THE FERN PAEADISE. 



the exquisite grace and beauty of the plant. Its 

 midrib, from the point where leaving the stipes 

 the frond commences, is called the rac/iis. Should 

 the rachis have ribs branching either horizontally 

 or obliquely away from it, these ribs are still 

 called the rachis, its parts being distinguished the 

 one from the other by the terms, the primary or 

 the secondary rachis. Upon the rachis it is that 

 grow the leaves, leaflets, pinnules, and lobes, either 

 in a simple or a compound form ; and it is their 

 infinite variety of form simple, scalloped, saw- 

 edged and the exceedingly graceful manner in 

 which they are arranged on the rachis, that con- 

 stitute the peculiar elegance of a Fern. The 

 manner in which the fronds of Ferns spring from 

 the crown of the plants is another peculiarity in 

 their growth, and one that distinguishes them 

 from ordinary plants. On starting from the 

 crown, the fronds have the appearance of so many 

 little balls, which as they develope unroll upwards. 

 It is then seen that the whole frond has been 

 rolled together in circinate manner that is to 

 say, from the top of the frond spirally downwards. 

 Jn the simple fronds there is one simple unrolling 





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