THE ROYAL BLADDER FERN. 



frond, pale-coloured except at the base which is brownish ; brittle, slender ; terminal and adherent to 

 the caudcx. Secondary raehis narrowly margined. 

 Vernation ciremate, 



Fronde three to six or eight inches long, herbaceous, bright pale green, erect, smooth, lanceolate, 

 bipinnate, or almost tripinnatc in luxuriant fronds. Pimm ovate, acute, unequal Pinnules bluntly 

 or sometimes acutely ovate, with a narrow stalk-like attachment, deeply pinnatifid ; the lobes linear or 

 linear-oblong, blunt, obscurely toothed, or sometimes with short distinct erect teeth which arc blunt - 

 pointed or re I use. In the larger pinnules the lobes, though still decurrcnt, and not truly separate, arc 

 distant and almost divided to the rachis, producing almost a tripinnatc mode of division. 



Vamtion of the pinnules consisting of a straightish mid vein, with alternate lateral branches (mW) 

 directed into each lobe, and there again branching into several tmutcs, which terminate in the rctusc 

 apices of the teeth, and are thus apparently directed towards the marginal sinuses* 



Fructification scattered over the back of the frond. Sori numerous, sometimes crowded, small, 

 round, medial on the veins, indusiate* fwiusium a small delicate transparent membrane, which is 

 ovate acute, slightly jagged in front, attached behind the son, projected forwards over them, and at 

 length reflcxed. Sjiore+ea$e& roundish-obovatc. Spores oblong, cchinate. 



Duration. The eaudex is |>orcnniai. The fronds are annual, appearing in Slav and perishiii" 

 in autumn. 



As the plant found at Leyton is generally admitted to be the Polypodium regium of Liuiueus, while 

 it is certainly also the /\ alpinnm of Wulfen, it seems proper to adopt, as Presl has done, the older 

 specific name. Linmeus's specimen, however, it must be observed, is unsatisfactory as evidence in 

 support of this view. 



There is no doubt the plant is distinct from 0. fragilis, being analogous in size with the smaller 

 forms of that species, but more finely divided. The segmental of its pinnules are either narrow-oblon** 

 or linear, and the teeth are either blunt or more commonly emarginate; the veins very frequently 

 terminating in the notch at the apex of the tooth, instead of at the projecting point of the tooth, as in 

 C.fraffiiif. 



It is an easily grown plant, either in well-drained jwts of free open soil, such as light loam and turfv 

 peat with sand; or in good,/, e. sheltered situations well drained, and with congenial soil, in open 

 rockeries- It is more liable than the allied plants to suffer from damp while at rest in winter, and 

 hence should not be too much watered at that season, There is no other dilliculty in cultivating it> and 

 it is increased with facility by division* 



The plants occasionally produce forked fronds, but there is no permanent variety known. 



