The Rigid Buckler Fern 



formed from pteris, " a fern," and the Greek oros, " a 

 mountain," hence oreopteris may be translated as Moun- 

 tain Fern. 



If our mountain happens to be in the neighbourhood 

 of Lancashire, Westmorland, Yorkshire, or the adjoin- 

 ing counties, we are likely to meet with the Rigid 

 Buckler Fern ; but if not, we may consider ourselves 

 fortunate if we succeed in discovering it elsewhere, for, 

 as far as is known, it seems to be almost entirely 

 restricted to the localities mentioned. The triangular 

 or lanceolate fronds, supported on strong and very scaly 

 leafstalks, grow in tufted fashion. These fronds, which 

 are about i foot in length, are bipinnate, with lobed and 

 toothed but not spiny pinnules. Like the last fern 

 described, the under surface of the fronds of the Rigid 

 Buckler Fern is covered, but not so densely, with 

 glands. The indusia, which are fringed with gland- 

 ular hairs and which do not fall off as the spores ripen, 

 are placed near the midrib, and not at the margins, like 

 those of the Mountain Buckler Fern. 



It is called by botanists Nephrodium rigidum. The 

 specific name rigidum^ which is a Latin word meaning 

 " stiff," was bestowed on this fern, because, unlike the 

 majority of our native ferns, it maintains a very erect 

 posture, the fully expanded fronds bending neither to 

 the one side nor the other. 



Another rare but more widely distributed fern, giving 

 forth when bruised a very pleasant odour, is the Hay- 

 scented, or Triangular Buckler, Fern. A very short 

 61 



