THE LADY FERN. 53 



being in age short and often dilated, approaching the rounded 

 form, the Lady Fern has, by many writers of discrimination, 

 been placed in the old genus Aspidium ; but if examined 

 while young, immediately before or after the indusi-um has 

 burst, its true character will readily be seen. We here have 

 an illustration of the inconvenience which arises from the 

 preservation as herbarium specimens, only of such as have 

 the fructification quite mature. 



The affinity of the Lady Fern is properly with the Aspla 

 niums. The mark by which the Aspleniums and their allies 

 are known, in addition to the elongated form of the sorus, 

 is its position on the side, not the back, of the veins ; the 

 receptable being said to be lateral. The present group is 

 distinguished by having its indusium fringed on the free 

 margin with capillaiy segments, and by the frequently horse- 

 shoe-shaped sori, while in Asplenium, the margin of the in- 

 dusium is without the fringe, and the sori are not turned 

 back. There is only one indigenous species of Lady Fern. 



The name is derived from a Greek word signifying opened, 

 the allusion being to the turned-back position into which the 

 indusium is forced by the swelling spore-cases, bursting out 

 as it were like an opened door. 



COMMON LADY FERN. [Plate V.] 



The Lady Fern is named Athyrium Filix-foemina by bota- 

 nists; other synonymous names being Polypodium Filix- 

 foemina, Aspidium Filix-foemina, and Asplenium Filix-foemina. 



The Lady Fern, on account of the exquisite grace of its 

 habit of growth, the elegance of its form, and the delicacy of 

 its hue, claims precedence over every other British species. 

 The plant is tufted, the caudex of the larger varieties often 

 with age acquiring some height, and elevating the circlet of- 

 fronds on a rude pedestal a few inches in length. The fronds 

 are developed from the summit of this stem about May or 

 June, a score or upwards being often produced by strong old 

 plants ; they reach maturity early in the summer, during 

 which time a few additional fronds are generally developed 

 from the centre ; and the whole of them are, under ordinary 

 circumstances, destroyed by the autumn frosts. The fronds are 

 lanceolate, more or less broad, bipinnate ; the pinnae lanceo- 

 late, more or less drawn out at the point, and again pinnate, 

 though sometimes with the bases of the pinnules connected 

 by a narrow leafy wing, but not so much so as to render 

 them merely pinnatifid. The pinnules, however, are more 



