THE SOFT PRICKLY SHIELD FERN. 



UKOtiKAPllltMlf DISTRIBUTION.— Ilariv ar* but #<unty rwml» of the occurrence of thia Fern in tin* northern jart»of 

 Kuropr. It Itu been found in Sweden and Nomar. according to Fric*. In Scotland it u raw, becoming more 

 plentiful in England, wnwally toanrda the aotith, whew, aa in Ireland, it becomei abundant. It i* alao found 

 plentifully southward*.— in Franco, IWfiium, and T&rioui porta of Germane; on tho Pjrcntc*, and in Spain 

 {//*. Jttt&rr, nnd Ojo*.); in Tuwanr. Naples and o*bcr parta of Italy; in fircece (ML 7/o*cre, and .Uv*. ISrit.): 

 at the Dardanelles and on tho coast of the Mack Sea (for we hare no otaU that tho PJr/W;*- < M./mf* of ftnfcftl 

 from the former, la tlio promt *pceioa, rather than /*. act/U*i*nt, under which it b usually quoted, and with which 

 hu brief apeciaVj phrase much leaa accord*; and D'Unitb'a apectmena, gathered on tno *hom of the Blaeli Sea, 

 preferred under the name of act/fatitm in the- Muwum of Natural lliatorrat Pari*, of which wc Wo ami a aiclch, 

 unite sewed with the acute pinnulcd forma of J*. **pvfor+). In Aiia. it noutd appear to have been fimnd in (icorgia 

 nnd in the Province- of Gurirl, at the casern vitranity of tho Black Sea; and thence it Otfcud* to India, where It t* 

 found in Kaahnair (//*. & Smiik) t Simla, Kliaiiya, Kumaon, in the ralley of Indua at Haiti, and in North We»l 

 India (//ft. lftnlvr)i aa well a* in Nepal and M*dra» (//*. /, 6W/A), Singapore and Java yield cognate formi 

 harety acparablo cither from thi* aporai* or /\ aeult*tmm 4 and the nno appear rouiuon otcr India* In aome of there 

 tropical fornw t owing to tho teat ore of the Kurctpean 4twfr*7vr« being found aaaociatcd in tho vara* iitdiridual with Ihe 

 Outline aixl atpcet of the European «m/k/iw, it it dilllcull.. if not impracticable, to point out the limita of tho two* In 

 AWea,aFcrn<|uileaeeordant nilhthe Uhtiali plant, occur* la the Canary * Wanda, Madeira, and the Awr**j alao, :.l 

 AbTtiania (//*. ffrotrr), on the African coatl of tho Mediterranean according to KunAe. and at Natal (//A. jtrqpr*). 

 From America Dr* Gray reporta it aa occurring in varioua part* of the United Stain; it n found in New England, 

 and haa al*o Item gathered at &ika (//ft. //colvr) ; and forma almost, if not quite identknl* occur in Guatemala 

 {Ul. IfWvr) \ in Mexico. New Granada, and OantCCU (//*. J. SmUi). 



Cauda thick tufted, scaly, erect or decumbent, formed of the bases of the decayed fronds 

 surrounding a woody axis, to the apex of which the fronds arc attached and adherent, i. c„ not 

 articulated ; this [>art sometimes becomes lengthened, acquiring a trunk-like character, in very 

 luxuriant old plant*. Scutes similar to those borne on tho stipes. F&m numerous, strong, coarse, 

 branched, dark coloured, tomentose. 



SUjm rather lengthened, usually from four to six inches long, sometimes considerably longer, 

 densely scaly, with long lanceolate-acuminate and linear-lanceolate scales of a reddish -tawny colour 

 and dry membranous texture; these again intermixed with numerous others, both smaller hair-like 

 ones and addressed ciliated scurf-like ones, which nro continued over the rachis; the larger ami 

 broader ones gradually diminishing from the base upwards* Ritcltis prominent, rounded behind, 

 slightly channelled in front, shaggy, with tho numerous hair-like scales already mentioned. 



Vernation eireinate, the main rachis becoming recurved when (ho frond is about half developed, the 

 pilUUC convolute towards the main rachis. 



Frond from two to four or live feet high, and from seven to ten inches across at the broadest part, 



herbaceous or suhrigid, full green above, paler beneath, usually lax, spreading and more or less arched 



or drooping, numerous, arranged in a circlet around the crown, lanceolate, bi- or tri-pinnate, Pinnm 



numerous, nearly linear, rather broadest at the base, tapering towards and acuminate at the apex, 



alternate, sometimes distant* the basal ones usually diminishing somewhat in length, but in some plants 



longest Pinnules somewhat crescentrshaped, t. e. f ovate-falcate, with a strong anterior auricle or 



projecting lobe, flat, acute or bluntish, distinctly often deeply serrated on the margins, the sevratures 



tipped with a soft slender spine or bristle, which is more strongly dovclo]>cd at the apex of the pinnule 



and of tho auricle ; the base is not toothed, but is somewhat rounded on the posterior side, truncate, 



but with a convexity on the side parallel with the rachis, so that the base becomes an obtuse angle 



with slightly curving sides; at the base of this angle is a short but distinct slender stalk diverging 



from the rachis at an angle of about 45* by which the pinnules are attached to the rachis of tho piniue. 



The basal anterior pinnule is usually somewhat, often much larger than tho rest, and is in some 



plants deeply piimatilid or even pinnated, and occasionally other pinnules near the base of the piniue 



arc divided more or less deeply. The under surface of the pinnuloa is furnished with line scattered 



hair-like scales. 



Venation of the pinnules consisting of a (lcxuous midvein with alternate veins or branches ; these 

 trim are furcately branched, producing two, three, or more Wnitfw. The anterior venule of the 

 fascicle is that which bears the sorus, at or very near to its apex. The auricle has a stronger vein, 

 which is pinnately branched, producing several simple or forked venules, of which some three or four 

 bear sorL 



Am I 



