yEBNS. 



said to be doraal/ when in the latter, they are called ma/rginal : 

 they never appear on the upper surface. 



As we are now supposed to be tolerably well acquainted 

 with the structure of the fern and the different terms that are 

 applied to its several parts, and the varied formation of the 

 frond, let us now proceed to look through a tabular arrange- 

 ment of the principal British Ferns according to their orders 

 or groups, their genera, and their species. The order to 

 which each belongs will be found in the first column, the 

 genus in the second, and the species in the third ; while in 

 the fourth the name by which it is commonly known in our 

 own language is given. An alphabetical arrangement has 

 been adopted in the first three columns to aid the memory, 

 and the description of the various species will, be given in this 

 order, although greater prominence will be given to the English 

 name than to the botanical name, which is formed of the names 

 of the genus and species combined together. It will also be 

 seen that one group .may be composed of many distinct genera, 

 and that each genus may include several species, which in their 

 turn are subdivided into varieties. Thus the group A^le- 

 niecB ia composed of the genera Aspleniv/m, Ceterach, and 8co- 

 lopencMwm, of which the genus Asplenivmi comprises as many 

 as nine distinct species. In some cases the varieties of a 

 single species are almost endless, and the distinctions between 

 them are scarcely appreciable ; no less than sixty-six varieties 

 of the common Hart's Tongue fern being described in Mr. 

 Bradbury's beantifal book entitled " Nature-Printed Ferns." 



Table as the Pmncipai, Beitish Febns. 



OEDEB OE OKODP. GENUS. 

 AniANTlia . Adiantum . 



A^FiniEa 



Aspidium 



80S 



SFEOHB. 



CapiUus Veneris, 

 Aculeatum. 

 Cristatum . , 

 Dilatatum . . 



FilixMas , 

 Lonchitis . . 



Oreopteris. . 



Bigidum . 

 Spinulosum . 

 Thelypteris 



COMMON NAME. 



Ti'ae Maiden-Hair. 

 f Soft PricUy 

 \ Shield Fern. 



Crested Sh ieldFem. 



Fern. 

 Male Shield Fern. 

 Holly Fern. 



( Mountain, Shield 



\ Fern. 



Rigid Shield Fern. 

 Broad Shield Fern. 

 Marsh Fern. 



