THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



Adiantum Farleyense. 



wide, and when first unfolding are bright 

 pink in color, finally changing to deep 

 green. 



The pinnffi of the fertile fronds are 

 usually smaller, the spores being found 

 in an almost continuous band around 

 the margin. These spores germinate 

 fairly well if carefully gathered and 

 preserved, and the young plants thus 

 secured are much better than those ob 

 tained from division of old crowns, as 

 they grow more freely and in better form. 



No special difficulty is experienced 

 in the culture of A. macrophyllum, 

 the main features being a moderately 

 light soil, good drainage, and the glass 

 shaded throughout the greater portion 

 of the year. In regard to temperature, 

 the same may be given as to A. Far 

 leyense, namely, from 65 to 70 degrees 

 at night, and also like the latter va 

 riety it may be said that A. macro 

 phyllum does not like a strong draught 

 over the young foliage while unfold 

 ing, else it is likely to be crippled, 

 though after the fronds of this species 

 are fully hardened they will stand 

 quite a good deal of exposure without 

 any danger of injury. 



ject to damping off unless the house 

 in which it is grown is kept well 

 ventilated. 



Begarding the origin of this fern but 

 little is known, and it seems probable 

 that it is a seedling variation from 

 Adiantum Pecottii, which it very much 

 resembles, the chief distinction appar 

 ently being found in the longer leaf 

 stems of A. Legrandi, while both 

 varieties present the same dark green 

 color of the foliage. As a trade fern 

 A. Legrandi has not become prominent, 

 and as a matter of fact it is less 

 frequently seen in trade collections now 

 than it was a few years ago, the de 

 mand in this line being confined to 

 ferns that are more sturdy and less 

 brittle. 



The culture of A. Legrandi presents 

 no special difficulty, apart from the 

 liability to damping that has already 

 been alluded to, and by keeping the 

 water off the foliage and giving free 

 ventilation, the trouble from this cause 

 may be reduced greatly. 



In getting up specimens of these small 

 growing adiantums for exhibition pur 

 poses, it is a good plan to group sev 

 eral young plants in a pan about ten 

 inches in diameter, and a shapely plant 

 may thus be formed in a few months 

 by treating them in the same manner as 

 one would A. cuneatum for a similar 

 purpose. 



A. MACROPHYLLUM. This is one 

 of the most distinct of the large fam 

 ily of maidenhair ferns, and as a mat 

 ter of fact to many persons to whom 

 the idea of a maidenhair fern is asso 

 ciated with the light and airy fronds 

 of A. cuneatum, the rather stitf and 

 heavy looking leaves of this species 

 would seem to belong to an entirely 

 different genus. 



The large pinnated species of adian- 

 tum, among which we find A. macro 

 phyllum, A. Peruvianum, A. Seemannii 

 and A. Wilsonii, form a very interesting 



Adiantum Tetraphyllum. 



group, and one which adds greatly to 

 tne beauty and variety of a collection 

 of ferns. Adiantum macrophyllum is a 

 moderate growing species, the fronds 

 being erect, from one to two feet high, 

 simple pinnate, and having stiff black 

 stems. 



The pinnae of the barren fronds are 

 very large, being frequently three to 

 four inches long, by about two inches 



A. macrophyllum is a native of the 

 West Indies and tropical America, and 

 has been in cultivation for a little 

 more than a century, though yet un 

 common in trade collections. 



A. MUNDULUM. This is one of the 

 many interesting and useful forms of 

 Adiantum cuneatum, and is correctly 

 termed Adiantum cuneatum mundu- 

 lum. The varietal name, which signi- 



