no THE CHRISTMAS AND HOLLY FERNS. 



Eraun s Holly Fern. 



The last of this trio of Polystichums 

 P. Braunii is, like the holly fern, 

 an inhabitant of the more northern 

 parts of our continent. It is a sin- 

 gularly decorative and beautiful 

 species and belongs to a type that 

 is found the world over. The typ- 

 ical species is called Polystichum 

 aculeatum and our plant was long 

 thought to be a variety of it. It is 

 now considered by .most botanists to 

 be a distinct species. 



The rootstock is short and thick 

 and the fronds usually reach a height 

 of two feet or more. They are lan- 

 ceolate in outline on short stipes 

 and twice pinnate. The pinnae are 

 linear-oblong, usually acute, and 

 broadest at base, their ovate or ob- 

 long divisions appearing like small 

 duplications of the holly fern's pin- 

 nules, even to the ear on the upper 

 side at base. Both stipe and rachis 

 are densely clothed with short hair- 

 like growths as well as with the 

 ovate, brown scales common to its 

 allies. The sori are on the backs of 

 ordinary fronds and not very con- 

 spicuous. The fronds remain green 

 through the winter but the stipes are 

 unable to hold them erect. On ac- 

 count of the resemblance of the pin- 



Polystichum Braunii. 



