rOLYPODIUM INCANUM. IIOARY POLYPODY. I 5 



out under trees in the summer, it would make a very interesting 

 object to grow. 



The common name of this family of ferns is " Polypody," 

 from its botanical name as given by Linnaeus, Polypodium, — 

 Greek words signifying "many feet." This is the ancient name 

 of some fern, and was adopted by the earlier botanists as probably 

 belonging to the genus under consideration, to which the name 

 seemed applicable on account of the many "little feet" which the 

 numerous creeping root-stocks of the original species possessed. 

 "Incanum" is Latin for hoary, the leaves when dry exhibiting 

 the scaly under-surfaces, of a dull, silvery color. The " Hoary 

 Polypody" would be a good popular name for this fern. 



Our plate shows the plant as usually seen, though the fronds 

 are described by Chapman as being sometimes six inches long. 

 We give an enlarged portion of a pinnule, so that the great 

 beauty of the peltate scales may be readily seen. These little 

 scales give a peculiar interest to this species. The fronds them- 

 selves are not, to our taste, as pretty as those of its northern 

 sister, Polypodium vulgarc, which, with its abundant masses of 

 yellow sporangia, all in very regular order, seems to require no 

 further ornamentation. This species does not appear to have the 

 power of producing spores as freely; and, if we may speak of 

 plants as the poets speak, suppose it was annoyed at the 

 superior beauty of the other, and the effort to rival it resulted 

 in these pretty scales ! Darwin, in a like fanciful vein, pictures 

 the ice-plant, — 



" With pellucid studs the ice flower gems 

 His rimy foliage and his candied stems," — 



speaking as if he were describing a not very young gentleman 

 who depended somewhat on jewelry to atone for departed 

 charms. He would, doubtless, regard this effort by our little 

 fern as a similar attempt by one of the other sex ! In ferns 

 there are two distinct modes of growth. In the one, the fronds 

 push up in a direct way ; in the other, they are circinate, or 



