368 FERN FAMILY. 



» Fronds twice pinnalifid: the sessile pinnae mostly forming an irregular and 

 maiiy-iingltd wing along the rhachis. 



P. polypodioid.es, formerly PoLYPODiuM Piieg6pteris. Common N. : 

 fronds 4' -9' long, longer than broad, triangular-ovate, slightly hairy beneath; 

 pinnae lanceolate, the lower pair turned obliquely forwards ; secondary divisions 

 crowded, oblong, obtuse, entire; fruit-dots all near the margin. 



P. hexagonoptera. Common N. & S. : larger than the last, which it 

 much resembles, but the frond is broader than long ; lowest pinna) much the 

 largest and with elongated and pinnatifid divisions ; fruit-dots not exclusively 

 near the margin. 



* * Fronds with three primary divisions, which are stalked, rhachis wingless. 



P. Dryopteris. Common N. : fronds broadly triangular, 4' -6' wide, 

 smooth ; the three primary divisions triangular, once or twice pinnate with ob- 

 long obtuse entire or toothed lobes ; fruit-dots near the margin. 



15. ASPIDIUM, SHIELD-FERN. (Greek for a little shield, referring to 

 the indusium.) — A very large genus, inhabiting all parts of the world. 



§ 1, NErHR6DiUM or Dkyopteris. Indusium round-kidney-shaped or nearly 

 circular with a narrow cleft from the lower side almost to the centre. 



* Fronds thickish, simply pinnate, the few pinnce entire or nearly so. 



A. Sieb61dii. Cult, from Japan : fronds coriaceous, smooth, about 1°. 

 high, with 2-4 pairs of side pinnae, each 4' -6' long and nearly 1' wide, and a 

 terminal one rather larger than the others ; veins with 4-6 free parallel branch- 

 es ; fruit-dots large, scattered in several rows. 



« * Fronds thin, decaying in early autumn (or tender hot-house plants), pinnate : 

 pinncE simply pinnatifd with mostly entire obtuse lobes : indusium small. 



■*- Roofstock creeping, slender, nearly naked and bearing scattered fronds : veins 

 free, simple or once forked : wild species, common in bogs and low grounds. 



A. Thel^pteris. Fronds lanceolate, 10' -18' long, on slender stalks, 

 nearly smooth; pinnae lanceolate, 2' -4' long, about' |' wide, spreading or 

 turned down, the lowest pair scarcely shorter ; divisions oblong, fmiting ones 

 seeming acute from the revolute margins ; veins mostly forked ; fruit-dots con- 

 fluent when ripe ; indusium smooth. 



A. Noveboracense. Much like the last, but hairy beneath along the 

 rhachis and veins ; fronds tapering both ways from the middle ; lower pinnae 

 gradually smaller and distant ; lobes flat, the basal ones often larger and incised ; 

 veins rarely forked ; fruit-dots distinct ; indusium slightly glandular. 



■*- -t- Rootstock oblique or erect, stouter, bearing the fronds in a crown : veins simple, 

 free, or the lower ones of contiguous lobes united: indusium hairy. 



A. patens. Low shady grounds, Florida and W. : fronds l°-2° high, 

 sparsely pubescent, ovate-oblong; pinnae 3' -6' long, ^' wide, numerous, lance- 

 olate from a broad base, lowest pairs a little smaller ; divisions oblong, slightly 

 falcate, obtuse or acutish ; veins entirely free ; indusium slightly hairy. 



A. mdlle. Cult, from tropical countries : very much like the last, but ev- 

 erywhere downy or sott-hairy ; pinnae less deeply lobed ; lobes obtuse ; lower 

 veinlets (1 or 2 pairs) uniting with the corresponding ones of contiguous lobes 

 and sending out a ray-like veinlet to the sinus ; indusium very hairy. 



» * * Fronds smooth, from once to thrice pinnate, growing in a crown from a 

 stout and chaffy rootstock, and often remaining green through the winter : 

 veins 2 - 4-forked or branching. Wild species of the country. 



■*- Fronds imperfectly evergreen, once pinnate with deeply pinnatifid pinnce, or 

 nearly ttvice pinnate : fruit-dots not close to the margin : indusium rather 

 large, fiat, smooth, persistent. 



A. Goldi^num. Rich moist woods N. : fronds broadly ovate, 2° -4° high, 

 9' -12' wide; pinnae oblong-lanceolate, broadest about the middle, parted to the 



