THE LADY FE 
53 
the common forms of the species in being nearly prostrate and very rigid. ‘The scales, which thickly 
clothe the lower portion of the stipes, are of an intense brown colour, almost black. The fronds, 
which are sub-bipinnate, vary much in size, and are exactly lanceolate, the shortening of the pinna: from 
the centre of the frond being equal, both towards the apex and the base. The pinn taper but little 
from the rachis for two-thirds of their length, and from thence into 
somewhat acuminate point. 
‘The pinnules are crowded and overlapping, oblong and blunt, and simply notehed, 
4, stenodon (М). А very elegant form of small size, 
ing from one foot to а foot and a half in 
height. The pinnules are united by a na 
row wing along the rachis, and are approximate, linear 
oblong, pinnatifid with toothed lobes below, simply toothed above, the teeth 
‚pienously nar 
and somewhat elongated. "The rachis is palo dull red. It has been communicated from Ilfracombe, by 
tho Rev. J. М. Chanter, and from Gomshall, by Mr. E. Morse. The м 
ss are pale tawny brown ; but 
able 
athered on Snowdon, by Mr. W. Pamplin, and. 
in a closely allied plant, from Devonshire, they are black. ‘The fine elegant toothi 
5. acuminatum (М). A very curious dwarf variety, 
constant under cultivation. It has a short stipes, with narrow contorted scales; fronds rather more 
than a foot high ; and somewhat 
'owded pinnæ, ending in a longish serrated acumen. ‘The pinnules are 
distinct, but decurrent, oblong but often narrowed below, crowded, patent, pinnatifid below, and cut 
around the blunt apex into longish acute teeth. Tt is altogether a slender-looking and elegant plant, 
Mr. E. J. Lowe has sent a similar form from Clitheroe, Lancashire 
6. excurrens (М). The general appearance of this plant is that of molle, but the points of the pinnas, 
and sometimes of the pinnules and tecth, run out into dia 
hanous hair-like points, which have the 
appearance of being an exeurrent growth of the veins. It was found at Tunbridge Wells in 1853, and 
acombe by the Rev. J. M. 
is cultivated by Mr. Wollaston. А similar variety has been found near If 
Chanter 
7. pruinosum (ML), This resembles the moderately developed growths of molle, but has the stipes 
and rachides covered with small glands, which give them a hoary appearance, somewhat resembling 
pubescence, It occurs with both red and 
reen stipes. ‘The form, with red stipes, we found at Tarbet 
in Dumbartonshire; and a very similar plant was gathered by Dr. Allchin in the Isle of Маш 
Another state, rather moro Јах, and with pale green stipes, has been found by Dr, Allchin at Virginia 
Water, Surrey 
8. odontomanes (М.ф). A small form, growi 
a foot to а foot and a half high. It has broadly 
lanceolate fronds, short broad acuminate pin 
o, and rather distant patent pin 'urrent at the pos- 
ifid, the lobes toothed with 
terior base, deeply pinni ongated orlinear acute irregular teeth. ‘The most 
marked form was sent from Conistone, 
by Miss В. Beever. We have analo 
but narrower, found in Denbighshire by Mr. Pritehard 
others elosely aki t Virginia Water and in the 
Isle of Man, by Dr. Allehin ; and by ourselves at Glen Croe, in Argyleshire, and Tarbet, in Dumbarton 
shire, It may be regarded as a long-toothed and usually small, often narrow, form of the molle group. 
9. molle (Roth). The form, which we consider to be the A. molle of Roth, is a small plant of from 
one to two feet high, lax with rather distant pinus; the pinnules oblong bluntish, having a broad 
attachment, and more or less obviously connected at the base by the narrow wing of the rachis ; they 
are pinnatifid, the lobes oblong, and the lowest two or thrco-toothod, tho rest notched or simple. The 
larger states of this form, in which the pinnules become more distant, rather less conspicuously united 
at the base, and rather more deeply toothed, correspond with a specimen of the Polypodium molte of 
Schreber, preserved in Sir J. E. Smith's herbarium. We believe it is not at all an u 
mmon plant, 
but it is met with under several conditions differing in size, and in the degree of toothing, and of con- 
the lar 
x forms merging into trifidum. 
fluence in the pinnule 
10. trifidum (Roth). This is a larger plant than molle, with more distinct pinnules, the latter of 
ut half way to the midrib 
an oblong lanceolate form, rather larger at the base on the anterior side, an 
into lobes, the majority of which, in the typical states, are entire at the edges, and three-lo 
