopendrium multifidum, and Scolopendrium lacertum are those we have thought most permanent, and likely to be met with. Some forms of this fem are viviparous, or have buds separating from the stem and growing spon- taneously. The Hart's Tongue and its varieties are commonly found on shady banks, in the clefts of old rocks, and about old buildings throughout Great Britain ; though not so frequently in Scotland as elsewhere. In the Isle of Wight it grows luxuriantly, and in the woody spots between Yentnor and Niton may be seen in perfection. It delights in underwoods and shrub- beries ; and the large handsome tufts consist of fronds arching from the centre, like the long feathers of a cock's tail. Being an evergreen, and a plant of free growth, the Hart's Tongue is one of the most desirable hardy ferns for open rock-work. It will do in any part of it, either on level ground or on rocks by the sides of streams, where its fronds can hang over the water. In this situation it is a beautiful object. It requires a great deal of water at the roots during the growing season, and delights in shade and moisture, although 80 COMMON HART'S TONGUE. it will live under the disadvantages of exposure and heat. It was formerly in repute as a medicine. Kay speaks of it as an astringent, and of its healing powers when applied to ulcers and wounds. In the " Phyto- logist " it is mentioned that the late Lady Greenly , of Titley Court, Herefordshire, took great pains to culti- vate an evergreen fern as a remedy for burns, which turned out to be the common Hart's Tongue. VARIETIES. SCOLOPENDRIUM vuLGARE CRisPUM differs from the common Hart's Tongue in the wavy curled appearance of the frond at the margin ; so that it has the effect almost of a file on each side the mid-rib. It is often, too, of a more delicate texture and paler green colour. SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE LACERTUM is a dwarf and highly-ornamental fern ; the fronds are often as broad as long j they are deeply-lobed or pinnatifid. It was found on a wall near Taunton. SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE POLYSCHIDES, or ANGUSTI- FOLIUM of some authors, has a narrower linear frond, blunt at the apex, deeply and irregularly cut at the margin into roundish lobes. The sori are arranged in two irregular lines on each side the mid-rib. In Mr. Bradbury's " Nature-Printed Ferns," Pro- fessor Lindley and Mr. Moore have described stxty- six varieties of Scolopendrium ; the distinctions are in BRISTLE FERN. 81 many cases, however, so small as to be scarcely recognizable. SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE MULTIF1DUM has the fronds forked, either near the apex or sometimes near the base. They are strap-shaped below, and then cut out into irregular fan-shaped expansions at the top. Sometimes they are cut into more acute lobes, and it is then known as Scolopendriwn lobatum. BRISTLE FERN. TRICHOMANES RADICANS. [Swartz, Hooker, Babington, Newman, and £entham.] (Fig. 36.) SYNONYMS. TRICHOMANES BREVISETUM. — Brown and Smith. TRICHOMANES SPECIOSUM, EUROPEUM, PYXIDIFERUM, and ALATUM of authors. THIS beautiful fern exists only in the close vicinity of water. It is of a semi-membranous texture. The fronds are three or four times pinnatifid; the seg- ments alternate, linear, entire, or two-cleft and obtuse. The fronds are from six to eight inches high, includ- ing the rather long stalk. The root is very fibrous and creeping, as is the stem, which is wiry, black- Q 82 BRISTLE PERN. looking, and clothed with pointed scales. The seed- cup in the fertile frond takes the place of a fork of the pinnule, having a hair or spike projecting from the centre. This exceedingly beautiful and delicate fern is found only in Ireland, though it is said to have grown in Yorkshire. The Turk Waterfall, near Killarney, is the most celebrated locality for it ; where, amidst the dripping rocks and the spray of the water, it forms a verdant drapery most charming to behold ; but there are other stations in Ireland where it is found by botanists. At Blackstones, in the county of Kerry, it was discovered by two gentlemen growing in a wild and romantic cave, the rocky walls of which had been for ages covered with its overlapping fronds, forming a mass of the loveliest green j strongly contrasting with the darker and more sombre hue of the Killarney plant. This pretty fern is abundant in the island of Madeira, and is found in the West Indies and the islands of the North Atlantic. From its peculiarly membranous texture, and mois- ture-loving nature, there have always appeared to be difficulties in the way of the cultivation of this fern. Mr. Ward's invention, however, has removed all these objections, and this beautiful fern is peculiarly suc- cessful in his closed cases. In his little book he gives interesting particulars concerning his experiments with this delicate little fern, and his perfect success in overcoming apparent difficulties. He was induced to commence his experiments with Polypoduim DryopLeris Calmrtiun 40 "nlypodutm/ Fhegopleris R.Hard-wicke,192 HccadiUy, Sepr 1.1859. JR.Johl.nis BRISTLE FERN. 83 this fern on account of its intractable nature under ordinary methods of culture. Loddiges, the cele- brated nurseryman, could never keep it alive ; and Mr. Ward relates that Baron Fischer, the superin- tendent of the botanical establishments of the Emperor of Russia, when he saw the plant growing in one of his cases, took oft' his hat, made a low bow to it, and said, " You have been my master all the days of my life." Mr. Ward thinks the difficulties in cultivating this fern arise solely from a dry atmosphere and the pre- sence of adventitious matters. With him it lived for four years in a Vide-mouthed bottle, covered with oiled silk, during which time it required no water; but having outgrown its narrow bounds, it was removed to some rock-work, in a fern-house, covered with a bell-glass, and occasionally watered. Here it pro- duced fronds one-fourth larger than any native speci- mens from Killarney or elsewhere. Mr. Ward re- commends that the rhizomes of this fern should be planted in a case, or under a bell-glass, and the'fronds sprinkled with water two or three times a week in summer, less frequently in winter, keeping the door of the case always shut, a drain age- valve at the bottom always open. A subdued light, coming through tinted glass or coloured muslin, is desirable. In a case suited to Trichomanes it is unlikely that any other fern will thrive, unless it be Aspknium marinum. OSL.ONG, OR RAY'S WOODSIA. OBLONG, OR RAY'S WOODSIA. WOODSIA ILVENSIS. \R, Brown and Bentham.~\ (Fig. 22.) SYNONYMS. ACROSTICHUM ILVENSE. — Linnceus. POLYPODIUM AROONICUM. — Withering. POLYPODIUM ILVENSE. — SwartZ. A DECIDUOUS species of fern, dying down to the ground in the winter and appearing again in the spring. The root-stalk is densely tufted ; the fronds spreading, two to four, or rarely six inches long. Their form is lanceolate, more or less broad, and in their mode of dursion they are pinnate ; the pinnse opposite, in pairs, of an obtusely oblong shape, with a deeply lobed or pinnatifid margin. They are of a thick dull-looking texture, hairy above, and clothed underneath with brownish bristle-like scales, among which the sori are almost concealed. This is one of our rarest ferns. It grows on ele- vated and bleak places, in the fissures of rocks, in Wales and Scotland, and in some places in the North of England. It is spoken of by John Ray as being OBLONG, OR RAY'S WOODSIA. 85 found on Snowdon, and is well known by the guides of that district as growing there. This little fern is said to do well in a fernery, in a sheltered part. It must not be kept very wet. Neither this fern nor its variety seems to bear con- finement in closed cases or frames, as they require a free circulation of air, without which they become feeble and die. VARIETY. "WOODSIA ILVENSIS HYPERBOREA (fig. 20), or Alpine Fern, called by Newman Woodsia alpina, although considered as a distinct species by some writers, does not differ so materially from Woodsia ilvensis as to constitute more than a variety. It is known by its narrower fronds, being of a thinner texture, less hairy and scaly ; while the pinnae are less opposite, and shorter, and more triangular in their general outline. It is a very rare species, found in the fissures of Alpine rocks, mostly in places little visited. OX THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF FERNS. THE Vegetable Kingdom is divided into two great groups of plants — those with flowers and those with- out,— technically, P/uinerogamia and Cryptogamia. The ferns belong to the latter group. They are easily distinguished from the mosses, horsetails, fungi, lichens, and algse, with which they are associated, by their large size and leafy character. The part of the fern which, from its green colour and general form, resembles a leaf, is called a frond. Although ferns have no proper flowers, they have organs which per- form the functions of flowers in higher plants. These organs are seldom seated on a separate stem or stalk, but are placed on the edges and under-side of the fronds. Ferns, like other plants, have roots and stems. The roots of ferns are composed of small fibres, which are sent down from the stem, and they perform the same functions in ferns as in other plants. They serve to keep the plant in the soil in which it grows, and are also endowed with the property of absorbing from the soil the food which the plant requires . for its nutrition. The stem of a fern consists of a mass of tissue, from which the stalks of the fronds proceed upward, and the root downward. In British ferns, these stems seldom rise up into the air, but are either buried in the earth, or lie prostrate upon it : in the common, 38 ON THE STRUCTURE AND polypody and the spleen-wort they attain a consider- able size. When out of the ground, they are covered with scales and hairs, and present a very shaggy ap- pearance. In some cases, as in the common brakes and the Flowery Fern, the stem rises erect in the air, and bears its fronds in the same way as higher plants bear their leaves. It is "in tropical ferns that these stems attain their greatest size, and rise above the ground forty or fifty feet in height. Such ferns are called tree-ferns. But the nature of this stem is the same in all cases : it consists of a mixture of woody and cellular tissue, constituting the basis of the fronds ; and in cases where the stem is perennial, it consists ot the remains ot the successive annual developments of the fronds. The fronds vary much in form, and the stalk on which they are placed is called the stipes. They vary in size, and also in duration : they usually, how- ever, come up in the spring, and die down in the autumn. The frond, like the leaf, is divided into the blade and stalk, or stipes. The woody tissue ot which the stipes is formed is continued into the blade, and con- stitutes there the veins or ribs. The middle portion, which runs up the whole frond, is called the midrib. The same terms are applied to the shape of the frond as to the leaf. When the blade is undivided, as in the Hart's-tongue, it is called entire ; when the frond is scalloped out, and the indentations do not reach the midrib, the frond is said to be pinnatifid ; when the indentations reach the midrib, and leave a series of little leaflets, or pinnce, the frond is said to be pinnated. The pinnce may be again divided down to their veins or ribs, and the frond is then said to be twice-cut, or bi-pinnate. When this occurs a third time, it is tri-pinnate ; and when oftener, the frond is said to be decompound. This latter does not, however, FUNCTIONS OF FERNS. 89 often occur in British species. The more vigorous specimens of the Common Brakes occasionally pre- sent it. When the fronds are first formed in the bud, they are rolled up in a peculiar way. The whole frond is rolled up from the point to the base, upon itself ; and when it is divided into pinnse, each pinna is rolled in the same way upon itself. This arrangement occurs in other plants, and is called circinate. All British ferns, with the exception of the AdderVtongue and Moonwort, have this circinate arrangement of their fronds. The veins or ribs of the fronds are variously ar- ranged, forming sometimes good characters for the distinction of species. These veins are never netted, as they are in the majority oi flowering plants, but they are often forked, or dichotomous. It is upon the veins of the under-part of the frond that the oi-gans ot fructification are placed ; and this part is called the receptacle. The organs of fructification consist of a number of little capsules, called seed-cases, spore-cases, sporangia, or thecae. These are collected together in little clusters, which are called sori. The sori are placed upon the receptacle. When the sori are placed on the under-part of the frond, they are called dorsal ; but when on the edge of the frond, marginal. They are never placed on the upper surface of the frond alone. Sometimes the whole frond is converted into a receptacle, as in the case of the Flowering Fern, the AdderVtongue, and some others. The spore-cases are mostly small, slightly ovate bodies, with a single cavity. They are surrounded with a ring, one end of which is fixed to the recep- tacle. When the spores contained in the inside have reached maturity, the elasticity of the ring causes the spore-case to burst transversely, and the spores are 90 ON THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OP FERNS. scattered about in the form of fine dust. In Osmunda, JBotrychium, and Ophioglossivm, the spore-cases have not the elastic ring, but are composed of two valves. In the greater part of the British species, the sori are covered during the earlier period of their growth •with a thin membranous covering, which is called an indusium. Some ferns possess this organ, which is very evident when they are young. It is, however, cast off as the sori attain maturity. The presence or absence of this indusium is looked upon as an im- portant point in the economy of ferns, and they are divided according to this fact. Although the spore is often called the representa- tive of the seed, this little structureless body truly represents the bud in higher plants. If we watch the development of the spore, we shall find that it does not directly grow up into a fern, but that, after having attached itself to a damp piece of earth or rock, it begins to expand into the form of a green mem- brane. This green membranous mass, on account of its resemblance to the fronds of the common Mar- cJiantia, has been called the Marchantia-like expansion of the fern. It is also called the prothallus. On the surface of this little body, there appear in the course of time two sets of organs. The one called pistttlidla, containing in their interior little ovoid bodies, which are the representatives of the ovules or seed-buds of the higher plants. The other organs are called arche- gonia : they contain little movable worm- like bodies, called spermatazoids, and which are found in many of the lower forms of plants. These bodies represent the pollen or pollen-tube of the flowering plants. They find their way to the ovules contained in the pistillidia ; and it is after the mixture of the produce of these two different cells that the young fern shoots forth from the surface of the prothallus, and grows up into a new plant. ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF FERNS. IN the account of British ferns given in this little work, they have been arranged alphabetically; but in order that the student may have an idea of their general structure, we present an analysis of the cha- racters of the orders and genera into which they are divided by botanists. It must always be remembered, that the species of British ferns are only a small part ot the great family of ferns which are scattered in space over the surface of the earth, and in time in the rocks of which the earth is composed. No arrange- ment of fragmentary groups, such as the British ferns, can give the student an idea of the grandeur, beauty, and harmony of the whole. But the study of this limited portion of the great family will, it is hoped, kindle in him a desire to know more of this great family, which, though deprived by their Creator of the beauty and adornment of flowers, have nevertheless attractions and graces of their own, and, with all other created things, the charm of occupying a necessary place in the great order of creation. ARRANGEMENT OF THE GENERA OF BRITISH FERNS. POLYPODIACE^E. The fronds are rolled up in a circinate manner while young, the spore-cases have an elastic ring, which bursts by an irregular transverse cleft. 92 ON THE CLASSIFICATIOX OF FERX3. L POLYPODIACE^E. Sori round, without an indusium. 1. POLYPODIUM. — The sori dorsal, circular, and ex- posed. 2. ALLOSOEUS. — Sori dorsal, roundish, and becoming confluent beneath the margins of the frond. II. GYMNOGRAMME^E. Sori linear, without an indusium. 3. GYMNOGRAMMA. — Sori dorsal, linear, forked, naked. III. ASPIDIE^E. Sori covered with a circular or roundish indusium, springing from the back of the veins. 4. ASPIDIUM. — Sori dorsal, with circular, peltate, or reniform indusia. IV. ASPLENIE^E. Sori covered with an oblong or elongated indusium, which springs from the sides of the veins. 5. ASPLENIUM. — Sori dorsal, with a straight and elongated indusium. 6. SCOLOPENDRIUM. — Sori dorsal, elongate, and placed together in parallel pairs, the indusium opening along the centre. 7. CETERACH. — Sori dorsal, hidden amongst rust- coloured chaffy scales ; the indusium invisible. V. BLECHNE^E. The sori with an indusium forming longitudinal lines between the midrib and margins of the pinnae. 8. BLECHNUM. — Sori dorsal, covered by a linear indusium. ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF FERNS. 93 VI. PTERIDEyE. Beai'ing on the margins of fronds, sori, which, are covered with a special iudusium. PTERIS. — Sori in a continuous line at the edge of the frond. VII. ADIANTE^E. The margins of the fronds re/iexed, forming indusia, which bear the sori beneath. 9. ADIANTUM. — Sori dorsal, in patches, covered with a reftexed indusium. VIII. CYSTOPTERIDE^E. Sori with special ovate indusia attached behind, and inflected hood-like over them. 10. CYSTOPTERIS. — Sori dorsal, with a cucullate or hood-like indusium. IX. WOODSIE^. Sori having a roundish indusium springing from the back of the veins. 11. WOODSIA. — Sori dorsal, with an indusium at- tached beneath them. X. HYMENOPHYLLE^E. Sori produced at the end of the veins, and project- ing from the margin, and surrounded by urn-shaped and 2-valved membranes. 12. TBICHOMANES. — Sori marginal, covered by urn- shaped expansions of the frond. 13. HYMENOPHYLLUM. — Sori marginal, surrounded by 2-valved expansions of the frond. 94 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF FERXS. OSMTJNDACE^E. Fronds circinate, sori destitute of an elastic ring, and bursting vertically by two regular valves. 14. OSMUNDA. — The only genus. OPHIOGLOSSACELE. Young fronds folded up straight, the sori without an elastic ring, and 2-valved. 15. BOTRYCHIUM. — Sori in irregularly branched dusters on a separate branch of the frond. 16. OPHIOGLOSSUM. — Sori sessile, in Z-ranked simple spikes on a separate frond. • In order to facilitate finding the name of a fern, we add the following analytical index, for the general plan of which we are indebted to Mr. Bentham's admirable " Handbook of the British Flora."* ( Fructification in a terminal spike or panicle. The frond either leaf-like, or bearing a leaf in the lower part .... 2 , J Fructification in a little cup or involucre at the edge of the 1 | frond 4 Fructification on the back or under-side of some or all the I fronds 5 f Fronds twice-pinnate, usually two or more feet high, the fructification forming a panicle at their extremity. 2 •{ OSMUNDA. j Fronds stem-like, not 6 inches high, with a terminal spike t. or panicle « 3 „ ( Spike simple. Leaf entire OPHIOGLOSSUM. ( Spike branched into a panicle. Leaf pinnate. BOTEYCHIUM. C Fronds numerous, scarcely 2 inches high, pinnate, with few deeply-lobed segments. Involucre ovate, 2-lobed. 4 -i HYMEXOPHYLLUM, Fronds 6 or 8 inches high, two or three times pinnate, with L crowded segments. Involucre cup-shaped. TBICHOMANES. Published by Lovell Reeve, Henrietta-street, London. ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF FKBNS. 95 ( Fronds tufted, of two sorts, the central ones erect, fruiting, 5 < the outer ones barren, usually shorter, with broader lobes 6 ( Fruiting and barren fronds similar, or nearly so 8 Fronds (stiff) simply pinnate, with entire lobes, the fruiting linear, the barren lanceolate , BLECHNUM. Fronds (delicate) much divided, with small, obovate or oblong toothed lobes 7 Sori forming a line close to the margin of the frond. - ALLOSORUS. Sori oblong, scattered on the surface of the frond. GYMUOGRAMMA. f Fructification concealed by, or intermixed with, chaffy scales or hairs 9 o J Fructification in lines along the margin of the fronds, the I indusium a membrane attached to the margin 10 Fructification in circular, oblong, or linear sori, on the under t surface, without chaffy scales 11 Fronds deeply pinnatifid, with entire segments. Sori linear, concealed by the scales 10. CETERACH. Fronds twice-pinnate, with small segments. Sori circular, with chaffy hairs intermixed 15. WOODSIA. ( Tall, erect, stiff fern, ternately divided, with pinnate . ,. \ branches and sessile lobes PTERIS. i Delicate fern, not a foot high, much divided, with broad, ( wedge-shaped lobes on capillary stalks .... ADIANTUM. (Sori oblong or linear, covered (when young) with a mem- brane attached along the side 12 Sori circular, either without any indusium. or covered (when young) with a membrane attached by the centre or by a lateral point 13 Frond entire. Indusium opening in a slit along the centre. ,n SCOLOPENDRIIJM. Frond pinnate or much divided. Indusium opening along the inner side ASPLENIUM. Fronds simply pinnate, with entire or toothed segments or pinnaa 14 Fronds pinnate, with pinnatifid primary divisions or pinnas, or twice or thrice pinnate* 15 I 13 * In all twice or thrice pinnate leaves or fronds, the primary divisions on each side of the main stalk are called pinnas, the ultimate divisions retaining the name of segments. 96 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OP FERNS. f Segments narrow-lanceolate, rather thick, attached to the stalk by a broad base, and confluent. Sori golden-yellow, without any indusium POLYPODIUM VULGARB. Segments distinct or stalked, ovate-falcate, prickly-toothed, 14 with a prominent angle or lobe at the base on the inner side. Sori with a small circular indusium. ASPIDIUM LONCHITIS. Segments small, obovate. Stalk black and slender. Indu- ^ sium attached laterally ASPLENIDM TRICHOMANES. ( Lower pair of pinnas much larger than the others, giving the frond a broadly triangular or rhomboidal form . . 16' 15 •{ Lowest pair, or several lower pairs of pinnas, decreasing in size, or not larger than the rest. Frond ovate or lance- i. olate in outline 17 ' Fronds once-pinnate, with pinnatifid segments. POLYPODIUM PHEGOPTERIS. Fronds twice-pinnate, the pinnas mostly opposite. POLYPODIUM DRYOPTERIS. Fronds twice-pinnate, the pinnas mostly alternate. CYSTOPTERIS. I Fronds delicate, seldom a foot high, without any brown scarious scales (or very few at the base of the stalk), twice-pinnate, with stalked pinnas 18 17 -j Fronds stiff, 1 to 3 feet high or more (except in the Beech Polypody). The stalk more or less shaggy below the leafy part, with brown scarious scales (except in. the Marsh {_ Shield Fern) 19 f Segments with fine-pointed teeth ASPLENIUM. I Segments oblong or lanceolate, nearly sessile, with obtuse 18 •{ teeth or lobes CYSTOPTERIS. Segments small, obovate, stalked, with obtuse teeth. De- licate annual GYMNOGRAMMA. Fronds pinnate, the pinnas deeply pinnatifid, the lobes 16- i1 19 entire or obtuse, and slightly toothed 20 Fronds twice-pinnate, the segments sharply toothed or pin- natifid 24 i Pinnas (all but the lowest pair) attached to the stalk by 20 < their broad base POLYPODIUM PHEGOPTERIS. ( Pinnas attached by their midrib only 21 ( Lobes of the pinnas entire. Sori near their margins. . 22 21 < Lobes of the sori slightly toothed. Sori near their base or ( centre 23 f r fi ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF FER.NS. 97 'No scarious scales on the stalk. No glands on the leafy part ASPIDIUM THELYPTERIS. 22 -j Stalk with brown scarious scales at the base. Minute glands on the under surface of the segments. L ASPIDIUM OREOPTERIS. Segments of the pinnas oblong, very numerous, scarcely broader at the base ASPIDIUM FlLlX MAS. Segments ovate, wedge-shaped at the base. ASPIDIUM CRISTATUM. 'Segments of the pinnas with finely-pointed, almost prickly teeth ; the inner lobe or tooth at the base much larger 24 4 than the rest ASPIDIUM ACULEATUM. I Segments of the pinnas with shortly-pointed teeth or pin- t. natifid ; the lobes of each side similar 25 ' Sori circular. No indusium POLYPODIUM ALPESTRE. Sori circular, with a kidney-shaped or almost peltate indu- 25 -{ sium attached by a point 26 I Sori rather oblong, with an indusium attached along one side. ^ ASPLENIUM. ( Segments ovate or ovate-lanceolate. Indusia conspicuous 26 I and persistent ASPIDIUM CRISTATUM. ( Segments oblong-lanceolate 27 Indusia conspicuous and persistent. ASPIDIUM RIGIDUM. Indusia small and often soon disappearing. ASPIDIUM SPINULOSUM. The way in which this index is used is as follows : — Suppose we have the Common Hart's-tongue, Scolo- p&ndrium vulgare, in our hands, we look to the para- graph numbered 1, and here we have three forms of fructification mentioned. The form to which the Sco- lopendrium belongs is " Fructification on the back or under side." Opposite this is the figure 5. This is to direct us to paragraph 5. Here we find two characters of the fronds noted. Our Scolopendrium belongs to the division in which the " fruiting and barren fronds are similar, or nearly so," and opposite this is the number 8. We now turn to paragraph. 8, and here we H 98 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF FERNS. have again three other forms of fructification ; and we find the fern in our hands belongs to the division in which the sori are linear, oblong, or circular on the under surface, without chaffy scales ; and against this character we have the number 11. We now turn to paragraph 11, and here the sori are again distinguished into two groups, — those which are oblong or linear, and those which are circular. The Scolopendrium has oblong or linear sori, and against this is the num- ber 12. Now paragraph. 12 has two distinctions, one of which is " fronds pinnate," the other " fronds entire ;" and opposite this is the name Scolopendrium. The plant, then, we have in our hand is the Common Hart's-tongue. In the same way we may find out any other genus or species in the index. As the genus Asplenium contains so many species, Mr. Bentham gives a separate analysis of them, which we also subjoin here. Fronds twice or thrice pinnate, with numerous primary pinnas, the lowest or several lower pairs decreasing in size. Frond 2 or 3 feet high, the longer pinnas ) ASPLENIUM 3 to 6 inches or more \ FILIX FCEMINA. Frond not a foot high, the longer pinnas seldom 1^ inches. Broadest part of the frond above the L to li Broadest part below the middle. Ultimate ) ASPLENIUM segments broad, 2 to 3 lines long . . . . \ LANCEOLATUM. Fronds once-pinnate, with numerous segments, the lower pairs decreasing in size. Segments thick, ovate or lanceolate, % to ) ASPLENIUM 1 inch long or more J MARINUM. Segments thin, ovate or orbicular, under i ASPLENIUM 5 lines long } TBICHOMANES, ON THE CLASSIFICATION OP FEKNS. 99 Fronds more or less divided, the lowest pinnas larger, on longer stalks, or more divided than the others. Frond 6 inches to a foot, shining green, ) ASPLENIUM with numerous lanceolate pinnas and > ADIANTDM sessile segments ) NIGRUM. Frond 3 or 4 inches, with few small, stalked segments. Segments obovate J £ S^ENIUM j RUTA-MURARIA. Segments narrow-oblong. . . . . j ASPLENIUM j GERMANICUM. Segments linear . , . j ASPLENIDM SEP- J TENTRIONALE. H 2 GLOSSARY. N.B. — In compownd terms the first qualifies the second. ACUMINATE, tapering off to an acute point. ADNATE, joined to that on which it grows by its whole breadth of foliage ; connected. ADPRESSED, close to the stem. ALTERNATE, branches or leaves succeeding each other interchangeably, first on one and then on the other side. ANASTOMOSE, to run one into the other. ANNULATE, ferns that have a ring round their seed- cases. ANNULUS, the jointed ring of the seed-case. ANTHER, the vessel containing the fertilizing pollen at the top of the filament of the stamen. ARISTATE, terminating in a bristle ; awned. ARTICULATED, jointed. ATTENUATED, growing gradually narrower; taper- ing. AURICLED, having a kind of ear-shaped projection. AWNED, terminating in a bristle ; aristate. AXIL, the angle formed by the leaf-stalk, or branch and stem. 102 GLOSSARY. AXILLARY, seated in the axil. BIDENTATE, twice-toothed. BIFID, cleft in two. BIPINNATE, twice-pinnate. CALICIFORM, like the calyx or cup of a flower. CAPILLARY, fine thread- or hair-like. CAUDEX, the part under or on the ground, from which the frond springs ; popularly the root ; to which the fibres or actual roots are attached. CELLULAR, consisting of little cells or cavities. CILIATED, fringed with minute hairs. CIRCINATE, coiled inwards, like a watch-spring or a shepherd's crook. CLAVATE, club-shaped, thinner at the base, and thicker upwards. COMPOUND, composed of many parts or divisions. COMPRESSED, a cylinder, more or less flattened. CONCOLOROUS, of one uniform colour. CONFLUENT, meeting or running together ; uniting. CONNATE, joined at the base. CONVOLUTED, rolled together ; curled inwards. CORDATE, heart-shaped. CORIACEOUS, leathery. COTYLEDONS, the perishable side-lobes of the see which furnish nourishment to the embrV( plant. CRENATE. ) ~ v notched, indented. CRENULATE, J CRENATURES, notches ; indentations. CROWN, the rounded top of the root projecting above the ground. GLOSSARY. 103 CRYPTOGAMOUS, plants whose reproductive organs are not apparent. CUCULLATE, shaped like a hood, cowl, or bladder. CUNEATE, wedge-shaped, widening upwards. CYLINDRICAL, formed like a round tube. DECIDUOUS, falling off. DECOMPOUND, divided yet further beyond tripinnate. DECURRENT, running downwards, as the base of a leaf down the stem. DEFLEXED, bending or curving downwards. DEHISCING, bursting open. DELTOID, trowel-, or triangular-spear-shaped. DENTATE, toothed. DEPAUPERATED, lessened ; contracted ; impoverished. DIAPHANOUS, transparent. DICHOTOMOUSLY, forked in two branches. DIGITATE, like the human fingers. DISTICHOUS, two-rowed or ranked. DORSAL, on the back. DORSIFEROUS, bearing seed on the back. EVERGREEN, retaining its leaves during the winter. EXANNULATE, ferns not having a ring round their seed-cases. EXSERTED, projected beyond the margin. FALCATE, shaped like a reaping-hook. FILIFORM, thread-shaped. FLABELLIFORM, fan-shaped, FLEXUOUS, winding ; crooked ; zigzag. FROND, the main stem oi a fern with its branches, &c. FRUCTIFICATION, ) the sori, spore-cases, and their FRUIT, / appendages. 104 GLOSSARY. FURCATE, forked. GIBBOUS, bulged out. GLABROUS, bald ; smooth. GLAUCOUS, hoary grey-green, like the back of a cab- bage-leaf. GRUMOUS, thick ; clotted. GYRATE, curled up. HABITAT, the native home of a plant, where it grows indigenously. HERBACEOUS, green and leafy. HYBRID, a mixed plant, composed of two species. HYBRIDIZATION, the commingling or running of plants of different species one with the other. IMBRICATED, laid one upon the other, like tiles. IMMERSED, sunk INDECIDUOUS, retaining its leaves during the winter, whether changed in their colour or not. INDUSIUM, the cover over the mass of spore-cases. INVOLUCRE, used by some writers for indusium. LACINIATED, jagged. LANCEOLATE, narrow- oblong -triangular above, and contracted again below ; lance-shaped. LATERAL, springing from the side of the root, stem, &c. LIGULATE, strap-shaped, like the blade of a paper- cutter. LINEAR, very narrow, with the two sides parallel. LOBED, divided more or less deeply down into scallops, or parts rounded at their edges. LOBE, scalloped portion of the leaf between its divi- sions ; or leaf itself, or branch, when not cut down quite to the stem; sometimes used for perfect leaf. GLOSSABY. LOAM, earth composed of chalk and clay. LUNATE, crescent-shaped. MEMBRANEOUS, ^ semi-transparent, and of the tex- MEMBRANOUS, > ture of skin, or very thin. MEMBRANACEOUS, ) parchment (membrana). MIDRIB, the main ridge or fibre running down the centre of the whole leaf. MONOPHYLLOUS, single-leafed ; undivided ; entire. MONSTER, an anomalous variety. MUCRONATE, ending abruptly in a sharp point. OBOVATE, egg-shaped, the small end downwards. OBSOLETE, contracted ; indistinct ; imperfect. OPPOSITE, springing from the same level on both sides of the stem. ORBICULAR, round ; globe-shaped. OVATE, egg-shaped, large end downwards. PALEACEOUS, chaffy ; husky. PANICLE, an irregular bunch of flowerets. PECTINATE, apart, like the teeth of a comb. PEDICEL, a little leaf-stalk. PEDICELLATE, having a little leaf-stalk. PELTATE, target-shaped. PENTAGONAL, five-angled or cornered. PERSISTENT, abiding in leaf during the winter. PETIOLE, leaf-stalk. PETIOLED, J PETIOLATED ' stalked' PH^ENOGAMOUS, plants whose flowers are apparent. PINNA, the lateral offshoot from the main stem. PINNATE, having lateral offshoots distinctly cut dowu to the stem. 106 GLOSSARY. PINNATIFID, having incomplete branches or leaves, their divisions not reaching down to the stem. PINNULE, the leaf on a branch. PISTIL, the centre organ in the interior of a flower or blossom. POLLEN", the fecundating farina in the anther of the higher plants. PROCUMBENT, lying down along the ground ; not springing upwards. PUBESCENCE, down, or woolly hair. PUBESCENT, clothed with soft wool, down, or hair. QUADRATE, squared. RACEME, a bunch of irregular flowerets. RACHIS, the main stem from the branches upwards ; sometimes used for the whole stem ; secondary or partial, the same correspondently on the branches. RECEPTACLE, the portion of the veins to which the spore-cases are attached. RECURVED, REFLEXED, turned or curved back RENIFORM, kidney-shaped. RETICULATED, of fine net-work texture. RHIZOME, the part under or on the ground from which the frond springs, or root commonly so called, to which the fibres or real roots are attached ; the caudex. RHOMBOIDAL, diamond-shaped, only rather broader one way than the other. ROOT, the main mass at the bottom of the plant whereout it grows, including the fibres. GLOSSARY. 107 SECUND, pointing one way. SEGMENT, divided portion of the leaf; or the leaf itself when joined to its neighbour by their bases ; lobe. SERRATE, toothed like a saw. SERRATURES, saw-like indentations. SESSILE, tapering off without any distinct leaf-stalk, and merging presently in the stem. SILICEOUS, composed of a flint-like substance. SIMPLE, single ; plain ; uncompounded. SINUATE, ) SINUOUS j bending '> crooked ; serpentine. SINUS, the inner end of an indentation. SORUS, an aggregated mass of thecse or spore-cases. SORIFEROUS, bearing the sori. SPINULOSE, spinous ; bristly. SPORES, organs resembling buds or seeds in the lower plants. STAMEN, pollen-bearing organs in the interior of a flower or blossom. STIGMA, the point of the pistil or style in the interior of a flower or blossom, receiving the pollen. STIPES, the stem or stalk of the frond. STOMATES, the respiratory pores or openings in the epidermis. STRIATED, scored or furrowed. SUB — prefixed, acts as a diminutive ; incompletely, in a modified degree. SUCCULENT, soft ; sappy ; pulpy. TERETE, square. TERMINAL, springing from the end of an organ. 108 GLOSSARY. TERNATE, three-branched or leaved at the same point. THECA, spore-case or vessel. TOMENTOSE, cottony. TORTUOUS, twisting ; winding ; crooked. TRAPEZIPORM, having four unequal sides. TRIDENTATE, triply-toothed. TRIFID, cleft into three. TRIPINNATE, having secondary branches themselves pinnate, or bearing on them lateral offshoots divided down to the stem. TRUNCATE, lopped off abruptly. TUFTED, clustered ; growing in bunches or swellings. UMBELLIFEROUS, where a number of stalks springing from one centre produce a round of flowerets above, umbrella-fashion. UNILATERAL, growing all on one side only. URCEOLATE, pitcher or vase-shaped. VASCULAR, consisting, or full of vessels. VEINS, the fibres, nerves, or ribs of a leaf. VENATION, mode of disposition or arrangement of the veins or nerves. VENULES, smaller veins or fibres. VERNATION, mode of growth of the young undeveloped frond. WINGED, having a thinner, slighter border, running down the side. ROBERT HARDWICKE, PRINTER, 192, PICCADILLY, W. Now ready, Price 2s. 6d. Plain, 4s. Coloured, |Mf-||0:u;rs ixritjj % A POPULAR GUIDE TO THE USE OF THE MICROSCOPE AS A MF. \ N'S OF AMUSEMENT AND INSTRUCTION. BY E. LANKESTEK, M. D., F.E.S. "With. Drawings of 240 Objects from Nature. BY TUFFEN WEST. Second Edition. CONTENTS : — Half an Hour on the Structure — Half an Hour in the Garden — Half an Hour in the Country — Half an Hour in Fresh Water — Half an Hour at the Seaside — Half an Hour Indoors — Appendix : the Preparation and Mounting of Objects. " ' HALF-HOTJRS WITH THE MICBOSCOPB, &c.'— Here is a little volume, but it is illustrated by engravings of 240 natural objects, as seen when subjected to the Microscope. This wonderful anatomy of sight divides clearly one blood corpuscle from another ; marks distinctions from the blood of a fowl and that of a frog; separates the filaments of the finest plants; delineates the beaded hair of the sow-thistle ; makes a picture of vine or potato blight ; pries into the pollen cells of the passion-flower; and searches the warm depths of the poppy. Then it dignifies into isolation the minutest hair on the ear of a mouse, the mouth of a flea, the fang of a spider, the eye of a fly, the smallest particle that goes to make up a drift of awandown. This magic gallery, through which the glance of amateur science will range delighted, is distributed into several compartments, otherwise chapters, in which the author discourses learnedly enough to cram a lecturer, but so simply, that he might instruct a child, on the structure of the Microscope ; on its application in the garden ; on what may be seen with its aid in the country ; on the world of life and beauty it opens up in fresh water ; on its powers at the seaside, or its witchery on the parlour table. The drawings are successively noti.'td, and every explanation is afforded that is necessary to the conversion of a youth or maid into a proficient microscopist. Manuals of elementary science are seldom so well adapted to please no less than to teach. The compiler of the volume has this conspicuous merit : that ho deals with wonders, and never exaggerates them." — Athenceum. " At a time when microscopic investigation has become so general, whether as a study or a hobby, the beautiful little volume before us cannot be otherwise than welcome. It is, in fact, a very complete manual for the amateur micro- scopist The 'Half-hours' are filled with clever and agreeable descrip- tions, whilst the plates, executed with the most beautiful minuteness and sharpness, exhibit no less than 210 objects, with the utmost attainable dis- tinctness."— Critic. " It is an elegant little book, and has no less than 240 illustrations by Mr. Tuflen West, whose very high standing as a man of science and a microscopic delineator, are such as to insure that correctness which is of so much import- ance in natural history illustrations. As a scientific book, it is the cheapest half-crown's worth ever published." — Liverpool Courier. LONDON : ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY. Mr. PLANCHE'S •WORK ON HERALDRY. Witkmore than Two HUNDRED Illustrations, from the most authentic Sources. Demy 8vo., Cloth, Price Six Shillings. Poit-free on receipt of Postage Stamps for the Published Price. HERALDRY FOUNDED ON FACTS; OR, THE PURSUIVANT OF ARMS. BY J. R. PLA.NCHE, ROUGE CBOIX. With additional Notes and Illustrations. "We welcome this volume as one of the many signs of an extending convic- tion of the practical utility of an acquaintance with early heraldry. It is an attempt to separate the chaff from the wheat, and to arrive at a knowledge of the usage of armorials from facts only ; discarding not only the fancies and puerile conceits of Gerard Legh, and those of the same school, both in past and present times, but also such as are found in the Book of St. Alban's, and the less imaginative treatises of Upton and De Bado Aureo. An excellent design is this, and well worthy of being fully carried into execution."— Journal of the Archaeological Institute. " A sensible and critical analysis of coats of arms in the form of history and exposition, guided by sound logic, extensive learning, and a pleasant style. The ' Pursuivant of Arms ' will not only furnish a rational and critical guide to the history of Heraldry, but serves as an introduction to its study." — Spectator. " From Mr. Planch^'s able and ingenious disquisition, which we may say is throughout profusely illustrated with woodcuts, we deduce, — First, that Heraldry appears as a science at the commencement of the thirteenth century, and that, although armorial bearings had then been in existence for some time, the precise date ol'th-sir first assumption has not been discovered. Secondly, that the object of those who assumed bearings was not, as it has been generally believed, tore- cord any achievement or to symbolize a virtue ; but to distinguish their persons or properties, in a manner to be easily recognized, and show their alliances and holdings. And, thirdly, that thus looked at, it is seen to have a new value, the importance of eliciting genealogical facts being admitted by all. We cordially recommend the work." — Suilder. LONDON: ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY. Fcp. 800., Coloured by hand, 4s. ; Plain, 2s. 6d. THE AQUAYIYAEITJM; FRESH AND MARINE. Being an account of the principles and objects involved in the domestic culture of WATEE PLANTS AND ANIMALS. " Beyond comparison the best work on the Fresh-water Aquarium." — Athenxum. " As comprehensive as clear writing and a free use of illustrations could make it." — Examiner. E. LANKESTER, M.D. Price Half a Crown. LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY; Or, Complete and Easy Description of the Manipulations and Apparatus necessary for the production of Landscape Pictures, Geological Sections, &c., &c., by the Calotype, Wet Collodion, Collodion-Albumen, Albumen-Gelatine, and Wax-paper Pro- cesses ; by the assistance of which an Amateur may at once commence the art. BY JOACHIM OTTE, F. G. S. Author of a " Short Cut to Photography." LONDON : ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY, W. DR. LANKESTER'S LECTURES. On the Uses of Animals in relation to the Industry of Man. FIRST COURSE. 1.— ON SILK. 2.— ON WOOL. 3. — ON LEATHER. 4.— ON BONE. 5. — ON SOAP. 6. — ON WASTE. SECOND COURSE. 7. — ON SHELLS AND SHELL FISH. 8. — ON SPONGES, CORALS, &c. 9. — ON FURS. it). — ON HOOFS AND HORNS. 11. — ON FEATHERS, QUILLS, AND WHALE-BONE. 12. — ON ANIMAL REFUSE. Price 2d. each Lecture, Is. each Course. Complete, bound in cloth, 2s. 6d. On Food. FIRST COURSE. 1. — ON WATER. 2. — ON SALT. 3. — ON HEAT-FORMING FOODS. 4. — ON OIL, BUTTER, AND FAT. 5. — ON FLESH.FORMING FOODS. 6. — ON ANIMAL FOOD. SECOND COURSE. 7. — ON CONDIMENTS & SPICES. 8. — ON WINES, SPIRITS, AND BEER. 9. — ON TEA, COFFEE, AND CHOCOLATE. 10. — ON TOBACCO AND OPIUM. 11. — ON THE ADULTERATION OF FOOD. 12. — ON ADULTERATION, con- tinued. Price 2d. each Lecture; 1*. each Course. Complete, bound in cloth, 2s. 6d. LONDON: EOBEKT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY, W. '