THE LADY FERN AND ITS KIN. 185 



mon in the Old World. It is one of the easiest of ferns 

 to cultivate and will grow in almost any soil if given 

 moisture and partial shade. This species is frequently 

 called a brake, and is also occasionally known as back- 

 ache fern. The rhizome of the European species is erect 

 or ascending and commonly rises a few inches above the 

 soil. That of our plant is long and creeping, which seems 

 to indicate that the two are not identical. In this case 

 our plant would be known as Athyrium Michauxii, 

 or perhaps more properly Athyrium filix-f&mina Mich- 

 auxii. In northwestern America there is a form that is 

 taller and broader, with indusia so curved that they ap- 

 pear almost circular with a narrow sinus. It was formerly 

 considered a variety of the lady fern and named cycloso- 

 rum. It is now generally thought to be a distinct 

 species. 



The Silvery Spleenwort. 



The best place to look for the silvery spleenwort 

 (Athyrium thelypteroides) is in the rich moist woods on 

 the borders of the crested fern's haunts where it delights 

 to grow among the Jack-in-the-pulpits, Trilliums, Solo- 

 mon's Seals and other lily-like plants. It is an unas- 

 suming plant as ferns go, with few characteristics suffi- 

 ciently striking to make it prominent among its sister 

 species. Unless one is making a clean sweep of every 

 woodland, it is possible for it to exist in his locality 

 for years without being discovered. When growing in 

 clumps, its resemblance to some of the wood ferns, 

 especially the marsh and New York ferns, is quite 

 close. 



The rootstock is thick, horizontal and creeps near the 

 surface. The fronds are produced singly from the grow- 



