THE BOULDER FERN. 231 



mountain fern, hairy Dicksonia, gossamer fern and hay- 

 scented fern. All but the last have reference to the 

 delicate structure and handsome cutting of the fronds. 

 To call this the hay-scented fern is certainly to " damn 

 with faint praise." 



The boulder fern is found from Canada to Alabama 

 and Minnesota. It is seldom entirely missing in any 

 locality in the northe^ ^rn part of its range, but one 

 must visit the stony uplands to see it at its best. It is 

 an excellent species for cultivation in the fernery but 

 the farmer has no desire for its presence in his fields. 

 Cattle will not eat it and it is almost impossible to eradi- 

 cate from stony soil. 



Some botanists assert that our plant and the tree-like 

 species in other parts of the world are not of close enough 

 kinship to be placed in the same genus. They would 

 therefore call our species a Dennst&dtia reserving the 

 name Dicksonia for the arborescent species. The genus 

 Dicksonia was named for James Dickson an English 

 botanist. There are about fifty species in the world, 

 twenty of which would be placed in Dennst&dtia if that 

 genus were recognised. There is but a single species in 

 North America. 



A FRUITING PINNA. 



