290 



HALF-HOURS IN THE GREEN LANES. 



Fig. 219. 



\Yoodsiu itvensi 

 b, Portion en 



to apply it te 

 wounds and ulcers. 

 Its roots are short, 

 but they possess 

 the power of pene- 

 trating the hardest 



mortar. Another of our rarest native 

 ferns is Woodsia ilv&nsis (Fig 219), 

 which can be met with only in tho 

 bleakest and most exposed mountain 

 regions. 



The commonest of our road and 

 lane side ferns are the polypody, which 

 may frequently be met with under 

 distinct varietal forms ; the Male 

 Fern, Female Fern, and Blechnum. 

 The latter resembles the Polypody 

 in the shape of its fronds, but some 

 of the fronds only bear spore-cases, 

 and these are generally erect and 

 brown. The Dilated Fern (Lastrea 

 dilatata) is also- a common and 

 most elegant plant, especially abun- 

 dant in the shady lanes of the 

 northern and midland counties. The 

 Holly Fern is another lover of the 

 northern districts, although it is 

 also common in some parts of the 

 eastern counties. Lastly, in the 

 woods you may meet with the Oak- 

 fern (Polypodium dryopteris) , a plant 



