FILICES. 55 



margins of the segments, forking near their middle, those towards 

 the apex of the segment generally simple or all of them simple. 

 Sori attached to the back of the ultimate veins, forming a line on 

 each side of the main vein a little within the margin of the segment, 

 which is not recurved over them. Indusium hyaline, soon disap- 

 pearing, irregularly roundish, with minute stalked glands round the 

 margin, generally imperfect or malformed, and frequently entirely 

 absent. Spores granulated. No sterile fronds dissimilar to the 

 fertile ones. 



In pastures and woods, especially in hilly districts. Generally dis- 

 tributed in England, but sparingly so, except in Wales and the north of 

 England. In Scotland it is frequent, and very abundant throughout 

 the highlands, extending north to Orkney and Shetland. In Ireland 

 it is local, and rather scarce, though it is found from the north to the 

 south of the island. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer, Autumn. 



Caudex dividing into branches from the thickness of a man's finger 

 to nearly that of his wrist, that is taking into account the brown 

 decayed bases of the stipites with which it is clothed; sometimes 

 these branches are so short that the plant grows in a great tuft with 

 numerous crowns, but usually, when growing in light soil, the crowns 

 are quite detached, and seem like separate plants until the caudex 

 is laid bare by digging, when they will be found connected. Stipes 

 slightly dilated at the base, where there is a more or less evident 

 rib on each side extending for a short distance upwards, above this 

 the stipes is rounded, with the exception of a rather deep furrow on 

 the anterior surface, which is continued along the rachis tc the apex 

 of the frond. The fronds are ordinarily 2 feet high, but vary from 

 7 inches to 4 feet, of which the stipes occupies only from 1 to 6 inches, 

 the breadth is from 2^ to 10 inches ; they begin to unfold in May, and 

 perish with the first severe frost in autumn. There does not appear 

 to be a continued succession of fronds as in L. Thelypteris, for I have 

 not noticed young fronds appearing later than the end of July. In 

 their young state they are of a delicate pea-green with the scales 

 white and hyaline. They have a peculiarity in their mode of unfold- 

 ing : the pinnae unroll themselves before the rachis uncurls, so that 

 as the latter developes the pinnae attached to the unfolded portion 

 have already straightened themselves ; the end of the rachis goes on 

 unfolding to the apex. The mature fronds are more or less firm, 

 especially so when growing in exposed situations, but in moist shady 

 woods they are often flaccid ; in this case they are of a bright pure 

 green, or even dark green, but on exposed hillsides they are more of 

 a yellow green.' The pinnae diminish in length rapidly towards the 



