No. 212, Spore cases of tho Nardoo {Marsilea Drum- TABLE 

 moiulii, A. Braun.) from the Diamantina district, Queensland. CASE 

 They are beaten bcstwecn stones until they are retluced to B. 

 powder which is mixed witii water and baked into a kind of 

 bread, a sample of which is shown. 



Pern Order {FiUces). A grouj) of arborescent or TABLI'^ 

 herbaceous, perennial, very rarely annual plants. Alternation of CASJ*^ 

 generations is well marked, the sexual stage or prothallus being C. 

 minute, whereas the asexual or spore-bearing stage is large, 

 and is the portion popularly considered as constituting the 

 entire plant. The spores are usually borne on the und(u* surface 

 of the frond, rarely grouped on specialised branches, as in the 

 KoYAL Fern (^Osmimda regalis, L.). In the arborescent forms 

 they may grow to a height of 80 feet. 



The order is abundant in all moist climates iu nearly all 

 degrees of temperature, but is of very little economic value. 



The remains of ferns are present in nearly all strata from' 

 the Devonian upwards, and were very abundant during the 

 Carboniferous period. 



In the upper part of the Case are specimens of the Koyal 

 Fern {Osjnunda regalisy L.) and in the lower division is a 

 portion of a stem of the Dwarf Tree Fern, of Sealer's Cove, 

 Victoria (Todea harhura, Moore), and a plant o^ Platyceriwu 

 Stemmaria, Desv., var; elephant otis. {See also Case 129.) 



In the top of the Case observe portions of stems of Cyafhea TABLE 

 dealbata^ Sw,, from New Zealand, and C. arborea, Sw., from CASE 

 the Souffriere, St. Vincent, &c. D. 



No. 213. Hat made of the stipes of the Nito {Lyyodiam 

 sp.) from the province of Fayabas, Island of Luzon. Note 

 also a broom made of stipes of X. scandens, Sw., from Ceylon. 



Observe the long, creepiiig rhizome of Lastrcea thehjpteris^ 

 Presl., commonly called the root ; the true roots are the 

 blackish fibres springing from the underside of the rhizome. 



The upper part of this Case contains — Polypody Koot, the TABLE 

 rhizome of Poly podium vidgare, L. Dried fronds of Adiantnm CASE 

 candaiumy L., from India; said to be used in Bourbon for E. 

 making SiROP de Capillaire. ^. Capillus — Vcneris^\j,'kuo\sn 

 as the Capillaire of Montpellier, and used in Europe for a 

 similar purpose. A, venustum, Don., an Indian species said to 

 possess astringent and aromatic properties. 



In the lower part of the Case note steips of Blechnum 

 hrasiliense, Desv., from Brazil ; Lomaria.magellanica, Desv., 



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