BRITISH FERN 



XII 



Granting {Moore) 



Mr. Paul, Truro, Cornwall, 1865. 

 1 ft. 2 in. 



Syii. congestum Paul (Woll.) 



By Mrs. Grant. The finest of the congested forms of Athyrium. 

 There were two crowns when it was found, one of which came into 

 Mrs. Grant's possession, the other found its way to Foot's Cray; — 

 but whether they were from the first separate plants, or whether 

 the crowns afterwards developed differently, it soon became 

 evident that they had distinct characters — Mrs. Grant's plant 

 being a crispatum, Mr. Sim's a congestum — subsequently the latter 

 also came into Mrs. Grant's possession, and is now considered the 

 typical form of Grantia. 



A very similar form was found by Mr. Padley in N. Somerset. 

 There are also two other congested forms — smaller in growth but 

 very beautiful ; crispissimuvi of Stansfield, renamed Sirnpsoni 

 from its discoverer — and the form improperly named Edwardsii — 

 which Mr. Biggs, curator of the Cambridge Botanic Gardens, be- 

 lieves to have originated in Ireland. This plant came from the 

 Cambridge Gardens into the possession of Mrs. Riley, ofPapplewick 

 Lodge, Nottingham, among whose family it soon became known 

 under the familiar title of " Little Mr. Biggs," out of compliment to 

 the donor. Some time afterwards a person whose individuality 

 we think it only kind not to particularise further, and who had 

 heard of its beauty, came to see it, and was so interested in it that 

 he asked to be allowed to take another parting look at it. It was 

 afterwards remarked that the plant seemed rather in a state of 

 confusion, and that the soil had been a little agitated, but nothing 

 more was thought of it, until a year or so later, when it became 

 known that a plant exactly similar, and accompanied by a very 

 promising family, had been exhibited at one of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society's Shows as Edzaardsii, and had received a 1st 

 Class certificate. 



Crested seedlings of this latter variety have been raised by Mr. 

 Lowe. 



