202 



ALPINE LADY FERN. 



follows-. — " Heremth I forward a sample of a certain fern, common in this 

 district, and which I consider is the Polypodium alpestre. I fomid it in 

 Canlochen, and also in Glens Prosen and Fiadh ; and it is commoner than 

 Athyrium Fihs-femina, and varies much in size, from four inches to three 

 feet in length. When large, it has quite the appearance of Athyrium FOix- 

 femina, and lohen small, and in fructification, looJcs more like a Cysto- 

 pteris." — Phytol. iv. 653. Mr. Backhouse, in a communication dated 

 " September 13, 18.53," writes thus : — " After Thomas Westcombe, of 

 Worcester, left us, we (i. e., my son and myself, who were subsequently 

 joined by G. S. Gibson) continued to find Pseudathyrium alpestre in all the 

 corries of the Dee-side mountains, and those of the neighbouring districts. 

 It was often mixed with Athyrium Filix-femma, at an elevation of from 

 2000 to 3000 feet ; but from 3000 to 4000 feet Filix-femina had ceased, 

 and P. alpestre was plentiful. In damp gorges, and among tumbled rocks, 

 it was often destitute of fructification ; but in more open places it was abun- 

 dantly in fructification, varying from six inches to three feet four inches in 

 height. A remarkable variety, with defiexel pinna, ivas only met toith in 

 one place in Glen Prosen." — Id. 715, 



Radicles strong and numerous : caudex massive, enduring, 

 erect, exhibiting no tendency to lateral elongation ; its crown 

 broad, gibbous, scaly : fronds arranged with regularity round 

 the crown, but the symmetrical apipearance is lost when lateral 

 crowns are formed : stipes short, clothed but not densely with 

 long, pale brown, semidiaphanous scales, which are broad near 

 the base and acute at the apex : fronds broad-lanceolate, rigid, 

 pinnate : pinnaB twenty or thirtj^ on each side before they begin 

 to merge in the apical portion of the frond, approximate, as- 

 cending, sublinear, acute, pinnate : pinnules about twelve jiairs 

 on each pinna, sessile, but the point of attachment so narrow 

 that they appear almost stalked, broad at the base, deeply di- 

 vided into lobes on the sides, subacute at the apex ; the lobes, 

 as well as the apex, serrated : the lateral veins once or twice 

 dichotomously branched : the clusters of capsules small, quite 

 round, seated on the back of the anterior branch of the vein, 

 but not at or very near its extremity, each having the appear- 

 ance of being seated in a sinus between two lobes of a pinnule ; 

 perfectlj'^ without involucre. 



