28 



BRITISH FERNS 



which we deal in detail, have given really astounding results. These 

 three are the beautiful Todea-like section of Soft Shield Ferns 

 (Polystichum) , known as the Jones and Fox plumosums, the mar- 

 vellous crested and non-crested " superbum " section of the writer s 

 Lady Ferns (.4 thyrium filix f amino) , and last, but by no means least, 

 the extraordinary batch of Hard Shield Ferns (P. aculeatum) raised 

 jointly by Mr. C. B. Green of Acton and the writer, and known as 

 the " gracillimum " and " plumosum " section of that species. As no 

 greater encouragement to the amateur Fern cultivator can be given 

 than such records as these, we make no apology for giving them in 

 detail, especially as such extraordinary departures from the normal 



in one or two strides 

 possess also great in- 

 terest for the evolu- 

 tionary biologist. Like 

 all cases of the kind, 

 we must begin with a 

 wild " sport," a purely 

 natural one, and in the 

 Jones and Fox case a 

 find of this description 

 was discovered in 1875 

 in S. Devon by Mr. J. 

 Moley (P. ang. decom- 

 positum splendens), in 

 which the normally 

 bi - pinnate, or twice- 

 divided Fern, was 

 modified into a tri - 

 pinnate, or thrice - 

 ' divided one. Col. 

 Jones and Dr. Fox 

 sowed spores of this, 

 which sowing resulted 

 in a batch of Ferns 

 with fronds so much 

 divided, and with such 

 overlapping, heaped- 

 up moss - like foliage, 

 as to constitute a 

 perfectly new section, 

 rivalling even the New 

 Zealand Todea stiperba 

 in beauty. So unex- 

 pected was this, that 

 both the raisers were 

 forced to doubt the 



Fig. 9. Polystichum aitgttlare, var. phtmosum dcnsuiit 



(Jones and Fox). 



I. Normal furni of species. 2. Wild find, South Devon. 



3. Frond of offspring. 4. Pinna of imbricainm, raised 



from bulbil of densum. 



