850 



THE CEOSSINO OF FERNS. 



with tho addition of the cresting of the pinnae ; other plants 

 resembled the crested parent, with depauperation so slight 

 as not to affect the general symmetry of tho frond; and 

 there wore intermediate forms between tlieso. Anotlicr 

 successful cross of Mr. Barnes was between two perfectly 

 distinct forms of A. T.-fffimina, FrizelliiB and Craigii. 

 rrizoUiiR, as is well known, has a way of occasionally 

 sending up a normal frond, and the crested forms of Trizellia^ 

 produce also ordinary crested fronds ; but the plant of 

 Frizollia; in question, whenever it attempts to revert, or 

 rather to show its other parent, sends up an unmistakable 

 frond of Craigii, a thing never seen before. 



Mr. Moly's most marked instance of crossing was with a 

 Scolopendrium. He had found a very remarkable variegated 

 form, with bright green bands on a white ground, the latter 

 presenting tho appearance of being deficient in one of its 

 tissues, the green portion standing out above the other 

 portion of the frond. Mr. Moly was not (luito satisfied with 

 this fern, thinking it too narrow, so ho sowed it with a broad 

 form, " fissum latum " of Moly, with a view to a cross ; and 

 he got a plant of fissum latum variegated in the unique 

 manner above referred to. 



An experiment by Mr. Mapplebeck with Scolopendrium 

 was not less remarkable. He sowed a conglomerate form 

 with a form of peraferons with astonishing results. In 

 . several of the plants tho conglomerate character is retained, 

 but frequently little pouches are distinguishable at the ex- 

 tremities of the leafy portion. It is well known that the 

 conglomerate forms have a way of occasionally throwing a 

 normal frond, but in the case of these crosses fronds of 

 simple peraferens are thrown, truncate with horn and pouch. 

 Another very striking cross of Mr. Mapplebeck was with 

 Pteris aquilina. I had myself raised a crested flexuoso P. 



