^o5 



THE DECORATIVE VALUE OF OUR 

 NATIVE FERNS.— III.' 



The Hartstongue varieties which conform to the 

 requirements of decorative beauty and general hardi- 

 ness may, perhaps, be grouped under three heads 

 — those which are forked and forked again, until each 

 frond, instead of being single, looks like a set of 

 plumes (5. v. dlgitatwn and S. v. rauio-digifatuin are 

 typical of this group) ; then there are those whose 

 fronds break into rich and full cresting at the top, 

 5. V. cvistaUim Millett and S. v. covonatuui are both most 

 effective ; lastly, and, in my view, the more lovely of the 

 section, are those which come under the head of Cvispnm. 

 Here the straight edge of the frond becomes affected. In 

 the simpler forms it shows a gentle undulation. As the 

 variation becomes more complex, the side line shapes 

 itself into rich deep frills, whose setting might rival the 

 symmetry of an Elizabethan ruff. S. v. cvispuin, S. v. 

 cvispnm vobustiun, and 5. v, cvispuin gvande Wills are the 

 elite of this section. 



Among the Lady Ferns, those which rank highest 

 cannot well be included here. The wonderful plumose 

 varieties, which Mr. Druery has done so much to develop, 

 do not attain perfection without glass. But the Axminster 

 variety, from which most of them have sprung, is as hardy 

 as it is graceful, and, with regard to others, the only 

 difficulty is selection. Here are a few of the gems: — 

 Athyviiim Filix-jocmiim Vevnoniae cvistata sets off the green 

 of its pinnulets and crests by the contrasts of deep-brown 

 midribs ; the Acvocladon group baffles description, so mar- 

 vellous are the branching summits ; A . f.f. Victoviae is 

 believed to have no parallel in the fern world. All its 

 divisions, even to the pinnules, are in pairs ; one of each 

 pair grows up, the other down ; they cross one another, 

 and are tasseled at the extremities. The whole presents the 

 appearance of an elaborate chequer-work pattern set off 

 '■^Reprinted by permission of The Guiydian. 



