THE CAPILLAIRE PLANT. 267 



FREDERICK. 



Merely a piece of fern taken close to the root. You will 

 see, when I cut it across, what an excellent figure it makes of 

 an oak tree. 



MARY. 



So it does. I never saw it before. There appears to be 

 a great variety of ferns in the wood; what is this one, mamma? 



MRS. F. 



It is the common brake (Pteris aquilina), which contains 

 so much potash that the ashes of the burnt root are made into 

 balls, and used as a substitute for soap.* Like many other 

 of the ferns, it contains tannin, and is employed in dressing 

 leather, &c. 



ESTHER. 



Is not one species of Pteris eatable 1 ? 



MRS. F. 



Yes; several of the ferns contain a considerable proportion 

 of saccharine matter, gelatine and mucilage. The inhabi- 

 tants of New Zealand feed upon the roots of Pteris esculenta, 

 Cyathea medullaris, and Polypodium dichotomum, and in the 

 East Indies the same part of Diplazium esculentum is used 

 for food.f Nor must we omit to mention the Capillaire plant 

 (JLdiantum pedatum) used in the south of France to make the 

 syrup so called, which is perfumed with orange flower. 



ESTHER. 

 How very minute the seeds of the fern are. 



MRS. F. 



Yes; Shakspeare alludes to their being so uncommonly 

 fine as to be almost invisible, when he says, " We have the 

 receipt of fern-seed; we walk invisible." Fern-seeds were 

 formerly gathered the night before Midsummer, and made use 

 of for magical incantations. 



* Sprengel. t Ibid. 



