1 64 THE FERN PARADISE. 



conformation of the fertile frond is different from 

 that of the barren one. Spores may be present 

 or absent from the backs of the fronds without 

 necessitating any change in the latter. But it 

 sometimes happens, as in the case of the Hard 

 Fern and the Royal Fern, that the edges of the 

 frond are turned back over the collections of 

 seed, in order to form the cover or protection 

 which in most of the species is a separate for- 

 mation. This turning back of the frond narrows 

 and gives a different appearance to the leaflets 

 so turned back. But there is this further dis- 

 tinction between the barren and fertile fronds 

 in the Hard Fern and in the Parsley Fern : in 

 both cases the fertile fronds are much longer 

 than the barren ones. 



The green smooth stem of the Parsley Fern 

 is somewhat longer than the leafy portion of 

 the frond. The shape of the latter is triangular. 

 On each side of the rachis are branches placed 

 in alternation, and on these are the irregular 

 serrated leaflets which, from their crisped ap- 

 pearance, bear, as we have stated, a striking 



