THE USES OF FERNS. 87 



and Gleichenia Hermanni ; and it is wortli remark that 

 these species represent almost all the principal groups in 

 uhich Ferns are classified. 



The Hindoos, according to Dr. Hooker, boil the tops of 

 a kind of Polypod'mvi with their shrimp-curries. The 

 watery tubers of Nephrolepis tuherosa are eaten in Nepaul, 

 where also the Botrycliium vvrginicum is boiled and eaten. 



The pith of the stem is the part used in the Cijathea 

 medullai'is, and other tree-ferns. This pith is a coarse 

 kind of sago. The rootstock, or rhizome, of the Pteris 

 csculenta, is the part used in Australia, New Zealand, and 

 the South Sea Islands. This consists principally of starch, 

 with some astringent matter. 



While the child of nature turns to the Fern for food, 

 his more civilized brother seeks in it a medicine ; and he 

 finds it ! Two of our common native species, the Filix- 

 mas and the Bracken — especially the former — have the 

 reputation of being remedies against intestinal worms, in 

 consequence of their bitter and astringent qualities, which 

 properties are possessed by the stems of many other species. 

 Another native Fern, the Royal Fern, is mucli used as a 

 rustic vulnerary, and as an application to sprains or bruises. 

 From the astringent mucilage present in the green parts 



