BRITISH FERNS. 



59 





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apply its name to a plant, which, whether a species or variety, 

 does not possess its distinguishing character. 



The figure above represents the normal or triangular form. 

 The root is black, fibrous, and very tenacious, and growing, as is 

 frequently the case, on decayed trees, or on the stumps in hedge- 

 rows, it is extremely difficult to get out entire ; on rocks, and 

 among stones, it adheres with a similar tenacity ; but in woods 

 and forests, where it frequently abounds among the dead leaves, 

 it can find no substance to which to attach itself, and is conse- 

 quently removed with the greatest ease. The rhizoma is large, 

 tufted, black, and very scaly. The fronds appear in March, and, 

 although so early, are rarely injured by the frost ; new fronds 

 succeed throughout the summer : they all appear to attain 

 maturity in September, and continue perfectly green and 

 vigorous throughout the winter. All the fronds are fertile, or, 

 if otherwise, there is no perceptible difference in their characters. 



The normal form of the frond is triangular, and, however it 

 may vary, we always find it has the lower pinnae very ample, 

 sometimes, indeed, not larger than the second or third pair, but 

 never abbreviated or diminished, as we see it in the other species of 

 this genus. Rather less than half the rachis is usually naked, 

 and this has invariably black chaffy scales scattered more or less 

 abundantly throughout its length : it is very large at the base, 

 a character preeminently distinguishing this species. The frond 

 is pinnate ; the pinnae are also pinnate, and the pinnulse are 

 either pinnatifid or pinnate, and the first lower pinnula of each 

 pinna is invariably larger, longer, and more divided than the 

 rest ; all the divisions or serratures of the frond end in a short 

 spine. The size is extremely various ; I have frequently seen 

 fronds three feet in length, and as frequently observed them less 

 than six inches. 



