CETEEACH. 101 



A downy, evergreen, distinct-looking, and very pretty 

 Fern, growing in tufts. The fronds when fresh are thick 

 and rather fleshy, and from this cause, as well as the 

 densely- packed scaly covering of the under surface, they 

 are perfectly opake when dry. Their size is variable, ac- 

 cording to the circumstances of their growth : they are 

 found from two to six inches in length, rarely exceeding the 

 latter. They grow on a short scaly stipes, and are either 

 pinnatifid, as is commonly the case, or more rarely pinnate, 

 the difference being, that in the latter the fronds are 

 divided rather more deeply than in the former. The upper 

 surface is a deep opake green, prettily contrasting with the 

 rust-coloured brown of the scales on the under surface, 

 these being just seen projecting from the margin, and still 

 more fully in the exposed under surface of the young par- 

 tially-developed fronds. The pinnse or lobes are of an ovate 

 form, and either entire or lobed on the margin. 



The opacity of the fronds renders the venation indistinct, 

 and indeed it is only to be made out by examining young 

 fronds, removing the covering of scales, and the outer skin 

 of the frond itself. It is then seen, that from the lower 

 corner the principal vein enters, taking a sinuous course 

 towards the upper side of the apex; it branches alter- 



