BRITISH FERNS AND THEIR VARIETIES 71 



small clump of this, containing many hundreds of plants, on the 

 chalk downs, amongst furze, &c., and looking quite native. It 

 may probably be, as suggested by Mr. Dunn {Alien Flora, p. 169), 

 a native of England, as it grows in Normandy, &c., in similar dry 

 chalky situations. Other native stations in England would appear 

 to be Dover, Kent (Fl. Kent, Hanb. & Marsh., p. 308) ; W. Glos. 

 (Journ. Bot. 1908, p. 358) ; near Sulham Wood, Berks (Fl. Berks., 

 Druce, p. 438) ; and Whitbarrow, Westmorland (Eng. Bot. ed. 3, 

 viii. p. 106).— C. E. Salmon. (See also Eept. B. E. C. 1909, p. 469.) 



British Ferns and their Varieties. By Charles T. Druery, F.L.S. 

 Illustrated with 40 Coloured Plates, 96 Nature Prints and 

 319 Woodcuts and other Illustrations. 8vo, cl. pp. xi. 458, 

 price 7s. 6d. net. Eoutledge & Sons [not dated] . 



In this heavy and handsome volume Mr. Druery gives us 

 what is undoubtedly the most complete enumeration in existence 

 of the varieties of British ferns, with the growth and study of 

 wdiich his name has for a long period been associated. The term 

 "variety," as applied to ferns, has a signification differing widely 

 from its meaning in connection with phanerogams ; however 

 insufficient may be the grounds on which these latter are esta- 

 blished, their importance is immeasurably greater than that which 

 suffices for fern "varieties," which include forms, variations, and 

 monstrosities. Looking through the hundreds of names in this 

 volume — some of them sufficiently odd (e. g. Blechnum spicant 

 concinnum Druery and B. s. cristatum Huddart) and many con- 

 sisting as do these of four words — one is impelled to wonder 

 what can be the use of thus distinguishing plants for which 

 practically no character is or can be given : for example, all that 

 we are told of the last-named is " Fine crested form found 

 Windermere." Some names are even odder than these and the 

 information given is even less : for example — " B. s. serratum 

 Airey No. 1 : the parent of 2^^umosum Airey ; a markedly serrate 

 form, but not tripinnate." The meaning is at times obscure : e.g. 

 " Polypodium vulgare cornuhiense. Found in Cornwall by Mr. 

 White and others, as a result of which'''' it has also been named 

 elegantissimum and Whitei." This is a curious plant, " producing 

 indiscriminately three kinds of fronds, viz. perfectly normal ones, 

 very finely cut ones, consisting of tripinnate or even quadripinnate, 

 very narrow segments, and a coarser type of these ; one and the 

 same frond may display all three types of cutting ; the spores 

 invariably yield the same inconstant form." Some other varieties 

 are certainly very extraordinary — e. g. Athyrium Filix-foimina 

 Victoria, of which three figures are given, with an interesting 

 account of its discovery : " This remarkable fern comes quite 

 true from spores as regards its cruciate and cristate character, 

 but we have never seen a seedling the size of the original, the 

 fronds of which we have had over a yard long." 



• Italics are ours. 



