260 
show their position in the sequence; large plants may be found 
in the middle tree-fern house. Next in order come the royal 
fern, the floating-fern, and the tree-fern families, the last in 
small specimens merely to show their relationship to the others. 
About half way down the house the Polypodiaceae, or Pol 
pody family, begins. To this belongs the greater part of ff 
ferns, and especially those of our own vicinity. This family 
embraces many genera, and only the more prominent ones 
can be mentioned here. The stag-horn ferns are represented 
by a few specimens, and the acrostichoid plants by the genera 
Acrostichum, Elaphoglossum and Hymenodium, among others. 
Vittoria ee is here in a plant or two; this is sometimes known 
in Florida as the old man’s beard, from its habit of forming a 
fringe of ii at the base of the leafy crown of the palmetto 
palm. The polypodies, ferns in which the spore-cases are with- 
out an indusium or covering and are borne in usually round 
masses, are represented in such genera as Polypodium, Gonio- 
phicbium, Phlebodium, Campyloneurum, Phymatodes, Pessop- 
teris, Selliguea and Cyclophorus, the last genus occupying the 
farther end of the side bench. 
Crossing the walk, the sequence is again taken up with the 
pteroid ferns, those in which the spore-cases are covered by an in- 
dusium formed by the reflexed margin of the frond. This group 
includes such genera as Pellaea, the cliff-brake, Doryopteris, a 
large ee of maiden-hair ferns, Adiantum, Pteris, and the 
silver and gold ferns, both belonging to the aes Ceropteris. 
Following these are the asplenioid ferns, with the spore-cases 
arranged in linear or narrow, straight or curved, masses, covered 
with anindusium. In this are included such genera as Diplasium, 
Callipteris, Asplenium, Blechnum, Lomaria and Woodwardia. 
owing these, at about the middle of the house, begin the 
shield-fern forms, in which the spore-cases are arranged in round 
masses, in some very small, in others quite large, and usually 
covered with a shield-shaped indusium. Here we find Dryopteris, 
the shield-ferns, Phegopteris, Tectaria, Polystichum, to which 
belongs our common Christmas fern, Olfersia, and Anapausia. 
Succeeding these on the east bench are the davallioid ferns, rep- 
