FERN GROWING 109 



A third [Libya) is larger, the fronds being 9 inches long 

 and six-tenths of an inch broad. The stipes is 5 inches long, 

 and the peraferent cup half-an-inch in diameter. The frond 

 is muricate and very rough ; the cup is placed at the tip of 

 the frond, and at right angles to it — i.e., the frond terminates 

 in a horizontal cup, out of the centre of which is a muricate 

 horn three-quarters of an inch in length. 



Indra. Broad peraferent truncate variety, 6 inches by 2\ 

 inches ; the cup \\ inch wide, the upper part fringed and 

 horned ; it is undulate, muricate, peraferent, spiral, and cornute. 



Mirza. A narrow rugose peraferent variety, 4 inches by 

 2\ inches, the stipes being 2\ inches. Below the apex is a small 

 double rosette in the place of the peraferent cup, and it has a 

 stag-like horn which branches, and one of these again branches. 



EXPERIMENT NO. XXIII. 



In 1890 the spores from four varieties of Scolopendrium 

 vulgar e were sown together, viz., crispum, muricatum, Victories, 

 and spirale, the seedlings from which were very interesting. 

 The following may be quoted : — 



Adriana (Fig. 44), whose crisp undulations touch each 

 other, and whose margins of the frills are more fimbriate 

 than any seen by the author. The apex of the frond is 

 blunt, and usually of the same width as the base, and the 

 frills are as much on the under as on the upper portion 

 of the frond, causing the depth to be 2 J inches on a frond 

 4J inches long and 2\ inches broad. As yet the plant is 

 small, but it is rapidly increasing in size. 



Beda. A muricate crispum, dividing at the apex into acute 

 points. Length 8 inches, width i\ inch. 



Cornelia. Crisp and fimbriate, and expanding in the middle 

 of the frond into broad branch-like lobes or leafy divisions. 



