PROLIFEROUS FERNS 23 



greenhouse Fern, with tricolor fronds, which ripen off 

 early in the autumn ; the plants should be kept fairly 

 moist during the winter. This is included with the 

 Aspleniums by modern botanists, but in gardens it will 

 generally be found under the above name. 



Woodsias. — There are several species of this genus 

 which are deciduous, but some are evergreen. Those 

 which lose their fronds should be kept in a cool position, 

 and though they may not require much water, they must 

 not be allowed to get too dry. 



There are a good many hardy species which are 

 deciduous, including the Osmundas, Lastreas, Onochleas, 

 and others which are referred to under " Hardy Ferns." 



Proliferous Ferns 



It is remarkable that with many Ferns which fail to 

 produce fertility from spores find some other mode of 

 reproduction. Some produce plants on spreading 

 rhizomes, others on the surface of their fronds, while 

 many produce bulbils on their roots which, when they 

 get through to daylight, soon make young plants. 



Taking the various proliferous Ferns, it is in the 

 Aspleniums that are the most prominent, yet in most 

 of the other large genera we get some examples, and it 

 is interesting to note how much the proliferations vary. 

 Taking the Aspleniums — in A. fceniculaceum the bulbils 

 rarely make but one frondlet, and will fall ofF readily 

 when touched, while in most of the bulbiferum and vivi- 

 parum types they cling, and are difficult to detach with- 

 out damaging the fronds, and they will make several 

 small fronds while still attached to the parent. Some 

 are very prolific, while others produce only one solitary 

 bulbil near the extremities of the fronds. In the Adiant- 

 ums we have three forms of proliferation, viz. the 

 young plants as produced on the rachis of Ad dolabri- 



