2SS 1,ASTREA FIMX-MAS. 



beautiful waterfall to below its base, where the three counties of 

 Durham, Westmorland, and Yorkshire approach so near together 

 that a stone can be thrown into all three counties from the 

 same spot, a feat of no difficulty, but one which the guides 

 are always anxious that each person should accomplish. In 

 this locality the variety ahhreciata grows on a damp, peaty 

 soil amongst rocks, mostly large sized specimens which would 

 readily have divided into no less than twenty distinct plants, 

 and this seemed to be quite the character of the variety, for 

 the few plants of the normal form of Lastrea Jilix-mas had not 

 this disposition, being mostly composed of single crowns. With 

 this Fern were found growing Cystopteris fragilis, Lomaria 

 spicant, AUosorus crisjms, Asplenitwi tricliomanes , Asj^lenium 

 viride, Pteris aquilina, Lycopodium selago, Lycopodium clavatum, 

 Primula farinosa, Nardus stricta, Caluna vulgaris, the butter- 

 wort, saffron, Caltha palustris and several other interesting 

 plants. Near High Force this variety was growing amongst a 

 vast quantity of the lovely British wild flower Gentiana verna, 

 a plant that must, in spring, when in bloom, make the spot 

 exceedingly beautiful. 



Ahhrcviata is also found on Snowdon and Ingleborough ; in 

 Lancashire, Westmorland, Cumberland, Gloucestershire, Forfar- 

 shire, and at Killarney. 



A small Fern, usually not more than twelve or fourteen 

 inches in length, and in some degree resembling another form 

 (pumila,) but larger and broader, having more coarse pinnules 

 which are not recurved to the same degree as in pumila. 



Fronds pinnate, the pinnse scarcely pinnate, the basal pinnules 

 alone being separated to the costa, the rest dccurrcnt. Owing 

 to the recurved character of the pinnules the upper surface of 

 the pinna; is concave. Pinnules comparatively large, broad, and 

 rounded, the lobes crenate-lobatc. A rave Fern, but abundant in 

 Teesdale. Under cultivation it is not of so dwarf a character 

 usually. Occasionally plants will be seen in a fernery, where 

 the soil is better suited for its growth, to attain a size double 

 that of its ordinary wild character; this was very marked in 

 some plants shewn to me by Mr. Swynfen Jervis, of Darlaston 

 Hall, and, I understood Mr. Padley to say that the same larger 

 growth had been noticed by himself with his plants at Bulwell 

 Hall. My thanks are due to Mr. Pearson, of Chilwell, for plants 

 and fronds. 



