612 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Polypodium—continued. 
decayed vegetable matter; the foliage of: these species, 
as a rule, is of a soft, papery texture. The majority of 
them, however, are of an evergreen nature, having 
fronds of a somewhat leathery texture, produced from 
rhizomes which prefer being kept above or close to the 
surface of the ground. 
Those species provided with underground rhizomes may 
be either grown in pots or planted in any part of the 
stove, the cool Fernery, or the outdoor rockery, according 
to their native habitats; and for these, a mixture 
composed of two parts fibrous loam, one part leaf-monld, 
and one part sharp silver-sand, answers all requirements. 
This treatment also applies to the species in which the 
fronds are produeed from a single crown. The epiphytal 
species, which do not burrow, but keep near, or even on, 
the surface of the soil, require a different material to 
grow them luxuriantly. Good fibrous peat, or, better 
still, half-decayed leaf-monld, should form the best part 
of their compost, in which silver-sand is not needed, but 
to which a fourth part of fibrous loam may be added to 
give it cohesion. Whether grown in pots or planted in 
the rockery, these species should have good drainage and 
comparatively shallow pots or pockets. The epiphytal 
species are particularly adapted for covering Tree-Fern 
stems and for growing in hanging-baskets, in which 
positions their rambling habit is shown to great 
advantage. 
The majority of Polypodiums are propagated by division 
of their rhizomes at almost any time of the year; but 
a few species grown extensively for decorative purposes 
are more rapidly propagated by means of their spores, 
which are abundantly produced, germinate freely, and 
produce better-shaped plants than those obtained from 
division of the rhizomes. Being evergreen and strong 
growers, P. aureum and its varieties require substantial 
food; a mixture consisting of about equal proportions 
of fibrous peat, loam, and silver-sand suits them best. 
They must also receive a liberal supply of water at the 
roots while growing, as well as occasional waterings 
with weak liquid manure. P. Billardieri is a particularly 
shallow-rooting plant; it flourishes best in a flower-pan, 
in a mixture in which fibrous peat predominates, 
In planting P. Dryopteris, a spot where moisture and 
shade can always be depended upon should, if possible, 
be selected, and a shallow bed made of a compost of two 
parts of fibrous peat, one part of leaf-mould, and a free 
admixture of silver-sand, or, better still, of broken 
sandstone. If grown in pots for a cool frame or for the 
greenhouse, where it makes most pleasing objects, the 
above mixture will be found equally suitable; but in 
either case ayoid putting in too much soil: a depth of 
3in. to 4in. is quite sufficient. It is also indispensable 
that thorough drainage should be secured, for water 
remaining stagnant about its roots is very injurious to 
P. Dryopteris. In planting, great care must also be 
taken to prevent the rhizomes from being buried too 
deeply, in which case they seldom grow; they must be 
kept only just below the surface of the soil, throngh 
which it is adyisable to allow the tips to protrude. 
Planting should take place about April, and a moderate 
watering must follow, after which the soil requires to be 
kept constantly moist. Althongh totally deprived of 
foliage during four or five months of the year, the Oak 
Fern should never be allowed to get dry at the roots, 
for the rhizomes soon shrivel up and the spring growth 
then only produces small or deformed fronds, as the 
plants are much weakened. It is also advisable to give 
plants grown in pots a slight coyering during the 
winter, though they do not require this attention when 
planted ont. This species, readily increased by division, 
does not appear to have produced any constant yaria- 
tions; several more or less curious forms of it have 
from time to time been noticed, but none of them have 
remained constant under cultivation. 
As a rule, P. Meyenianum (Fig. 638) is a difficult plant 
to manage in pots, but it thrives apace when treated like 
a Platycerium—grown either on a stump, in a shallow 
pan, or in a hanging-basket. Care should be taken not to 
bury its rhizomes. The soil should be pure fibrous peat, 
on which the rhizomes shonld at first be pegged down, 
free scope being allowed for their extension. Grown in 
that way, it soon repays any extra trouble bestowed on 
its culture. 
Polypodium—continued. 
Like the Oak Fern (P. Dryopteris), P. Phegopteris may 
with advantage be planted ont in the open Fernery or 
grown in pots, and the compost recommended for that 
pretty species is equally suitable for the Beech Fern, but 
a greater depth—about 6in.—must be allowed, as it roots 
much deeper into the ground. Care must also be taken 
not to bury the rhizomes deeply, but to keep them barely 
below the surface of the ground. A moist, shady place is 
indispensable, as the plant is particularly partial to an 
abundant and constant supply of water, and to frequent 
syringings during the growing season. When cultivated 
in pots in a cool house, the Beech Fern is nearly ever- 
green, as its old fronds, thongh discoloured and 
generally broken at the base, remain on the plants 
almost until the new ones make their appearance. 
P. pustulatum is a species of easy culture; it is well 
adapted for growing in dark places where hardly any 
other Fern would thrive, and for planting in such positions 
on stones or rockwork, which it rapidly covers and to 
which it clings with a remarkable tenacity. P. subauricu- 
latum is a Fern which may with great advantage be 
utilised for covering dead trunks of Tree-Ferns; in such 
positions it makes a very beantiful object and grows 
apace, as it delights in sending its roots and rhizomes into 
partly-decayed vegetable matter. In the centre of a 
warm conservatory it surpasses all others in elegance, 
and where there is plenty of height to allow the fronds 
space to hang, a specimen with numberless fronds 10ft. 
to 12ft. long is a sight not easily forgotten. If grown 
in a basket, it will derive great benefit from a small 
portion of chopped sphagnum added to the mixture of 
soil, and will stand a fair amount of strong light. 
P. vulgare is found most useful for adorning the hardy 
rockery, where it proves very effective when growing in 
a mass, and the ease with which it can be managed, 
coupled with its evergreen nature, greatly adds to its 
value as a hardy decorative plant. In the culture of 
this species it is well to imitate nature as closely as 
possible. To that effect it is necessary that the spot 
selected should be shady, cool, and damp, yet without 
stagnant moisture. The soil which best suits this species 
is one composed of leaf-mould, or a vegetable compost, 
interspersed with a cool but not too moist clay or garden 
mould. Following nature, the rhizomes should not be 
buried in the ground, but fastened close down to it, the 
roots alone being covered. Another very important point 
in connection with the cultivation of the Common Poly- 
pody is that it must be planted where -its rhizomes can 
take undisturbed possession of the place selected, as it 
is only when the plants are well established that they 
produce really beautiful foliage. 
Besides being so highly useful for cultivation out of 
doors, the Common Polypody and its several varieties 
are well adapted for the ornamentation of the cool 
Fernery under glass, where they may be used with 
great advantage and effect. Nearly every position is 
adapted to their requirements, althongh the more elevated 
parts of the rockwork are preferable, and the shady 
parts of the Fernery are also more suitable than those 
which are exposed to strong light. 
The only position in which these plants do not thrive 
is one in which they are continually exposed to the 
dripping of water, for even occasional thorough dryness 
at the roots does not cause the immediate destruction 
of the fronds. P. vulgare and its varieties are usually 
propagated by division, which may be done at almost 
any time of the year, though spring is the most suitable 
season. 
Although quite hardy, P. v. cambricum makes a splendid 
pot plant when grown in the cold frame or in the 
greenhouse, the pleasing pale green colour of its foliage 
being particularly attractive among other Ferns. 
To the species and varieties described on pp. 186-95, 
Vol. III., the following should be added. Except where 
otherwise indicated, stove treatment is required. 
P. accedens (approaching). rhiz. wide-creeping, filiform, 
searcely scaly. sti. very short. fronds, barren ones oblong, 
obtuse; fertile ones longer and narrower (2in. to 4in. long 
and din. to 4in. broad), the fructification confined to the 
narrowed upper part; texture coriaceous. sori in single rows 
‘close to the midrib. Malaya, &c. Syn. Phymatodes accedens. 
P. alpestre. There are three other varieties of this species: 
interruptum, laciniatum, and lanceum, all natives of Britain. 
