142 The Ufeful Family Herbal. 
whole Plant is often three Feet wide. On the 
Edges of thefe- little Leaves, ftand the Seeds in 
fmall dufty Clufters. But they are not fo frequent 
on this, as on the Male Fern, for Nature has fo 
well provided for the Propagation of this Plant by 
the Roots, that the Seeds are lefs neceflary, and 
where it is fo, they are always produced more 
fparingly. A certain Quantity of every ‘Species 
is to be kept up, but the Earth is not to be over- 
run with any. 
The Roots of female Fern frefh gathered, and 
made into a Decoétion, are a Remedy againft that 
long and flat Worm in the Bowels, called the 
Tape-Worm, no Medicine deftroys them fo effec- 
tually. | 
FLOWERING FERN. 
OSMUNDA REGALIS, 
IT Here is fomething that at firft Sight appears 
fingular in the Manner of this Fern’s flow- 
ering, but when particularly examined, it is not 
different in any thing material from the other. It 
grows three Feet high, and the Leaves are very 
regularly conftruéted, and very beautiful; they 
are compofed in the Manner of the other Ferns, 
each of feveral fmall ones, and thefe are broader 
_ and bigger than in any of the other kinds, not 
at all indented on the Edges ; and ofa bluifh green 
Colour, and afterwards yellowifh. Many Leaves 
_ arife from the fame Root, but only fome few of 
_ them bear Seeds. Thefe principally rife about the 
Middle; and the Seeds ftand only on the upper 
Part: They cover the whole Surface of the Leaf, 
or nearly fo in this Part, and the little Pinnules 
turn round inwards, and thew théir Backs rounded 
up. Thefe are brown from being covered with 
the Seeds, and they have fo-different an Appear- 
ance 
