FERNERIES. 397 



little plants on the fronds, and W. orientalis, from Japan, which has 

 also numerous little plants on the fronds. Both live with me out of 

 doors, but the best plan is to place them out in summer only. The 

 W. radicans forms splendid fronds, many feet in length. 



We have the Doodia aspera (fig. 908), from Australia, which grows 

 like a small tree fern in the outdoor fernery, indoor fernery, and in 

 Ward's cases in my dinmg-room. The new fronds have a pink tinge, 

 and among hard-leaved ferns this variety is one of the more graceful. 

 The D. caudata, from Australia, is not important ; it will live both in 

 the glass fernery and in the outdoor ferneries. 



No less than 280 species of Aspleniums are described by systematic 

 writers; of these* we have a selection which thrive out of doors, and 

 a further selection for the indoor fernery. The English species 

 A. Adiantum-nigruni, A. trichomanes, A. viride, A. fontanum, A. Ruta- 

 muraria, A. scptcntrionale, A. germanicum grow out of doors, but not 

 A. marinum, which, curiously enough, does not object to a stove heat, 

 nor A. fontanum, nor A. lanceolatum, which like a greenhouse tempe- 

 rature. The A. Filix-fcemina (fig. 877), with its century of varieties, 

 ornaments our banks, glens, and glades, but in the house is apt to 

 get thrip. The A. fragrans, a variety of A. australasicum, is rather 

 difficult to grow. The A. flabellifolium, from Australia, is a charming 

 species, having little plants at the ends of its long fronds ; I have 

 had it for many successive years in my dining-room. 

 A. viviparum looks like parsley, and has numerous 

 young plants at the tip of the leaves. One of the 

 species has very curious scales, which are truly 

 lovely microscopic objects, one of which Mr. Smith 

 has figured from a plant growing in my drawing- 

 room (fig. 909). The little scales are shown on 

 the leaf, and also magnified twenty times. A. (Scales x 20 diam.) 

 canariense, a variety of A. prcemorsum, is a nice fern. We have A. 

 nitidum ; and A. laccratum is of an elegant form. A. caudatnm, from 

 Australia, is a very beautiful fern, with fronds about eighteen inches 

 long ; it grows well when planted in the house. A. Bclangcri is a 



FIG: 909. Asplenium, with 

 characteristic scales. 



