ACROGKN^. 733 



Class 5th. 



ACROGEN^. 



Lindl. Nat. Syst. p. 395, or Flowerless Plants. 



A. FiLiCALEs, Lindl. Nat. Syst. p. 397. — Filices of others. 



THE FERN FAMILY. 



Leafy plants, producing a rhizoma, which creeps below or upon the 

 surface of the earth, or rises into the air like the trunk of a tree. (Lindl.) They 

 differ much from all living plants, and come nearest to the flowering classes 

 by Cycadacese. They prevail chiefly where there is a certain degree of 

 moisture ; hence they are abundant in insular situations, in the forests of 

 tropical countries, as well as on the mountains of northern latitudes. In 

 the E. Indies they have been found in the greatest abundance in the 

 Malayan Peninsula, the Khassya Mountains, the Mishmee Hills, Bootan, 

 Nepal, the Himalayas, Mergui, and the west coast of the Peninsula of India. 

 In Royle's collection there are about 80 species, obtained mostly from the 

 tract of the Himalayas, between the Ganges and Sutlej rivers, and only 1 

 species from the plains of India, that is Asplenium radiatum, Sws., which is 

 found at Saharunpore and Delhi. The only other fern Royle found in the 

 plains was Cheilaiithes farinosa, Kaulf ; but even this only near the 

 Rajmahl hills, where there are also a few other species. About Serampore 

 have been discovered only 20 species, growing in ditches, on old walls, 

 trees, &c. although moisture here is considerable throughout the greater 

 part of the year. Wall. Cat. excluding exotics, contains about 430 species, 

 viz. 22 of Acrostichum ; 95 of P olyf odium ; 2 of Hemionitis ; J 2 of 

 Grammitis ; 2 of Antrophyum ; 5 of Meniscium ; 2 of Tcenitis ; 3 of No- 

 thol(Ena ; 1 of Matonia ; 62 of Aspidium, ^8 of Asplenium ; 1 of Allanto- 

 dia ; 34 of Pteris ; 7 of Cheilanthes ; 1 of Cryptogramma ; \8oi Lindseea ; 

 3 of Vittaria ; 9 of Adiantum ; 1 of Woodwardia ; 2 of Blechnum ; 8 of 

 Lomaria ; 3 of Cyathea ; 1 of Sphceropteris ; 9 of Alsophila ; 3 of Dickso- 

 nia ; 30 of Davallia ; 3 of Gleichenia ; I of Ceratopteris ; 8 of Hymeno- 

 phyllum ; 5 of Trichomaues ; 3 of Osmunda ; 1 of Angiopteris ; 1 of Schi- 

 zma ; 7 of Lygodium ; 1 of Ophioglossum ; 1 of HelmiiUhostachys ; 2 of 

 Botrychium ; I of Actinostachys ; and 2 of Arthrobotrys. — Many of these 

 are natives of the Indian Archipelago, but by far the greater part have 

 been collected on the Malayan Peninsula, the Khassya Mountains, Nepal, 

 and the Himalayas. 



The properties of the fern-family are upon the whole unimportant. 



Lindley thinking it not inexpedient to consider ferns as a collection of 

 genera equivalent to the alliances of Flowering Plants, has divided them 

 into the following natural orders : Polypodiacece, Gleicheniacece, Osmuii' 

 dacece, Daneeacece, and Ophioglossacece, 



