Pteris 



244 ) 



Pteris 



a few inches to several feet, while as to cutting, all 

 stages are shown, from the undivided up to the 

 three or four times pinnate. One remarkable 

 feature is the number of variegated Ferns among 

 the Pterises argyrsea, Victories, Alexandra, and 

 Mayi, shorn of their specific names, are familiar 

 examples. In some cases, as in quadriaurita and 

 its varieties, the young fronds take on a bright rose 

 or claret hue, at once striking and effective. Now 

 included under Pteris are Amphiblestra, Cam- 

 pteria, Doryopteris, Heterophlebium, Litobrochiu, 

 Passia, and Pycnodoria. 



The genus Pteris is also noteworthy for its 

 economic value, although these qualities are 

 practically all centred in aquilina. In many 

 parts of the country Bracken is cut in autumn, 

 dried, and stored in stacks for covering material. 



PTEHIS CRETICA. 



The ashes are a valuable dressing, and, being rich 

 in potash, have been employed in glass manu- 

 facture. 



Propagation. In most cases by spores ; palmata 

 produces bulbils, which speedily make strong young 

 plants if the fronds are pegged down to the soil. 

 Species with creeping rhizomes, by division. The 

 variety smithiana, although it produces spore 

 cases, has no spores. 



Soil. Equal parts of peat or leaf mould and 

 loam, with sand. Weak-growing varieties need a 

 little more peat. (See FERNS.) 



Principal Species and Varieties : 



[NOTE. The dimensions refer to the fronds, and 

 do not include the length of the stipe or stalk.] 



aquih'na,fronds 8" to 48" cristata, hcly., tips of 

 i, _ .-. 



long, 6" to 24" broad, 

 finely cut, lowest pinna? 

 bipiunate, light grn., 

 thin but leathery, hdy.; 

 many vars. Bracken, 

 Brake Fern, Eagle Fern. 



le pumas crested, 

 ound at 



the 



Found at Tunbridge 

 Wells ; cresting fairly 

 constant. 



esculenta, grh., pin- 

 nules narrow, rhizome 



is eaten by the ab- 

 origines. Edible Fern 

 of Tasmania. 



arguta, 1' to 3' long, 1' 

 to IV broad, pinnate, 

 lowest pinnules pinuati- 

 fid, warm grh. , st. , soft, 

 papery. 



aspericaulis, H' long, st., 

 pinnate, lowest pinnae 

 bipartite, claret hued 

 when young. 



rubro-iiervia, st., red 

 veins and midrib. 



tricolor, 2' long, st. , 

 pur. red or bright ro. 

 when young, dark gru., 

 grey, with pur. veins 

 when mature ( f !/ }> 

 quadriaurita tricolor). 



biaurita, 8" to 18" long, 

 6" to 8" wide, st., not 

 so deeply cut as quadri- 

 aurita. 



- argentea, st., deep 

 grn., silvery wh., more 

 useful than type. 



cretica, ban-en fronds 6" 

 to 12" long, 4" to 8" 

 broad, pinnate, fertile 

 fronds longer, more 

 erect, and with much 

 narrower pinna?, grh. 

 or intermediate, pale 

 g^n., leathery (see 

 hgure); many vars., in- 

 cluding : 



albo-lineata, st. or 

 grh., pinnules broad, 

 and with a central silver 

 band ; most useful ; 

 comes true from spores. 



albo-lineata Alex- 

 andra?, like albo-liue- 

 ata, but with crested 

 fronds, very handsome 

 (seep. 248). 



crispata, st. or grh., 

 fronds crisped, with 

 central grey band. 



- major (see serrulata 

 Ouvrardii). 



Mayi, grh., like albo- 

 lineata, but crested and 

 smaller ; plant smaller ; 

 comes true from spores. 



nobilis, erect habit, 

 fronds crested, pale 

 grn.; makes a bushy 

 grh. plant ; comes true 

 from spores (see p. 

 245). 



Ouvrardii (see serrulata 

 var.). 



sempervirens, crested, 

 stands well in dwelling 

 rooms. 



Summersii, much 

 divided and crested, 

 elegant. 



- Wimsettii, 1J' to 2' 

 long, grh., "tips of 

 pinnules forked, crested. 

 Grand market Fern. 



Driukwateri, 15" to 18" 

 long, J" wide, dark 

 grn., vigorous. 



ensiformis, 6" to 12" long, 

 3" to 6" broad, grh., 

 fertile fronds narrower 



and more cut, leathery 

 (SIJH. crenata). 



Victoria-, barren 

 fronds small anil pros- 

 trate, fertile ones 1 ' to 

 1J' long, with narrow 

 pinna?, prettily varie- 

 gated (st/n. e. variegata 

 of Moore). Several 

 sub-vars. even prettier. 

 Regime is of more 

 vigorous growth, and 

 the variegation is in 

 narrower stripes : cris- 

 tata has crested fronds, 

 flabellata, 1' to 3' long, 1' 

 to H' broad, warm grh., 

 st.: like arguta. 



ascensionis, smaller, 

 heterophylla, 6" to 12" 



long, 3" to 6" broad, 

 triangular, tripinnate, 

 st., thin, papery. 

 Internata is a var. 



leptophylla, 9" to 12", 

 each way, deltoid, 

 much cut, with long 

 narrow pinnules, st., 

 soft, papery, greyish 

 grn. 



lougifolia, 1' to 2' long, 

 6" to 9" broad, pinnate, 

 leathery, grh.; market 

 Fern (seep. 245). 



Mariesii, shorter 

 fronds, narrower pinna?, 

 st.; conies true from 

 spores. 



uobilis, 4' to a' long, 

 st. 



ludens, barren fronds 

 entire, triangular to 

 halberd shaped, with 

 two well-marked lobes, 

 very leathery, fertile 

 ones 4" to 6" each way, 

 deeply lobed, and 

 roughly palmate, st. 

 (/. Doryopteris 



ludens). 



nobilis, st., first fronds 

 heart - shaped, next 

 series halbert -'shaped, 

 final series palmate, 

 thick, leathery, bright 

 grn., banded wh. (*//. 

 elegaus, Litobroehia 

 grandis,and nobilis of J. 

 Smith ; that of gardens 

 is a form or syn. of 

 palmata). 



Duvalii, fronds very 

 stout. 



variegata, variegation 

 strong. 



palmata, 4" to 9" each 

 way, St., dark grn., 

 barren frondsfive-lobed, 

 terminal one largest, 

 fertile fronds deeply 

 cut, palmate, narrow 

 lobes, leathery (see p, 

 246). Colliua and 

 variegata are vars. 



patens, 3' to 4' long, 2' to 

 3' broad, bipimmtitid, 

 leathery, st. (syn. 

 decussata). 



pedata, st., close to palm- 

 ata, but more divided. 



