THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



of these shoots is that they are generally found intertwined like a cluster 

 of snakes : some are upright, while others lie more or less close to the 

 ground, and throw out long, wiry roots in greater quantities than those 

 of upright growth. The fronds are produced sometimes in opposite pairs, 

 sometimes iu whorls of three or four, at or near the summit of the terminal 

 shoots, or sometimes from side branches, which are also very scaly (Fig. 2 

 is reduced from Col. Beddome's " Ferns of British India," by the kind 

 permission of the author). They are of a bright yellowish-green and of 

 a somewhat leathery texture, 6in. to 18in. long, fin. to l^in. broad, 

 narrowed gradually towards both ends, slightly hairy on their under-surface, 

 and smooth on the margin. The stalks on which these fronds are borne 

 differ from those of nearly all other species, inasmuch as they seldom exceed 

 lin. in length, and are also jointed at their base, but the joint is generally 

 hidden by the scales of the shoot which surround it. The very abundant sori 

 (spore masses) are disposed in two rather irregular rows near the midrib. — 

 Hooker^ Species Filicum, iv., p. 156 ; Filices JExoticcB, t. 58. Nicholson, 

 Dictionary of Gardening, ii., p. 481. Beddome, Ferns of British India, t. 264. 

 Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, vii., t. 16. 



O. n. hirtella — hir-tel'-la (slightly hairy), Miguel. 



This is probably the most distinct of the several varieties related to the 

 above species. It is a South American plant, with fronds of thinner texture 

 and of a more or less hau-y nature, and with the sori (spore masses) often in 

 an irregular, wavy hne, and not close to the midrib, as in 0. articulata. — 

 Hooker., Synopsis Filicum, p. 302. 



O. nodosa — no-do'-sa (knotty), Presl. 



A beautiful, free-growing species, native of the West Indies and Guiana, 

 where it has been found covering the stems of dead trees. It is readily 

 distinguishable from all others by the traihng nature and satiny gloss of its 

 shoots, and by the disposition of its fructification, which is irregularly scattered. 

 The plant is of medium size, of a cheerful, bright green colour, and easily 

 cultivated, especially when planted on partly-decayed vegetable matter. The 

 venation of the fronds is particularly attractive and very conspicuous when 

 seen from below, as they are of a semi-transparent, though somewhat leathery 



