1 42 iT^e Ufeful Family HerhaL 



whole Plant is often three Feet wide. On the 

 Edges of thefe little Leaves, Hand the Seeds in 

 fmall dufty Cluflers. But they are not fo frequenc 

 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 necefTary, and 

 ivhere it is fo, they are always produced more 

 Iparing'ly* 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 frefli gathered, and 

 made into a Dcco<5lion, 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. 



S 



OSMUNDA REGALJS. 



It 



■pHere is Icmething that at firfl Sight appears 

 ■^ lingular 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 conftrucled, and very beautiful; they 

 are compofed in the Manner of the other Ferns, 

 each of feveral'fmall ones, and thefe are broader 

 and bi<is:er than in any of the other kinds, not 



at all indented on the Edges ; and of a bluifh green 

 Colour, and afterguards 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 uppct 

 Part : They cover the whole Surface of the Leaf, 

 or nearly io in this Part, and the little Pihnulea 

 turn round inwards, and fhew their Backs rounded 



r 



up. Thefe are brown from being covered v/ith 



Steds, and they have fo different an 



nee 



