46 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



parts peat, one part loam, and one part silver sand, or, better still, pulverised 

 old mortar, in whicli their thin, fibrous roots delight to run. Pellseas 

 should not at any time be allowed to get dry at the roots ; yet, on the other 

 hand, their foliage should never be wetted. They prefer being kept close to 

 the light, which is never too strong for them, provided they are sheltered 

 from the direct rays of the sun. 



Most of the known species of Pellcea are readily propagated by means of 

 spores, which are abundantly produced and germinate freely. Those species 



which are provided with running rhizomes may 

 be propagated by division, which operation is most 

 successfully effected during March and April. 



Principal Species and Varieties. 



P. (Platyloma) adiantoides — Plat-yl-o'-ma ; 

 ad-i-ant-o-i'-des (Adiantum-like), Lowe. 

 This handsome, vigorous, greenhouse species, 

 better known in gardens, where it is very extensively 

 grown, under the names of Pteris adiantifolia, 

 P. adiantoides^ and P. latifolia, is a native of the 

 West Indies. Its handsome fronds, borne on black 

 stalks Ift. or more in length and of a shining 

 nature, are IJft. to 2ft. long, broadly egg-shaped, 

 and bipinnate (twice divided to the midrib). They 

 are furnished with leaflets which, at the base of 

 the frond, have from seven to ten leafits, the 

 rest gradually decreasing upwards to a simply 

 pinnate apex. The leafits are egg-shaped and 

 bluntly toothed when barren, more entire and 

 sharp-pointed when fertile ; those next to the 

 midrib are occasionally auricled (eared) at the base, while the terminal one is 

 usually somewhat halbert- shaped. The sori (spore masses) form a narrow, 

 continuous line along the margins (Fig. 16). The whole plant is of a 

 particularly dark green colour, and its general appearance is that of a large 

 form of P. hastata.—Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, iii., t. 33. 



Fig, 16. Portion of Frond of Pellsea 



adiantoides 



(nat. size). 



