FERN GROWING 151 



only distinct from the parent, but quite distinct from each other : 

 the one given to the author has almost horizontal fronds, and 

 this has been called imbricatum, ; the other has an erect frond, 

 narrower than the others, but the divisions are much finer ; this 

 has been called Baldwini, and is, perhaps, the most beautiful 

 British Fern yet known. From the second sowing by Mr. 

 Fox, there was only one that was very distinct, this is called 

 gracile. Mr. Fox all but lost it, and gave it to the author to try 

 and save its life ; it lingered between life and death until the 

 summer of 1894, when it threw up some healthy fronds. The 

 author sowed spores of this decompositum-splendens in 1890, and 

 has a few promising varieties. It has been said that all these three 

 varieties are sterile, yet in 1 893 there were a few spore-cases on 

 Baldwini; they were very different from the normal ones of 

 Aspidium angulare, having no indusium, and were small, showing, 

 when magnified, that each had only four to five spores ; these were 

 at once sown, but it is not yet certain that any have germinated. 



The varieties of Aspidium angulare in the section plumoso- 

 divisilobum must not be confused with those in the section 

 divisilobum : for in the latter there is a variety laxum, found by 

 Mr. J. Wills, in South Devon in 1874 ; another, robustum, found 

 also in South Devon in 1 874, by Mr. J. Moly ; and a third, densum, 

 which was raised at Sale by Messrs. F. W. & H. Stansfield. 



In 1879 the author raised a number of seedlings that all 

 belong to the section plumoso-divisilobum, but how they origi- 

 nated it is now impossible to say ; they were small when he 

 left Nottinghamshire, and showed nothing remarkable in their 

 character, and they passed into the hands of Messrs. J. R. 

 Pearson, and were grown in their Nursery at Chilwell. In 1885 

 Colonel Jones visited Chilwell and recognised their excellence, 

 and brought some plants away with him. But previously to 

 this others had been disposed of that Mr. Charles Pearson 

 thought were the cream of" this batch ; these were traced to 

 the King's Norton Nursery near Birmingham, and the author 



