82 LOMARIA SPICANT. NORTHERN HARD-FERN. 



been named Onoclea Spicant, Aspleniuni Spicant, Acrostic/mm 

 Spicant, Strtithiopteris Spicant, Blcchnum Spicant, Spicanta bore- 

 alis, Blechmim boreale, as well as the one here adopted, Loniaria 

 Spicant. The name, Spicant, which it has managed to retain 

 through all these changes, is an ancient proper name in use by 

 the old herbalists before botany was remodelled, derived from 

 the Latin, and alluding to the general form of the fronds which 

 is spike-like, as in an ear of wheat — a resemblance which can be 

 traced, though remotely, in the illustration here given. The diffi- 

 culty in fixing on its proper genus, and which gave rise to so many 

 names, comes from the unity which pervades all nature, and is 

 particularly conspicuous among the ferns. Nothing can be more 

 unlike than the extremes of different genera, but the different 

 species in each renus are often so near alike that it is often a 

 question whether a form is really a species or only a variety of 

 some other ; and, as we pass from species to species to the boun- 

 daries between genera, it is often as difficult to decide on the 

 genera as the species. Our Lomaiia is cne of these uniting 

 genera, and on this account has given trouble for many years 

 past. Even when describing it as Osmunda Spicant, in 1820, 

 Green observes : " It is difficult to decide on the genus of this 

 plant. Dr. Withering and Hedvvig determined it to belong to the 

 Acrostic Jiuni ; Dr. Smith refers it to BIcchniLm ; and Mr. Robson 

 to the Ptcris genus ; but wherever it may finally be fixed it clearly 

 cannot be an Osmundar Even so late as 1838 botanists, like Sir 

 W. J. Hooker, hesitated what to do with it, for he remarks in his 

 " British Flora," " Mr. Brown suggested that this plant might 

 probably be referred to Loniaria, with which indeed it entirely 

 agrees in habit, and other botanists have unhesitatingly placed it 

 there. But if the young fertile fronds be examined, it will be 

 evident that the involucre is by no means marginal, for there is 

 a considerable space of frond between it and the margin." In a 

 later work he describes it as Lornaria ; but adds, "if the very 

 young sori be inspected, the fructification is indicative of BlecJi- 

 num, but the habit and dimorphous fronds are characteristic of 

 Lomariay 



