Ferns and Fern Culture. 1b 
inches. Other species—Lomaria gibba, for instance— 
attain a height of 2ft. or more, producing at the top a 
head of spreading fronds. These are miniature tree- 
ferns, but Dicksonias, Alsophilas, Cyatheas, and other 
genera, frequently rise to a height of 50ft., producing 
immense heads of fronds, 20ft. to 30ft. across. These are 
gigantic specimens—veritable Tree-ferns. (See illustra- 
tion, page 13.) 
Some species have a creeping, sideways habit of 
growth, and thus slowly they change their position ; 
DavaLlla HETEXOPHYLLA, 
(Showing creeping rhizomes.) 
but they still belong to the section whose stems are each 
styled a caudex. : 
The next division may be represented by the “ Squirrel’s 
Foot,” or ‘‘Hare’s Foot” Ferns. These belong to the 
genus Davallia. The ‘‘feet,” as they are commonly 
called, are often taken to be roots. This, however, is 
a mistake; they are not roots, but stems, botanically 
known as rhizomes. They correspond to the stem of the 
Tree-ferns, so conspicuous in their majestic height. The 
roots are produced underneath these creeping stems, 
and the fronds from their sides or tops. By these stems 
