234 HUDSON S SPLEEN WORT. 



what quadrate : the fronds often measure a foot in length, and 

 sometimes fifteen and even eighteen inches : they usually issue 

 from dark holes or crevices, or depend from the roofs of sea- 

 caves ; and the lower pair of pinnee are often bleached, of small 

 size, weak and imperfect : the surface of the frond is generally 

 flat : the middle frond of the three on page 219 represents this 

 form, and the detached pinnule immediately adjoining it shows 

 the veins and incipient involucres. A third form is of nearly 

 erect growth, but bends over at the extremity ; and the entire 

 frond, together with each individual pinnule, possesses such a 

 rigid and inflexible convexity, that it is next to impossible to 

 flatten it by pressure : the frond to the left on page 219 is in- 

 tended to represent this state, but the convexity is not ex- 

 pressed. The lateral veins are branched, a branch running to 

 the extremity of each serrature : the clusters of capsules are 

 attached near the extremity of the veins, and somewhat alter- 

 nately, one branch bearing a mass and the next being without 

 one : each cluster is at first elongate and linear, and covered by 

 a linear, white involucre ; this involucre soon disappears, and 

 the clusters generally become nearly circular and somewhat 

 crowded : they are sometimes so large and crowded when rijse 

 as to be quite confluent. 



€ulkxt 



In a common flower-pot, this fern grows most luxuriantly. 

 Select a small pot, in proportion to the size of the j)lant, 

 fill the bottom to the depth of two inches with small pieces of 

 charcoal ; then prepare a mixture of charcoal, in pieces not 

 larger than a hazel-nut, clean silver sand, fibrous peat chopped 

 in small pieces, sand-stone in small pieces, and light friable 

 loam sifted fine, so as to get rid of the pebbles which so fre- 

 quently occur in loam : these six ingTedients, in equal parts, 

 should be thoroughly mixed and passed through a coarse sieve. 

 Hold the fern in the middle of the pot, with the radicles spread 

 as widely and loosely as possible, and with an iron spoon fill in 

 the mixture carefuUy and equally, shaking it gently down until 

 the pot is full. Stand the pot in a feeder constantly full of 

 water, but supply no water on the fronds or the surface soil. 



