282 THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



(spore masses) fall short of the points of the leaflets, and are covered by art 

 involucre of parchment-like texture and of a yellowish-brown colour. — 

 Hooker, Species Filicum, ii., p. 157. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, 

 iii., p. 243. Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, iii., t. 42. Beddome, Ferns of 

 Southern India, t. 33, Eaton, Ferns of North America, ii., t. 78. 



It is worthy of remark that although hundreds of thousands of plants 

 of this species are annually grown for market, no variation has ever been 

 found amongst them. The only deviations from the typical plant at present 

 known are the following, neither of which owes its existence to culture : 



P. 1. Mariesii — Ma-ries'-i-i (Maries's), Schneider. 



This exceedingly pretty variety, found growing wild by Mr. Ch. Maries 

 in Penang, is remarkable for the elegance of its fronds, which, like those of 

 the species, are simply pinnate, and for its habit, which is compact, yet very 

 graceful. The fronds are abundantly produced from a rootstock which, unlike 

 that of the species, branches very freely ; their rachis (stalk of the leafy 

 portion) is of a very slender nature, and the leaflets, much narrower than 

 those of P. longifolia and reaching nearly to the base of the stalk, are slightly 

 undulated and of a most pleasing pale green colour. This variety has been 

 found to propagate itself perfectly true from spores, which are produced 

 very freely. 



P. 1. nobilis — no'-bil-is (noble), Baker. 



This is a gigantic form, of upright habit, introduced from the South Sea 

 Islands in 1884. It diiFers from the species only in the dimensions of its 

 fronds, which are 4ft. to 5ft. long, and furnished with narrow leaflets Sin. to 

 lOin. long. — Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, iv., p. 597. 



P. longipes — long'-ip-es (long-stalked), Don. 



A stove species, native of the Eastern Himalayas, Ceylon, and New 

 Guinea. Its fronds are composed of a terminal leaflet about 6in. long and 

 lin. broad, with numerous lobes on each side, and of numerous lateral leaflets, 

 disposed about lin. apart : the upper ones are simple and about 6in. long ; 

 the lowest are compound, sometimes nearly as large as the central portion of 

 the frond, being Ift. long and 6in. broad ; all are of a soft, papery texture. 



