THE WOOD FERNS. 



135 



The sporangia are 

 borne on fronds simi- 

 lar to the sterile ones 

 and appear almost SORI, ENLARGED. 



as soon as the fronds unroll in spring. The conspicuous 

 indusia are convex, white or lead colour when young, 

 and owing to their thickness, do not wither so soon as 



FRUITING PINN.E. 



the indusia of most ferns. The sori are found on the 

 margins of the pinnules and so close to the edge as to 

 often appear to project beyond it. There is no crowd- 

 ing of the sori. Each is separated from its neighbour 

 by an appreciable interval and if 

 one happens to be missing, its 

 place is not encroached upon by 

 the others. This manner of fruit- 

 ing is so characteristic that it 

 alone serves to distinguish this 

 species. 



It is to be regretted that 

 the strictly American ferns have 

 so little folk-lore connected with them. Our country 

 was apparently settled at too late a period of man's 

 mental development for the ferns to be viewed with the 

 same degree of wonder and speculation that Old World 

 species inspired in earlier generations. Most of our folk- 

 lore has been imported and such of our species as do 

 not occur on the other side of the world usually have no 



SORI. 



