436 
THE DICTIONARY 
OF GARDENING, 
Hymenophyllum—continued. 
should be made of sandy peat, chopped sphagnum, and 
small pieces of sandstone, im about equal parts, with an 
additional sprinkling of coarse crock dust, the whole being 
made so light and permeable as to be prevented under any 
circumstances from becoming sour through the accumulated 
moisture resulting from the repeated sprinklings and 
waterings necessary to produce condensation. Some species, 
especially among the most dwarf-growing kinds, succeed 
best when established on a piece of sandstone without any 
other material. 
Hymenophyllums are propagated but slowly—a_ fact 
which no doubt accounts for their prices remaining higher 
than those of ordinary Ferms. We have known only one 
batch of young seedlings, and these, even when five years 
old, did not show their true characters. The plants are, 
however, commonly increased by the division of their 
rhizomes, an operation which is safe enough, although it is 
one requiring a little patience. Draughts must be carefully 
avoided at all times of the year, and air should only be 
very sparingly admitted into the case. 
No Hymenophyllum is more effective than H. demissum ; 
it is a suitable companion for the Killarney Fern, with 
which, under cultivation, it is often found. The lively 
green colour of its young fronds, which, with age, turn to 
the deepest dark green, and the vigorous habit and con- 
stitution of the plant, are special recommendations. 
H. dichotomum delights in sending its tiny rhizomes 
through a coating of moss covering either a piece of rock 
or a block of wood or Tree-Fern. 
H. Forsterianum is a very free-growing plant, whose 
wiry rhizomes are particularly fond of moss and decaying 
vegetable matter. It produces fronds in great abundance. 
H. hirsutum succeeds best on a block of wood and in 
an upright position; it requires a very humid but airy 
situation, and great care must be taken at all times that 
no water touches its fronds. 
H. polyanthos does not require such a close temperature 
as do most Hymenophyllums; the airiest place in the 
house suits it best. It is provided with exceedingly 
slender, wiry rhizomes, which delight in making their 
way through partly-decayed vegetable matter; on that 
account it makes a beantiful object on a block of wood, 
its slender, elegantly-arching fronds then showing them- 
selves to great advantage. 
H. tunbridgense is one of the most diffienlt of all 
Hymenophyllums to manage. It dislikes water over the 
fronds, and thrives well either in a mixture of equal parts 
of peat and silver-sand or on a block of sandstone, the 
principal object being to have it pressed hard on to the 
material upon which it is intended to grow. A successful 
cultivator of these plants says that the treatment which 
gives the most satisfactory results consists in laying the 
sheet of Hymenophyllum upon a porous piece of stone 
without any soil, and laying a slab over it, leaving it in 
that state for three to four weeks, after which time the 
plant has usnally taken hold of the new stone, when the 
slab is removed. 
H. valvatum is noteworthy from the fact that its 
growth takes place in autumn and winter, when most 
other Ferns from the same habitats are comparatively 
resting. Althongh not of a hirsute nature, it greatly 
dislikes water on its delicate and exceedingly transparent 
fronds. 
To the species described on pp. 163-4, Vol. II., the 
following should be added: 
H. attenuatum (narrowed). A synonym of H. magellanicum. 
H. axillare (axillary). shiz. very slender. fronds 3in. to 8in. 
long, lin. broad, narrow-oblong, flaccid and pendent, tri- 
innatifid; main rachis winged throughout or above only; 
ower pinne varying from in. long with simple segments to 
ljin. long with pinnatifid pinnules and several segments. sori 
two to twelve to a pinna, terminal on the lateral segments. 
West Indies and Venezuela. 
H. badium (reddish-brown). sti. 2in. to 3in. long, winged 
above. jronds erect, 4in. to 12in. long, 2in. to 3in. broad, 
oblong or broadly lanceolate, tripinnatifid ; main rachis broadly 
winged; lower pinnz cut to the rachis into several pinnules 
on each side, the lowest of which are deeply incised. sori 
two to twelve to a pinna, terminal on the segments on both 
sides. India, &c. Distinct, but rare in cultivation. 
H. Catherine (St. Catherine's). sti. lin. to 2in. long, erect, 
wiry. fronds 2in, to Sin. long, lin. to 1sin. broad, oblong, fully 
bipinnate ; lower pinn broadly rhomboidal, cleft to the rachis ; 
Hymenophyllum—continwed. 
lower pinnules several times forked, with very narrow-linear 
Segments. sort six or more to each pinna, much broader than 
the segments. St. Catherine’s Peak, Jamaica (at 5000ft.). 
H. chiloense (Chiloe).* fronds triangular or broadly lanceolate, 
about 2in. long and lin. broad, dull green, with conspicuous dark 
veins, bipinnatifid ; pinnz ciliated on the margins and slightly 
hairy beneath. sori solitary at the base of the pinne on the 
upper side. Chiloe, &c. A gem amongst Filmy Ferns. 
H. crispum (curled). This species is closely allied to H. axillare, 
but is distinguished by its crisped fronds, borne on very slender, 
wingless stipes. Mexico to Peru. 
H. cruentum (blood-coloured). rhiz. slender, creeping, simple, 
slightly sinuate. sti. slender, naked, 3in. to 6in. long. fronds 
delicately transparent, seaweed-like, 3in. to Sin. long, lin. to 
lsin. broad, with simple, prominent veins, becoming brownish- 
rosy with age. sori six to twelve on each side of the frond, at 
the tips of the sinuses. Chili. 
H. dichotomum (dichotomous).* sti. 2in. to 3in. long, winged 
on both sides. jfronds broadly triangular, bi- or tripinnatitid, 
4in. to 6in. long, 2in. to 3in. broad ; lower pinne three times as 
long as broad, the segments crisped and sharply toothed or torn. 
sort numerous in the axils of the segments. Juan Fernandez 
and Chili. A pretty, dwarf species. 
H. dilatatum (dilated) is the correct name of H. dilatum. 
H. d. Forsterianum (J. Cooper Forster's). fronds 14ft. long, 
6in. broad, tripinnatitid ; pinnz 3in. long, not caudate, pee 
undulated. sori two to six to a pinna, terminal at the tips 
of the segments on the upper side only; involucre very 
large, divided nearly to the base. Brazil. 
H. elegans (elegant). A synonym of H. lineare. 
H. elegantulum (rather elegant). _ sti. lin. to 4in. long, ciliated. 
Jronds flaccid, pendulous, 6in. to 18in. long, 2in. to 6in. broad, 
linear-oblong and pinnate or broadly oblong and bipinnate; rachis 
free; lower pinne in the bipinnate form often with several pairs 
of pinnules; pinnules lin. to 3in. long, deeply pinnatifid princi- 
pally on the upper side; ultimate segments densely hairy. sori 
six to twelve, terminal on the lateral segments. Andes of 
Ecuador, &e. 
H. flexuosum (bending).* sti. distinctly winged. fronds 10in. 
to 12in. long, broadly lanceolate, quadripinnatifid; ultimate 
segments narrow and undulated. sort six to twenty to a 
pinna, terminal on the segments on both sides. New Zealand. 
‘This beautifully crisped and undulated Fern is now regarded as 
a species, and not as a form of H. javanicwm. 
H. Forsterianum (J. Cooper Forster’s). A form of H. dila- 
tatum. 
H. fuciforme (Fucus-like).* rhiz. thick, decumbent, resembling 
crowns. sti. strong, erect, narrowly winged above. fronds erect, 
laucous, lft. to 2ft. long, 4in, to 6in. broad, triangular-lanceo- 
ate, tripinnatifid; main rachis winged throughout; lower 
segments sometimes forked. sori numerous, small, disposed in 
the axils of the segments. Chili and Juan Fernandez. 
H. fucoides (Fucus-like). sti. 2in. to 4in. long, wiry, ciliated. 
fronds oblong, tripinnatifid, 4in. to 6in. long, 1}in. to 2in, broad; 
main rachis winged above and ciliated; secondary rachis 
winged throughout; pinne rhomboid, acuminate, with long, 
narrow, spinulose-toothed, entire or forked segments. sori not 
more than four to a pinna, usually contined to the segments 
on the upper side. Tropical America. ; 
H. lineare (linear).* rhiz. slender, hairy, thread-like. fronds 
pendulous, flaccid, 3in. to 8in. long, lin. to 2in. broad, pinnate ; 
pinne deeply cut into simple or forked, linear lobes, with the 
margins and surface densely hairy. sori two to six toa pinna, 
terminal on the lateral segments. Tropical America, A pretty 
and distinct species. SYN. H. elegans. 
H. magellanicum (Magellan). sti. erect, wiry, 2in. to 4in. 
long, naked or winged. fronds oblong-triangular, 3in. to 6in. 
long, 2in. to 4in. broad, tripinnatifid; lower pinne broadly 
triangular, with deeply-cleft pinnules, furnished on each side 
with several toothed segments. sort very small, six to ten to 
a pinna, terminal on the segments of the upper ones. Chili, 
Chiloe, &c. (H. S. F. i., t. 368.) Syn. H. attenuatum. 
H. multifidum (much-cleft).* sti. wiry, naked, 2in. to 4in. 
long. fronds broadly lanceolate, 2in. to 6in. long, lin, to Sin. 
broad, tripinnatifid; main - rachis winged above, wingless 
belbw; ultimate segments narrow. sort two to twelve to a 
inna, terminal on the lateral segments of the upper ones on 
oth sides. New Zealand. A yery elegant species. 
H. pectinatum (comb-like).* sti. naked, 2in. to 4in. long, 
very wiry. fronds oblong, pinnate, glaucous-green, 3in. to 6in. 
long, 4in. to 14in. broad, with conspicuous venation; main 
rachis only winged towards the summit; pinne deeply cleft on 
their upper side into long, narrow, parallel, simple or slightly 
forked segments. sori six to eight toa pinna, terminal on the 
lower segments of the upper side. Chili and Chiloe. One of 
the most beautiful species of the genus. There is a fine variety 
superbum. 
