Ferns of the Woods 

 CHAPTER V 



FERNS OF THE WOODS 



ON our third visit to the haunts of ferns we shall make 

 a woodland our destination. 



Woodland ferns love the shade afforded by the leaves 

 of the overhanging trees, as in most cases their delicate 

 fronds are quite unable to stand exposure to the scorch- 

 ing rays of the summer sun. 



This woodland of ours is intersected by a brawling 

 stream, leaping from rock to rock, and throwing itself 

 in glee over waterfalls great and little. 



Let us first explore these parts of the wood where the 

 soil is damp or moist. There we find the Beech Fern, 

 Polypodium Phegopteris. 



The naked circular sori on the back of the frond at 

 once mark out this fern as a Polypody. The rootstock 

 is a creeping one, and is covered at intervals with scales. 

 From this rhizome the fronds are given off alternately. 

 The leafstalk is almost equal in length to the leafy part 

 of the frond, and is scaly at the base. The leafy part, 

 about 6 inches in length, is delicate in texture and tri- 

 angular in outline, pinnately cut at the bottom, and 

 divided in a pinnatifid manner at the top. The lower 

 pinnae are also deeply cut. The under surface of the 

 frond is soft to the touch, which is due to a slight 

 40 



