12 HISTORY OP BRITISH FERNS. 



leaves ; but since they produce, from some part of their 

 surface, what in their case stands in the place of flowers, 

 there is no more reason why they should be called leaves, 

 than the leaf-like stems of Cactuses, or those of some 

 curious hot-house plants called Xylophyllas, each of which 

 is an example of a plant bearing its flower on what appear 

 to be leaves, but which are in reality stems. The frond or 

 leafy part of a Fern is, however, not to be classed among 

 stems; and hence, since it is of intermediate character 

 between a leaf and a stem, a distinctive name seems to be 

 properly applied to it. The name in common use among 

 botanists is frond, which we shall therefore adopt, and re- 

 commend our young friends to employ. 



As there are no flowers produced by the Ferns (we use 

 the term flower in its popular sense, without entering into 

 points of speculative botany), it is in the fronds that we must 

 seek for that ornamental aspect which renders them such 

 general favourites. The fronds alone, however, afford 

 almost endless variety : some are very large, others very 

 small; some quite simple and not at all divided, others 

 divided beyond computation into little portions or segments, 

 and it is these much-divided fronds which, generally 

 speaking, are the most elegant. 



