THE DWARF ADDERS TONfiUE. 



fVrtik hvaneh erect, teller than tho barren, consisting of a spike, supported on a longish stalk which 

 is thickened upwards and becomes broad, fleshy, and flattened nt the base of the spike; spike linear- 

 oblong, npieulate, about half an incli long, often rather widened a little above the base, fleshy, and 

 bearing along each margin from three to six spore-eases. A barren frond generally accompanies the 

 fertile frond, and sometimes more than one fertile frond is produced from one crown. 



Venation of Uic barren branch, consisting of a series of uniform veins (no midvein) furcately 

 branching; so as to produce a scries of nearly parallel venules, which here and there auastomoso 

 forming a few long narrow arcolcs. There are apparently no free included vcinlcte. 



Fructification occupying the margins of the spike- Spore-cases smooth, spherical, without rings or 

 reticulations, embedded in a single series of from three to six, in each margin of the spike, bursting 

 transversely- Spores smooth, roundish or angular, pale-coloured. 



Duration. The crown and roots appear to be iwrcnnial, though it has been suggested that tlicy 

 are biennial The perennial character of tho plant may perhaps be maintained by the successive 

 production of crowns. Tho habits of the whole group OphioglosMic&c arc t however, little known- The 

 fronds are annual, growing up in winter, and fully developed by the middle of January. 



Tins curious little plant, one of the most recent additions to the list of British species, may lx> known 

 from the Common Adder's Tongue by its small size, its thick fleshy texture, and tho narrow outline of 

 the sterile branch of its frond. The plants average about a couple of inches in height, and rarely 

 exceed three inches. It is an extremely interesting plant; and wo think may fairly be allowed to 

 remain separate from 0. vulytdum — unless indeed in the Vegetable kingdom we must adopt the rule of 

 combining under the name of a species a lengthened scries of widely dissimilar forms, if they happen 

 to be at all seemingly connected ; a practice, which at the least would be equally inconvenient with the 

 more fashionable mania for subdivision and separation. As in other simplc-frondcd genera, the species 

 are, however, really difficult of limitation, 



The most successful attempts that have been made to cultivate this little plant have consisted in 

 Inking up the plant, in little clods of soil, and planting them in a compost of sandy lonm, which 

 resembles the soil in which they naturally grow. Tn this way, the plants may be occasionally preserved 

 and induced to reappear at the projwr season ; but like all the allied species it ran hardly be considered 

 as a manageable plant in the cultivators hands. 





rm; km> 



mmiKi rtiiLxiLuvAiti to Tim qr**,*. 



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