The Ferx Lover's Companion 97 



form w'itli triangular, lanceolate, and pinnatifid pinnules, 

 having blunt, oblong segments. Wet situations in half 

 shade. Rfassachusetts, West Virginia, and Virginia. 



Our lowland or southern lady fern flourishes in the 

 southern states, comes up the Atlantic Coa.st until it meets 

 the upland or northern s])ecies in Pennsyhania and south- 

 ern New England, and their identification can hardly fail 

 to awaken in the student a keen interest. 



Our American botani.sts are inclined to thiid< that the 

 real ^Ith'uriiint fili.r-fciniiia is not to be found in the 

 northeastern United States, but is rather a western species, 

 with its habitat in California and the Rocky ^lountain 

 region and identical with Atln/riiim ci/clo-'ybriim. 



But whatever changes may occur in the .scientific name 

 oi the o]d Asfjlcnium f'lli.r-fi'in ilia, ilic rian\e lady fern will 

 not change, but e^'erywherc within our limits it will hold 

 its own as a familiar term. 



Underwood, writing of the lady fern under the genus 

 ^■Ispleniiim, mentions the form "c.r]le. small, starved 

 specimens growing in very dry situations and often fruit- 

 ing when only a few inches high." He also mentions 

 Eaton's "auguafum," and alludes to the "Remaining 

 sixty-three varieties etpially unimportant that have been 

 descriljed of this species." 



The lady fern is common in moist woods, by walls and 

 roadsides, and at its liest is a truly handsome species, 

 although, like ]\Irs. Parsons, we have noticed that in the 

 late summer it loses nuich of its delicacy. "JMany of its 

 forms become disfigured and present a rather l)l<)tched and 

 coarse appearance." Tltc lady fern has insi)ired several 

 poems, which have been fpioted more or less fully in the 

 fern books. The following lines are from the pen of 

 Calder Campbell: 



