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Plate IX. 



THE ALPINE SHIELD FERN, or HOLLY FERN 



(POLYSTICHOM LoNCHITIs). 



POLYSTICHUM, Roth. Schott. 



Clusters of Sporc-atsw circular, medial, rarely terminal on the venules, covered by an 

 indusiuni, or membranous scale Indusium orbicular, peltate, uc t , attached at 

 or near its centre, the margin becoming free. Veins pinna to- furcate ; venules 

 direct disunited at their extremities the lower anterior one in each fascicle, on 

 the fertile ]>arts of the frond, tearing a soma 



P. LONCHrtiS: fronds pinnate, narrow linear -lanceolate, rigid; pinna; falcately lanceo- 

 late, acute, spinoscly ciliato-scrrato, the upper ones auricled at tlio base on the 

 upper side, obliquely wedge-shaped or rounded on the lower ; the lowest ones 

 often with both an anterior and posterior auricle, 



I\i: vMii urn LoXcniTi*, Rot*, Fior* Gtra*nka t iii 7 L Jfrvii*, Fhrifmftfa firt/.MJt»ro, ir. W TfaUn$te* t 

 tfafawJ if BrirUk Btfany, 411. Sowrif, Af^ 30, t. 13. 4 \7«aa, JlUtay tf DrilU* Per**, 101. 

 Jfcorc, IlcnJUel of JSrifUh F<rru r S3. JW, lr*/***» iVer**kjroa*£* f 65. i*> t 0/^ #/»>«*, 278, 



POKHVrODIITU Loxcimtfl, ten****, Sprtttf Plantar**, !$(*. &xut* t E*ytit* £&(*#$, iiL 1. 707. /;M ftli&t 



BriUmk+tttU 10. 



A*fimvh Loycuiu*, $**rt* t &*r*aV# Jommalflr Sit JVnftnfr, 1S0O, U. 30, &*iM t Jtfan* Brit***ir+ Ills ; 

 i;*$luh J7o/«, (t. 271. Hoe&er ami Araott t BritUh £7o/u, 5tK Maclay, Pforx HiUr*if* f 333. &MmIr f 

 A'rj^oyamkra* OrtrorAaf, 29, t, W. 'FiHdrno*, Sp«i<4 PUtUrum, t. 221. jpmjrf, ^tfe*« 

 rryHahitium, ir. 07. 



Aanmtu Atrcivv, flrt»y t X*i*rtii Jrra*ff**mt if Britiit Pfrafr, ii. & 



EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE. 

 Putt IX.— ro<LT*iiciiru Loxcutri*; from Ben BulbcD, Sligo, Ireland, .V, A llarJ* 



IIABITAIV-Tlri* Fcni »aj be considered u an alpine roefc-ftab It U abundant on the rooantain* of tho Scottian 

 Highland*, whw it ha* a Tango of from about 1200 foci to upw*nl> of 3000 tcei (1100 jant*, flaton) above tao wi- 

 ll c!c*d-ncU to about 1500 feet In YorLahire. It* aoutbern ascertained Limit U in North Wilw, tu tbo count* of 

 Carnarvon. It it found a-*io in Yorkshire and the Uko ilUlricl, and more abundantlr in the Highland* of Scotland, 

 it* northern limit b*in;r; Itouobirc and SutWrtandthtre, or norhaua Orkney, from which it baa been reported. In 

 Inland it ii found in the countic* of Donegal, Lei trim, Sligo. Hotth, anJ Kerry, There are dubious report* of it* 

 having been (net with In the Seolliah Ltv*laudi (Lanark dure), in South Walew (GLinwrgaiudiirc), and in tbo dutrict 

 of tbo Ouao in Kngland (Ca*nbridKi*«liiiP p Nortbamntoothiro). bnt Ibrao Iftoaliti^t all nerd eonClmaiion. 



GKOGRATllICAh UISTKIBUTION^ The Holly Kern would appear to bo oatcnaivd/ dijilnliulod over Europo. <-noe!aUy 

 In tbo northern and central portion*, occurring in Iceland <//*, Li*JI*y) t l^planJ, Siroden, Denmark, Kunia, 

 Oemanr, Hungary, Great Britain and Ireland, France, Switzerland, lialr, and aontaward* Into Spain {lib, 7Te*&rr t 

 and Mm*. Par.), and Grccoo (J/4. J/coAW, and Jfu#. Brit.)* In Aaw ( it ocetira in Kmhmir (//o. J. &*//*), on tbo 

 Bitbvnian Oljmpu* (i/ft. linker), and on the Uoatian AlUi range, calmdioa; a* far a* Kanitcliatka \ wbeaco itpaaaca 

 to the KocLy Mounlaim m North- Wot Atncrica (//*. /lo^lr/). A doaclc-rclated ipoele*, Ibo AfpMiva Mwajfuai of 

 Kaulfut ■, intermediate between & Zone**/** and IKf«tti*dlmm of Madeira, b found in California, and at N'ootka Sound. 



Candex thick, slowly elongating, erect or decumbent^ consisting of the densely packed bases of 

 decayed fronds surrounding a central woody axis, and clothed in the upper part with the numerous 

 scales which rcmnin about the base* of the stipes. Fibres stout, rigid, branched, dark brown. 



Stipts usually short, from half an inch to two inches, or sometimes in Welsh specimens three inches 

 in length, clothed with largo ovate or broadly-lanceolate reddish-brown pointed chnlly scales ; terminal 

 and adherent to the eaudex. Itachis densely scaly, with narrower lanceolate and subulate pallid scales. 



Vernation circinato. 



Frond, from six to eighteen, or rarely twcnty*four inches in length, deep green, paler beneath, of 

 rigid leathery texture, erect or pendulous according to the conditions of growth, linear-lanceolate, 

 pinnate. Pinnco undivided, numerous, with one of the margins, usually the anterior one, lw?nt back 

 from the plane of the rachis and usually crowded, so that when the frond ia llattcncd they become 



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