2S FLOWERLESS PLANTS 



Asia, parts of America, and throughout the 

 southern hemisphere. Of course, one can hardly 

 say that the species is identical in character 

 throughout the world ; slight variations do 

 occur, but to all intents and purposes the plant 

 is the same which grows so abundantly in this 

 country. In Britain we may, of course, find 

 the Bracken equally at home on the open hill- 

 side or under the dense shade of the forest 

 trees ; in both situations it seems to prosper 

 amazingly. 



For the purpose of our study of the life 

 histor}^ of the fern we can hardly do better 

 than take an example of the Male Fern {Nephro- 

 dium filix-mas). This plant is not only a 

 common wild species, but is also very largely 

 to be met with in gardens, a circumstance 

 which does not apply in the case of the Bracken 

 — not an easy subject to cultivate. So famihar 

 are most people with the Male Fern that a 

 detailed description is scarcely necessary. The 

 leaves of the plant are very variable and may 

 very well be four or five inches in height or, 

 in fine examples, as many feet. The stem is 

 thick, and, in the case of old examples which 

 have been left undisturbed for many years, 



