BRITISH FERNS 417 



" Aciitilobum, tripinnate, — all the divisions of the frond acute, the 

 anterior and posterior pinnules nearly of the same length. 



•" Divisilobum, tripinnate, — the same as aciitilobum, except that 

 the anterior and posterior pinnules are of unequal lengths, the 

 latter far longer and the divisions altogether more highly de- 

 veloped — a well-grown plant, is sub-quadripinnate, or even 

 quadripinnate." 



By the almost general consent of angulare hunters and culti- 

 -vators, Mr. Wollaston's arrangement has been adopted, and the 

 name proliferum is no longer used, except as an adjunct to 

 denote either such multilobes, acutilobes, etc., as have a marked 

 tendency to the proliferous habit, or such as have been long called 

 by that name. 



Thus the original proliferum, — and Mr. Wollaston's are proli- 

 ferous acutilobes — Miss Crawford's, Mrs. Hole's, and Mr. Henley's 

 are proliferous divisilobes. 



Mr. Padley, whose experience in this class of varieties is perhaps 

 unrivalled, and who has studied the matter with at least as much 

 interest and care as anyone, is in favour of Mr. Wollaston's 

 "arrangement, — as far as it goes ; but he still retains the name 

 conspicuilobum as descriptive of the varieties which do not quite 

 come up to the multilobes or acutilobes, though evidently partaking 

 .of the same " gentle blood." 



With reference to these matters Mr. Padley writes : " With me 

 there are two principal divisions of the varieties whose pinnules are 

 much divided. The tripinnate or decomposition class ; and the 

 acutilobe class (comprehending conspicuilobum, aciitilobum, and 

 divisilobum) — the main feature in the former being that the pinnules 

 are more frondose, and in the acutilobes more acute and narrower." 



" Multilobum, or as I prefer to call it equilobum, seems to lean 

 .towards the two divisions, one section to decomposition, the other to 

 acutilobum.'' 



"My order (of the more finely-cut varieties) is conspicuilobe, 

 multilobe, acutilobe, divisilobe ; some people have thrown doubts 

 on conspicuilobum, but I consider it a distinct variety." 



If to these four classes be added the two classes of decomposition 

 — the ordinary, and the higher or more developed class called here 

 tripinnatum — it will be found that with a very few exceptions 

 (and those probably varieties which combine different characters) 



