BOTRVCHIU.M VIRGINIANUM. RATTLE-SNAKE GRATE-FERN. I 4/ 



round fruit-case among the green blades on a stronger barren 

 one. Instances of the former, however, are not on record ; but 

 it is not rare to find the latter. The writer has seen a few speci- 

 mens, and others have been noted in botanical works. In the 3d 

 volume of the American NatiLralist, Mr. Henry Gilman notes a 

 very remarkable case, wherein not merely some of the divisions 

 of the barren frond became fertile, but another fertile frond came 

 out of the main stalk of the barren one, indicating the probability 

 from the morphological laws pointed out already, that three pri- 

 mordial fronds had been rolled up together instead of the usual 

 two. 



Though the fertile frond has not been known to vary so as to 

 have some segments frondose, it has been known to vary in 

 form. In our illustration (Fig. 2), we see the main divisions 

 correspond nearly with those in the barren one. But in the ist 

 volume of the Botanical Gazette, Mr. I. C. Martindale and Mr. 

 Davenport note that sometimes the upper pordon is suppressed, 

 and the lower divisions lengthened, making all the fruit-bearing 

 stalks of nearly equal length. 



The English name, "Grape Fern," is merely a translation of Its 

 Latin name, BotrycJiinni, referring to its grape-like fruit. "Rat- 

 tle-snake," as applied to this jDarticular species, seems to have 

 been first noted by Clayton, the early Virginia collector, who, 

 when sending his specimens to Gronovius, in Europe, remarked 

 that it was "Rattle snake-root Fern." This w^ould seem to indi- 

 cate an impression that it had something in common with other 

 "snake roots" as a curer of snake bites; but no subsequent 

 author makes any such reference, and it is more probable that 

 the name was suggested by the resemblance of the spore cases 

 to the tail of a rattle-snake. In regard to its medical qualities, 

 Rafinesque says it is but a mild astringent. 



This fern is very much admired, and deservedly so, for there 

 are few which can offer more real elements of beauty. The ideal 

 which connects a large number of weak individuals with the 

 strength of a few supporting ones, is always pleasing; and we 



