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now doing nicely and promises well. This is Cyathea arborca, 
widely distributed in the West Indies. 
There are a number of specimens of Hemitelia grandifolia and 
Alsophila aspera, already alluded to, with trunks two to four feet 
high. The former of these is common to both the West Indies 
and South America, while the latter is restricted to the West 
Indies. These particular plants are from the island of St. Kitts. 
Of an entirely different type of tree fern is Blechnuin Corcovadense, 
from Brazil. A large specimen of this is near the Dichsonia re- 
ferred to. Its erect simply pinnate fronds, with the pinnae 
crisped on the margins, give it quite a different appearance. 
While this is alluded to as the tree-fern house, it is not en- 
tirely restricted to such ferns. Many other large specimens, but 
without trunks, are also grown here. Conspicuous among these 
is a well-grown specimen of Cibotium Baromets, from China. 
This will be found in the southwestern corner, just opposite to 
the Lomarias. It is this species which gave rise to the legend of 
the Barometz or Scythian Lamb, which, according to Bauhin, in 
1650, was found growing attached to the roots of a plant, and 
was thus supported in a perpendicular position. The animal 
continued to feed upon the herbage around as far as it could 
reach, and when this supply of food was exhausted the animal 
died. It must have required a strong imagination to evolve such 
a tale, for there is little about the plant to suggest it ; it is based, 
it is said, upon the dried rootstocks. It was not until nearly a 
century later, however, that this myth was exploded and the 
truth made known 
Todea barbara, jon South Africa and New Zealand, is an- 
other fern which can hardly be classed as a tree fern, although 
its rootstock does sometimes become elongated to some extent. 
It is a relative of the Osmundas of our own swamps and belongs 
to the same family, the Osmundaceae. Acrostichum lomartoides, 
from tropical America and Florida, is represented by a number 
of large plants on one of the corner benches. Its tall erect or 
ascending fronds are simply pinnate. These specimens were se- 
cured in the neighborhood of Miami, Florida, where it grows in 
great profusion in fresh or brackish marshes. 
