THE OSMUNDAS. 33 
America. Across the sea it is regarded as their hand- 
somest species and Withering alludes to it as the 
“ flower-crowned prince of British ferns.” We who have 
the ostrich fern, the Dicksonia and the cinnamon fern 
may not be willing to accord the palm to this species 
although it cannot be denied that it is a beautiful object 
when growing in suitable situations with room for its 
fronds to develop. The name of water fern, sometimes 
applied to it, indicates its fondness for moist situations. 
It loves to stand in shallow water and will generally be 
found in places too wet for its kin. 
The rootstock is frequently erect and, although it 
seldom rises more than a foot above the surface, has 
gained for the plant the name of tree-fern in some local- 
ities. As the uncoiling fronds begin to rise from the 
watery earth, the cobwebby wool that invested the cro- 
siers falls away in patches, revealing the glaucous wine- 
coloured stipes with their burden of pink or ochre 
pinne. As these expand, the bright green spore-cases 
may be seen for some time before the uncoiling has 
reached them, peeping through the sterile pinnae which 
clasp them like chubby hands. 
Full grown fronds often reach a height of six feet and 
even taller specimens are recorded from England. These 
great cool-green, twice pinnate fronds have little re- 
semblance to those of the other Osmundas, or for that 
matter to any other of our native species. The stout 
shining stipe continues through the blade as the rachis, 
giving off at intervals from five to nine pairs of opposite 
branches. These inturn bear six or more pairs of ob- 
long pinnules‘with finely serrate margins and heart- 
shaped or oblique bases. The pinnules are usually 
slightly stalked and those on one side of the midrib 
