HOW TO KNOW THE FERNS 



touch the ground; on the point of the frond 

 a bud is developed. Roots go down into the 

 soil from the point of the frond, leaves shoot 

 upwards, and thus a new plant is born. In 

 some species of Club Moss the increase of the 

 plant by spore production is supplemented by 

 a plan Which involves the bearing of bulbils 

 on the shoots. These are vegetative processes 

 which give rise to new individuals when they 

 tumble to the ground. 



It is of interest to consider the general 

 characteristics of the members of the Fern 

 tribe. As a rule the stem is either in the nature 

 of a short underground process bearing a rosette 

 of leaves, as in the case of the Male Fern and 

 Hartstongue, or there is a horizontal stem more 

 or less below the surface of the soil, such as is 

 to be seen in the case of the Bracken Fern and 

 the Polypody. Sometimes the stem assumes the 

 proportions of a trunk, but these Tree Ferns 

 only occur in the tropics. Where the stem of 

 the Fern is upright it is properly termed a caudex, 

 whilst in its horizontal form it is spoken of as a 

 rhizome. There is actually some doubt as to 

 the real nature of the frond of the Fern. Some 

 botanists are inclined to believe that it is not 

 really a leaf at all, but is a modified stem 

 structure. Those who hold this view consider 

 that the curious scaly structures so common 

 amongst Ferns are really the leaves of the 

 plant. Here the matter must be left on the 

 present occasion, as it is proposed to use the 

 terms leaf and frond as meaning the same thing. 

 An outstanding feature in the case of most 

 Ferns is the remarkable manner in which the 

 fronds are subdivided. In the case of the 

 Male Fern it is seen that the upper part of the 

 stalk, or rachis, as it is called, bears two rows 



