Ferns of the Woods 



The Bristle Fern is one of the very rarest of British 

 ferns. Though fairly plentiful in some parts of 

 Ireland, particularly Killarney, it has been recorded 

 only from a very few localities in the United Kingdom. 

 Thus, were it not that our wood is an imaginary one, 

 we might search long for it to very little purpose. 



The long, softly hairy, blackish rhizome of this fern 

 creeps widely over the well-moistened moss-covered 

 rock. Its leafstalks have wing-like margins at the top 

 but are quite bare at the bottom, where they are jointed 

 to the rhizome. The leafy part of the frond, varying 

 from 2 to 12 inches in length, has been well described 

 as simply consisting of a much-branched midrib with a 

 membranous wing. In reality it is three or four times 

 pinnate with strong, well-marked veins, and narrow, 

 toothed, and pellucid pinnules. The position and 

 nature of the urnshaped indusium, the projecting spike 

 or bristle, and the membranous character of the frond 

 are sufficient marks by which this fern may be readily 

 recognised. 



Botanically, this fern is known as < Trichomanes 

 radicans. The generic name has been explained as 

 though derived from two Greek words meaning " hair " 

 and "excess." The bristles which project from the 

 urn-shaped indusia may have the appearance of hairs, 

 but it is nevertheless exceedingly doubtful if the 

 etymology suggested is the correct one. But as no 

 other has been put forward, there the matter remains 

 for the present. Radicans is evidently connected with 

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