Ferns 



229 



N. exaltata, from Tropical America, has been grown for many years as 

 a market plant, and hundreds of thousands are still grown hanging from 

 the rafters in greenhouses. Of late years many charming varieties have 

 arisen, and are chiefly remarkable for their feathery or plumose appearance, 

 many of them being almost " mossy " in character, and of a soft delicate 

 green. Amongst the best of these plumose forms are todeoides, Whitmanni, 

 Amerpohli, Rochfordi or Marshalli, compacta, lycopodioides, and elegantis- 

 sima\ while among those with long drooping fronds most suitable for grow- 

 ing in baskets or on elevated rockeries in the greenhouse or stove are 

 Piersoni, Fosteri, davallioides, tuberosa, and Scotti. The last-named is an 

 elegant variety that can be grown to perfection in a 5-in. (48) pot, while it 

 is also effective as a basket plant. For table decorations such kinds as cor- 

 data compacta, Duffi, Mayi, pec- 

 tinata, philippinensis, and Wes- 

 toni are valuable. There are 

 also several crested or deeply cut 

 varieties, amongst the best being 

 Westoni cristata, cordifolia tes- 

 sellata, rufescens tripinnatifida, 

 and davallioides furcans (fig. 

 313) all beautiful. To these may 

 be added Neuberti, a variety of 

 splendid habit, plants in 6-in. 

 pots being quite 2 ft. across. It 

 is comparatively new, but will 

 become better known. Generally 

 speaking the various species and 

 varieties of Nephrolepis flourish 

 in a mixture of peat, leaf mould, 

 and silver sand. Being natives 

 of the Tropics they require plenty ol heat and moisture in summer, and 

 must not be kept too dry or too cool during the winter season. 



The propagation of the numerous feathery varieties of Nephrolepis 

 now in cultivation is fairly simple. As they do not develop spores like 

 the old N. exaltata, they are chiefly raised from the runners that are 

 thrown out from the base of the parent plants, in the same way as Straw- 

 berry runners. The old plants are plunged in a bed of sandy peat and 

 leaf mould, and as the runners appear they are pegged down to root. 

 When the young plants arising from the runners are sufficiently advanced 

 they are detached and potted up separately. As to the general cultivation 

 of these feathery Nephrolepis the following advice of an American grower 

 of the "Boston Fern", as N. Piersoni is called, may be useful: 



" In our experience with several thousand Piersoni plants, we find they 

 require a very rich soil after they get started to grow. We use ordinary 

 Carnation soil, one-half rotted cow manure. After they get the pots filled 

 with roots they will stand feeding often, and at no time should they be 



Fig. S13.Nephrolepsis davallioides furcans 



