44-t 



WOODSIA ILVENSIS. 



Ni'jjlii'odium rufididani, 

 NothochUena riifidala, 

 Polypodlum Ilvense, 



" arvonlcmn, 



" yiarantcB, 



MiCHAUX. 



Dksval'x. 



ViLLARS. Roth. Swartz. Pkesl. 



ScHKUim. WiLLDENOW. StI'R.M. 

 WlTHEKINCi. 



Hoffmann. 



Woodsla — In honour of Joseph Woods, a celebrated British botanist. 

 Ilceiisis — After the Island of Ilua. 



One of our rarest British Ferns, occasionally found on the 

 mountains of Westmorland, Cumberland, Durham, and Car- 

 narvon. 



In Scotland found near Loch Skene, Dumfriesshire, by the 

 Rev. W. Little; north of Moffat by Mr. P. Gray; and abundantly 

 on the hills dividing Dumfries and Peeblesshire by Mr. W. 

 Stevens. In Perthshire Dr. Balfour has found it near CrieiF 

 on Ben Chonzie, and Mr. J. Backhouse on Ben Lawers. In 

 Forfarshire Mr. W. Wilson and Mr. J. Backhouse have seen it 

 on the Clova Mountains, at Glen Fiadh, and in Morayshire 

 Mr. S. F. Gray has found it at Forres. 



Abroad this Fern is abundant in Northern Europe. Occur- 

 ring in Iceland, Lapland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, 

 (Nova Zembla, Caucasus, and the Crimea,) Spain, Italy, 

 France, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Siberia, Kamtschatka, 

 Arctic America, Canada, United States, and in the Rocky 

 Mountains. 



The fronds are lanceolate, oblong in form, pinnate, thinly 

 scaly. Pinnse oblong, obtuse, and profoundly pinnatifid; lobes 

 oblong. 



Caudex brief and tufted. 



Stipes brownish. Length from one to two inches. 



Fronds from two to six inches in length, and of a dull green 

 colour. Pinnae more distant below and spreading. 



Sori copious, and situated below the apex of the venules. 

 Circular. 



The pecidiarity of this genus consists in the small concave 

 scale which rests on the vein below the sorus, having a fringed 

 margin spreading over the spore-cases. 



This rare Fern grows in the crevices of moist rocks in 

 mountains, at an altitiule of twelve hundred to two thousand 

 feet. 



There are no \aricties. 



