FERNS 



THE SENSITIVE FERN 



AUGUST is a good time to wander through the fields 

 in search of ferns. Along the banks of the streams 

 one may find large, coarse-looking plants that grow 

 in dense clumps. These are sensitive ferns. Go 

 nearer and examine them carefully. Hidden away at 

 the bottom of the mass of fronds are some tiny coiled 

 crosiers for next year's leaves. Here and there are 

 stems that look exactly like the lower part of the 

 stipe, but they end in a point. They have no leaves 

 and are never more than two or three inches long. 



The rootstock is about as large as a pencil and 

 creeps along under the ground, sending out many 

 branches. The fronds come up from these at differ- 

 ent times during the summer. See how broad these 

 coarse leaves are. They are triangular in shape, and 

 the edges are very deeply cut. 



Does it not seem strange that the name "sensi- 

 tive" should be given to a plant with such large, 

 coarse fronds? It was probably called by that name 

 because the early frosts so quickly kill it. Or it may 

 have been because it withers so soon after being cut. 



Look now at the clusters of spore cases. These 

 are fronds of another kind. They are shorter than 

 the others. If you examine them carefully you will 

 see that they are made up of leaflets just as the large 



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