332 BRITISH FERNS 



XXXV 



Cristata Barnes (IVol/.) 

 Mr. J. M. Barnes. Westmoreland. 1871. 

 2 ft. 



The grandest discovery of recent years — it holds the same place 

 among montanas that the old cristata did, and does, among the 

 male ferns. One can hardly help feeling that it is just a little bit 

 unfair that this and montana Barnesii (vide No. XXXVI) should 

 have both fallen to the lot of one discoverer — at least, one would 

 have been inclined to do so if it hadn't been Mr. Barnes — who 

 writes : "It was but a small plant when I found it, with four or five 

 fronds, but at least one of these had spores ; these I sowed at once 

 and in the following year three distinct forms appeared in about 

 equal proportions, one-third being normal L. montana, one-third 

 cristata and named by Moore coronans, and one-third ramo- 

 augustate and wonderfully crested ; these were named by Moore 

 cristata a?igustissima ; there would I think be about 150 plants in 

 all, — say 50 of each of the three forms ; — no two plants are just 

 alike either in cresting or narrowness of frond, in the latter respect 

 ranging from f of an inch to 12 inches in width ; there is only 

 one plant out of the above seedlings that I call grandiceps, 

 although there are three or four that come near it in the form of 

 cresting and size of the head." 



Mr. Barnes records the following other crested forms, — attenuata 

 cristata (Moore) found by Mr. Barnes at Mardale, in 1865, and 

 cat/data cristata (Barnes) found by Mr. Crouch at Rydal Head in 

 1863. 



