THE MOUNTAIN PARSLEY FERN. 165 



resemblance to parsley. The contraction of the 

 seed-bearing leaflets on the taller fertile fronds 

 gives to them an oval rounded appearance. The 

 roots of the Parsley Fern are thick and matted, 

 and from its crown the fronds grow in dense 

 tufts. They are of a delightful green colour, 

 and the whole plant forms a conspicuous orna- 

 ment of the places where it grows. It is some- 

 times called " the Rock Brakes," from its habit of 

 growing in stony places and on rocks and old 

 walls. It is essentially a north-of-England fern, 

 although it is found in Scotland and abundantly 

 in Wales. Some plants have indeed been dis- 

 covered so it has been alleged on Exmoor, 

 near Challacombe; but it is not a Devonshire 

 fern. 



In the cultivation of the Parsley Fern one 

 thing must be borne in mind : it cannot endure 

 stagnant moisture, and indeed it does not like 

 too much moisture of any kind, especially about 

 its roots. Plant it, if in a pot, in a mixture of 

 sandy peat and broken pieces of stone or flower- 

 pot It is delicately susceptible of frosts, and 



