MALE FERN AND ITS RELATIVES 61 



The arrangement of the sori is similar in both 

 species. 



The Soft Prickly Shield Fern has been found 

 widely distributed in England and Ireland, 

 though it is not so common in other parts of 

 the United Kingdom. It is easily cultivated, 

 and is evergreen in habit. 



Woodsia hyperborea. The generic name of 

 this species commemorates the botanist, Mr. 

 Joseph Woods ; the specific name is taken from 

 two Greek words hyper, " beyond," and Boreas, 

 " the north wind/' without doubt a reference to 

 the fact that the species extends to the Arctic 

 regions. The plant is also called Woodsia 

 alpina. The Alpine Woodsia. 



This is a very pretty little Fern. The tiny 

 fronds, which are not more than two or three 

 inches in length, spring from a tufted root-stock. 

 The stipes is rather short and bears a few brown 

 scales. The outline of the frond is oblong, and 

 the leaf tapers slightly towards the base as well 

 as at the apex. The fronds are once pinnate, 

 and the pinnae, which are lobed, are arranged in 

 rather an irregular fashion on either side of the 

 leaf-stalk. A curious feature of the Alpine 

 Woodsia is that the fronds are jointed just above 

 their connexion with the root-stock. When 

 the leaves die the stalks break away at this 

 point and leave the bases behind. 



When the back of the frond is examined it is 

 evident that we have here a very distinctive 

 feature. The patches of spore cases are covered 

 with a very thin indusium, and as time goes on 

 this splits into divisions which resemble a number 

 of hairs. The fronds are of rather a stout texture 

 for so small a Fern, and in all parts show an 

 inclination to be hairy. 



The Alpine Woodsia is a very rare Fern, and 



