HOLLY OK ROUGH ALPINE SHIELD FERN. 19 



HOLLY OR ROUGH ALPINE SHIELD 

 FERN. 



ASPIDIUM LONCHITIS. 



/ 



\Swartz, Smith, Hooker, and Arnott.] 

 (Fig. 3.) 



SYNONYMS. 



POLYSTICHUM LONCHITIS. Roth, Bobington, Moore, 



Newman. 

 POLYPODIUM. Linnaeus. 



THIS is a rigid and prickly-looking plant, whence 

 comes its English name. The fronds grow in a tuft 

 from the extremity of a very slowly-lengthening 

 rhizome. The size of the fronds is very variable, from 

 a few inches to a foot and a half in height ; they are 

 generally of a rigid texture, but this depends greatly 

 on situation ; sometimes they are thinner and spread- 

 ing, or even almost pendulous. The colour is of a deep 

 glossy green in the Irish and Scotch specimens, while 

 in the English and Welsh it is duller ; and the whole 

 plant is not so prickly and holly-like as in the Irish 

 and Scotch planta The margin of the fronds is set 

 with spinous teeth. The sori are circular, disposed in 

 long series on each side of the mid-rib, and often 

 become confluent in maturity. 

 c 2 



