Aprit 1906. | NOTE ON A RARE BRITISH FERN. 193 
description of the sempervirens form of the species described 
by Mr. Britten, in page 23 of his ‘European Ferns,’ as being a 
native of Madeira, except perhaps as regards the greater size of 
the anterior basal pinnules, and the glandular hairy vestiture 
of the indusium which is conspicuous in the fresh plant. : 
The sempervirent character, however, is abundantly shown 
by the fact that I have just received (Jan. 31) perfectly 
green fronds taken by Mr. Young from his plant under glass, 
while the ordinary (C. fragilis is deciduous, dying down 
entirely in the autumn. Mr. Young’s plant is furthermore 
distinguished by its very robust growth, the fronds attaining 
eighteen inches in length, as is shown by the accompanying 
specimen, while as a rule I have never seen the fronds more 
than half that size. Under the above circumstances I con- 
sider that Mr. Young is perfectly justified in considering 
his find to be really C. fragilis, var. sempervirens, of which 
previous finds in this country appear to have been doubt- 
fully recorded.” ; 
Moore, in his “ Handbook of British Ferns” and in the 
“Nature-printed Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland,” says: 
“The form we have named sempervirens, though reputedly 
found in Devonshire and Kent, is not positively known to be 
an English plant, though certainly a native of Madeira. It 
has several distinctive features. There are some doubts as 
to the English origin of this plant, but of its distinctness as 
a variety, and probably a species, none. Bolton’s figure under 
the name Polypodium rheticum is a facsimile of moderate- 
sized specimens, and he besides mentions two of its most 
prominent characteristics. If, therefore, his statement is con- 
clusive, which may be open to doubt, it is a native of 
Scotland. It is certainly a native of Madeira. It has also 
certainly been found at Tunbridge Wells, but there are 
rumours of its having been planted there. A similar but not 
identical plant is loosely stated to have been found in 
Devonshire, but this is also open to suspicion, the garden 
from which it has been distributed having been enriched by 
importations from Madeira. The differences are :— 
“(1) Their evergreen character under shelter. 
“(2) The toughness, not brittleness, of their pallid, stoutish 
stipes. 
**(3) The greater size of the anterior basal pinnules. 
