84 HOW TO KNOW THE FERNS 



From the rachis arise veins which run out 

 to the borders of the frond, and parallel to 

 these are the linear son. Although at first 

 sight this is not very apparent, the brown 

 lines are composed of two sori which practically 

 join together. The pairs of sori are covered 

 with pairs of indusia which, on the maturity 

 of the sporangia, open out opposite to each 

 other. As a rule the sori are most plentiful 

 on the upper portion of the frond of the 

 Hartstongue. There are an immense number 

 of varieties of the Hartstongue, some of which 

 are familiar garden subjects. In a wild state 

 it is not an uncommon thing to find fronds 

 which are abnormal, and some of these show 

 a greater or less tendency to develop fronds 

 which are branched. 



The Hartstongue is an excessively common 

 Fern, often occurring in the greatest abundance. 

 It is said to be less frequent in Scotland than in 

 other parts of the United Kingdom. Naturally 

 it is of the simplest culture in the garden. 



There is much division of opinion as to the 

 position of the Fern, which we must now 

 consider. In some quarters it has been given 

 a place among the Spleenworts, but many 

 authorities consider that the Hard Fern is the 

 solitary British representative of its class. 



Blechnum spicant. In this case the generic 

 name is derived from a Greek word blechnon, a 

 name for a Fern. The specific name, spicant, 

 is from the Latin spica, " a point." The 

 application of the name is realized when the 

 sharply-pointed pinnae are examined. The 

 species is in some books called Lomaria spicant 

 and Blechnum bore-ale. The Hard Fern. 



This species has a rather thin root-stock, 

 from which arise large quantities of wiry 



