ADDER'S-TONGUE FERN. 



95 



who are endowed with an ordinary measure of intelligence. In 

 the case of the Adder's-tongue they are shown what might be a 

 young Dock-leaf, which expands by unrolling its lateral margins, 

 and the fertile spike might be only the ordinary developing of a 

 stem (Plate 7). 



Of all our native ferns it is probable that the Adder's-tongue 

 is less known to fern-lovers than any other species, even those 

 that are distinctly rare. And yet it is one of the ferns that are 

 generally distributed from north to south, and it is certainly far 

 more abundant than is commonly supposed. But it grows 

 among grass and weeds in the pasture, on the common and the 

 turf-bank, where its unfernlike form is easily confused with the 

 young leaves of dock and other smooth-leaved weeds. When 

 the spike of spore capsules stands out from the smooth blade it 

 furnishes a note of distinction, of course, but by this time the 

 surrounding weeds have grown much taller, and serve to hide it. 

 It should therefore be sought on hands and knees in suitable 

 spots where the soil is loamy. Until you have the plant well 

 " in your eye " it is almost impossible to detect its presence by 

 walking over the ground, even though it is there in numbers. 



The plant consists of a short slender rootstock, from which 

 are given off a few brittle, fleshy roots. The rootstock is buried 

 deeply among the roots of grass, and from it rises a usually 

 solitary frond with the bud of next year's frond close beside it. 

 This is very different from the appearance of other ferns, 

 and has a closer resemblance to a weak crown of Lily of the 

 Valley. The order of the Adder's-tongue's leafing is a solitary 

 frond per annum from each crown, and it issues from the ground 

 as a straight smooth shoot instead of a rough scale-clad ball. 

 At a height of two to four inches the stipes expands into a 

 broad, smooth, leathery, oval or elliptical blade of a vivid green 

 colour. There is no midrib to this blade, from whose base what 

 should be the midrib appears to have started off at an angle, 

 bearing on its uppermost two inches a double row of rounded 



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