i8a JOHN GOODYER 



towards the top, in number about twenty paire ; for the most part 

 towards the root they grow by couples, almost opposite, the neerer 

 the top the further from opposition : the nerves bearing the leaves, 

 the longest were two inches and a quarter long, and so shorter and 

 shorter toward the tops of the side branches : about twentie in 

 number on each side of the longest side branch. The leaves grow 

 for the most part by couples on the nerve, eight or nine paire on 

 a nerve ; each leafe being gashed by the sides, the gashes ending 

 with sharpe points, of a deep green on the upper side, on the under 

 side paler, and each leafe having two rowes of dusty red scales, 

 of a browne or blackish colour : toward the top of the maine stalke 

 those side branches change into nerves, bearing only the leaves. 

 When the leaves are at their full growth, you may sec in the 

 middest of them at their roots the said scaly folding cluster ; and 

 as the old leaves with their blacke threddy roots wholly perish, 

 they spring up ; most yeares you may finde many of the old leaves 

 grecne all the Winter, especially in warme places. This groweth 

 plentifully in the boggy shadowie moores neere Durford Abbey in 

 Sussex, and also on the moist shadowie rockes by Mapledurham 

 in Hampshire, neere Petersfield ; and I have found it often on the 

 dead putrified bodies and stems of old rotten okes, in the said 

 moores ; neere the old plants I have observed verie many small 

 yong plants growing, which came by the falling of the seed from 

 those dusty scales : for I beleeve all herbes have seeds in them- 

 selves to produce their kindes, Gen. i. ii. & 12. — MS. f. 13*^-9; 

 Ger. cmac. 11 29. 



[I thought to have called this Dryopteris, but that is described by 

 Cordus and Tragus to be a very small tender feme not above 

 9 inches high with creeping roots like those of Polypodium 

 {erased).'] — MS. f. 138. 



The three other have but a twofold division, the many stalks and 

 the nerves bearing the leaves. The roots of them all are blacke 

 fibrous threds like the first, their maine stalks grow many thicke 

 and close together at the root, as the first doth : the difference is 

 in the fashion of their leaves, and manner of growing, and for 

 distinctions sake I have thus called them : 



Male Shield-fern. A spidmm Filix-mas Sw. 

 Filix mas non ramosa pinnulis latis densis minutim dentatis. 



4 Julii 1633 

 The leaves are of a yellowish greene colour on both sides, set 



