14 FERNS : BRITISH AND FOREIGN. 



for many other rare and interesting living Ferns, and 

 fine sets of dried specimens. 



Besides contributions from special collectors, the 

 Fern collection at Kew has been largely increased 

 through the instrumentality of the officers of our 

 numerous Colonial Botanic Gardens, and likewise by 

 many private individuals residing in foreign countries ; 

 and as the exertions of these gentlemen are worthy of 

 being recorded, I give a few particulars respecting 

 them, adopting a geographical arrangement for the 

 sake of brevity. 



The first Colonial garden from which, so far as I 

 am aware, Ferns were received at Kew, was that of 

 Ceylon, Mr. Alexander Moon, the Director, having, 

 in 1824, sent home a collection of plants, amongst 

 which was Nipliobolus costatus.*- But the first person 

 who forwarded any considerable number from that 

 island was the lamented Mr. George Gardner, well 

 known to botanists as a botanical traveller in Brazil, 

 who was Director of the Ceylon garden between 1844 

 and his death in 1848. This gentleman was succeeded 

 by Mr. (now Dr.) G. H. K. Thwaites, the present able 

 Director, and to him also the Kew collection is greatly 

 indebted for a large number of rare and beautiful 

 species ; such as ficMzoccena sinuata, Asplenium 

 radiatum, Actinostacliys radiata, Helminthostachys 

 Zeylanica, and many others. 



Though Continental India is extremely rich in Ferns, 

 it has, singularly enough, contributed very few to our 

 gardens, no persons in that country having devoted 

 themselves specially to the subject ;- indeed most of 

 those received thence have been accidentally imported 

 along with Orchids, including the half-dozen species 



