THE FERN PARADISE. 



4. 



THE HARD FERN. 



Bleclm u m spica n t. 



PLATE 1, FIG. 4. 



jLTHOUGH not so graceful as most of 

 the British Ferns, there is a rigid 

 elegance about the Hard Fern. Its 

 name is admirably suited to its character, for 

 its texture is hard, and its growth robust. But 

 its delightful colour a dark shining green 

 and the elegance of simplicity which is notice- 

 able in the arrangement of the leaflets on its 

 fronds make amends for its lack of feathery 

 grace. Like the Lady Fern, in whose company 

 it is frequently found, it delights in abundant 

 moisture and the most complete shade, preferring 

 situations where water perpetually trickles over 

 its crown. Its fronds grow from a tufted root- 

 stock, and are supported on stems which vary in 

 length in different specimens, but are generally 

 not more than one-sixth the length of the frond 



248 



