154 DESCRIPTIONS OF N.Z. FEENS. 



The rhizome is an irregularly-shaped tuberous mass, from which the fern may be 

 propagated, by sub-division, in the same way as a potato. From this a crown of a few 

 ereft fronds springs, seldom more than four- or six fronds to a crown. The rhizome has 

 fleshy roots. The stipes is long, stout, brownish towards the base and green above, 

 and both it and the rachis and costae, which are green, are sparingly furnished, when 

 young, with a few short, broad, brown scales, which fall off afterwards. The base of 

 the stipes is articulated to the rhizome, and is furnished on each side with a large 

 auricle,- which curves round to meet the opposite one, and gives the whole base the 

 shape of a horse's foot, whence the name given to the fern by settlers. The frond is 

 bi-pinnate and broadly-ovate, sometimes almost round, but very large fronds (which 

 are said to be sometimes fourteen feet long, stipes included), are narrower in proportion 

 than smaller ones. The pinnae are arranged in pairs, the topmost two forming the 

 apex of the frond, as it is a peculiarity of the plant that there is no terminal pinna. 

 Occasionally a frond is met with, which, at first sight, seems to have a terminal pinna, 

 but closer examination shows it to have an abortive one alongside of it. The 

 pinnules are narrowly oval, or sometimes bluntly pointed, shortly stalked, and also 

 arranged in pairs with no terminal one. The pinnae are jointed to the rachis, and the 

 pinnules to the costae; there being in each case an enlargement or knot covering the 

 joint. The texture is coriaceous : colour bright glossy green, with distinft veins. 

 The sori or synangia are situated a little within the margin, and look at first sight like 

 small short caraway seeds. When they are ripe they open along the top, the two 

 halves turning back, and lying side by side, with their hollow sides facing each other, 

 and showing the cells containing the capsules. Occasionally one finds a frond with 

 the pinnules confluent, so that each pinna is simple, with merely indented and serrated 

 edges. The fern is only found in very wet, almost boggy, ground, and is very easily 

 cultivated in rich soil kept well saturated with water. So long as it has these and a 

 fair amount of warmth, shade is of little consequence; the only objedl, in fact, of 

 placing the plant under the shade of trees being to proteft it from frost. If 

 insufliciently watered, the fronds at once droop at every joint, but a good watering 

 quickly restores them. I have plants growing both out of doors and in a greenhouse, 

 and the former look the healthiest, those in the house being very subjeft to black 

 scale blight. Cattle and horses both eat this fern greedily ; so it is necessary to keep 

 it out of their reach. I know that it is grown out of doors as far south as Wellington, 

 and I have heard that it is so at Christchurch ; but as it belongs to a tropical family, 

 it would probably need shelter farther south ; in fact, I find that, even at Wanganui, 

 and under the shade of trees, a sharp night's frost will cut the fronds, particularly the 

 young ones. Its large size and bright glossy green at once attraft notice, and make 

 it a desirable plant for the fernery, so that all growers of ferns should try to obtain 

 specimens for cultivation. 



