140 The Fekx Lover's Cojipanion 



(4) The Ceested Fern 

 Aspidium cristafum. Thelypteris cristata 

 Drijopteris cristata. XcphnHliiiin cristatiiDi 



Fronds one to two feet long, linear-oblong or lanceolate, 

 l)innate, acute. Pinna? two to three inches long, liroadest 

 at the hasc, triangular-olilong, or the lowest triangular. 

 Di^'isions olilong, 0l3tn.se, linely serrate or cut-toothed, 

 tliose nearest the rachis sometimes scjiarate. Fruit-dots 

 large, round, half way lictween the michein and the 

 margin. Indusium smooth, naked, with a shallow sinus. 



The short sterile fronds, though s|)reading out grace- 

 fully, are cons|ii(uous only in winter; wliilc the fertile 

 fronds, tall, narrow and erect, are found only in summer. 



It is one of our handsomest e\ergrcen ferns and e^'en 

 the large sori, «ilh their dark spore cases and white 

 indusia, are very attracti\e. The fertile jMnnw have a 

 way of turning tlieir faces upward toward the apex of 

 the frond for more ligiit. In moist land, Canada to 

 Kentucky. 



^"ar. ('li)it()}iiaiiiiin. Clinton's AYood Fern. Resem- 

 l)les the tyjje, liut is in e^ ery way larger. Divisions 

 eight to sixteen ])airs. Fruit-dots near the midvein, 

 the sides (jf tlie sinus cjftcu overlapj)ing. South central 

 Maine to New \ork and westward. "Rare in New Eng- 

 land attaining its best development in western sections." 

 (Dodge.) Mt. Toby, Mass., Hanover, X. H. July. 

 Fine for cultivation. 



