8 



ATHYRIUM FILIX-FCRMINA. 



Mr. E. Cooling, of Derby; Mr. Sim, of Foot's Cray; to Mr. 

 Stansfield, of Todmorden ; and to Mr. Kennedy, of Covent 

 Garden, for fronds. 



Fiff. 280.— Poition of Frur.d. 



Ramo-diffissitm, Monhman. (Fig. 280.) — Fronds usually 

 ramose or trifid, lanceolate. Pinna as in dijfisum, tlie lower 

 pair, or one of them, frequently forming a diminutive frond. 

 Sometimes the fronds are of the normal outline, except that 

 the lower pair of pinna?, by forming dwarf frond-like elonga- 

 tions, give them a sagittate feature. Of a spreading habit, 

 with all the delicacy of diffisum or dissectum, and the pecu- 

 liarly wide and irregular toothing of those vai'ieties. The plant 

 is very beautiful, and was raised in the fernery of Mr. C. 

 Monlcman, of Malton, who sends the fronds. Mr. Monkman 

 has sown spores more than once, but has never succeeded in 

 raising a ramose seedling, the young plants having all reverted 

 to diffisum or dissectum, although the plant is very constant 

 to the ramose character, a frond of purely normal outline 

 being the exception. The illustration is from Mr. Monkman's 

 plant. 



Alatum, Moore. — This variety was first found on Loch-na-gar 

 about seven years ago, growing amongst Polypodium alpestrc. 

 The plant is in the possession of Mr. A. Tait, of Edinburgh. 

 A delicate-fronded variety, dwarf, and drooping in habit, much 



