74 HISTORY OF BRITISH FERNS. 



slightly scaly stem, producing black fibrous roots. From 

 these stems spring up, about May, the delicate hairy pale 

 green fronds, which, when full grown, measure from six 

 inches to a foot in height. The stipes, which is fleshy 

 and very brittle, is generally twice as long as the leafy 

 part of the frond ; near its base are a few small almost 

 colourless scales. The fronds are triangular, extended 

 into a long narrow point. In the lower part they are 

 pinnate ; but this distinction of the parts is seldom carried 

 beyond the two lowest pairs of branches, those of the 

 upper portions of the frond being connected at the base, 

 in what is technically called a pinnatifid manner : hence 

 this Fern is said to be subpinnate, which, in this case, 

 means partially pinnate, or pinnate at the very base only. 

 The pinnae have a narrow and acutely lance-shaped out- 

 line, and are deeply pinnatifid ; they usually stand oppo- 

 site each other -in pairs, the lowest pair being directed 

 downwards, towards the root, and set on at a short distance 

 from the rest. The united bases of the pairs of the other 

 pinnae, when they happen to stand exactly opposite each 

 other, exhibit a cruciform figure more or less obvious ; and 

 by this mark, in conjunction with the triangular outline 

 and subpinnate mode of division, this species may be 



