380 LOMAHIA SPICANT. 



Acrosfu'lium tspimnt, Villaus. SnsTiroKP. Roth. 



" nemofdlf, Lamauck, 



Stegariia hoivalis, R. Browk. 



Spicanhi. hurealis, Presl. 



Acrustklmm linoafam, Cavanilles. Swartz. Desvaux. Willuenow 



(Variety crenatum.) 



Lomaria— From, loma a fringe, relating to the iudusium. 



Siiicant — Spiked. 



Two kinds of fronds. — Sferile from six to twenty inches long, 

 and one to two inches broad, spreading or flat, coriaceous, deep 

 green, linear-lanceoh\te, pectinately-pimiatiiid, segments linear- 

 oblong and curved, base dilate and confluent, apex blunt or 

 acute, margins entire. Fertile erect, length twelve to thirty 

 inches, grov/ing in a mass iu the centre of the plant. Pinnate 

 below, segments linear-acute, only half the width of the fertile 

 fronds, distant below, approximate upwards. 



Caudex stout, tufted, and with narrow tawny-brown scales. 

 Venation circinate. 



Stipes of sterile frond from one to five inches in length, and 

 dark purplish brown. Rachis channeled in front, rounded 

 behind. Stipes of fertile frond from five to ten inches long, 

 and dark purple. 



Fertile on the whole under surface. Sori indusiate, linear, 

 and extending on either side the costa the whole length of 

 the segment. Confluent. 



One of the commonest of British Ferns, growing from the 

 sea-level to four thousand feet altitude, in rough heathy or 

 stonv places, or hi shady banks and woods where moist. 



Localities too numerous to enumerate. Found throughout 

 Europe, also in Madeira, Canary, Teneriffe, Azores, Cape of 

 Good Hope, Northern Africa, Chili, Australia, Japan, and in 

 North-west America. 



A beautiful species, easily cultivated, preferring a north 

 asjject and a moist soil. 



There are a number of curious varieties: — 



Gracile, Lowe, {gracilis of Stansfield.) — Found at Harley- 

 wood Slack by ^Ir. Stansfield. Smaller than the normal form, 

 vcrv slender, the lobes distant and somewhat contracted. 



