^g'-'l Lucas, Ferns Gvoivn in the Open. 



93 



and imported species have alike thriven with a minimum of 

 wilting. One rarely meets with seedlings of P. aqiiilina in the 

 bush. I came across several at Clarence, about the highest 

 point on the Blue Mountains. The young fronds were so 

 delicate and finely divided, and of so pale a green, that I was 

 doubtful whether the plants were really young bracken. 

 However, I brought one home and planted it in a favoured 

 situation, and it soon threw out thick rhizomes, and had to be 

 removed 'or it would have trampled over its more delicate 

 neighbours. Now it is a typical bracken fern. P. tremula, 

 " the Australian Bracken," as it appears to be called by 

 British nurserymen, does not run like P. aquilina, but grows 

 very speedily into a tall bush with copious fronds, and is useful 

 in sheltering more tender ferns. I have a number of plants, 

 and they have all put out fertile fronds. In the bush-house 

 it propagates profusely from spores, which easily germinate 

 in the original or in adjacent pots. Out of doors the ground 

 is too much disturbed, as a rule, for the spores to germinate. 

 P. falcata is a ground-runner, and soon spreads. It has never 

 required any special attention, but forms effective clumps in 

 the lower-lying beds. I have two or three plants of the variety 

 nana. These have so far (for a year) maintained their dwarf 

 habit. Some plants which I grew formerly in a box in the 

 bush-house did gradually in the course of three or four years 

 revert into the larger form of the type. There are several 

 plants of P. paradoxa, from seedlings (I believe), with one simple 

 frond to full-grown ferns with creeping rhizome and several 

 pinnate leaves. The neatly cut, shapely fronds are of a deep 

 green, and the ferns look well massed. Not one seemed to feel 

 the heat adversely, but they were well shaded. P. incisa 

 rather resented moving, but, once established, grew rapidly, 

 with stout rhizomes and large fronds. These feel the heat. 

 At the end of the summer plants growing in the wild state in 

 the crannies of the rocks in railway cuttings or similar situations 

 show a good many withered fronds. Now that the rains are 

 falHng the plants appear to be in the best of health, and are 

 growing out vigorously. The fronds are of a particularly 

 refreshing green, and are large enough to give shelter to other 

 ferns. P. iimhrosa grows along the banks of running creeks 

 in good soil. It grows slowly at first when transplanted, but 

 finally becomes very tall and strong. It takes several years 

 to produce spores ; in fact, I have never myself found fertile 

 fronds in my hunting. My oldest plant, grown by me for 

 three years, was scorched badly by the sun, so that I do not 

 expect to see fertile fronds this year. We must be patient. 

 P. quadriaurita was sensitive, and, curiously, more so than the 

 argyrea variety sold by the florists. This white-striped variety 



