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vagary in the direction of smallness is, so far at any rate 

 as actual finds and introductions are concerned, confined 

 to British species ; the writer is certainly not cognizant of 

 any dwarf exotic forms of otherwise large-growing species. 



With British ferns, to take a typical case, we have the 

 Hard Male Fern (Lastvea pseudo-mas) growing about four 

 feet high, and its most striking large variety, the King of 

 the Male Ferns, is as large or larger, as against which we 

 may cite L. p. m. ramulosissima, dense crested, and usually 

 only five or six inches high ; L. p. m. crispa gracilc, densely 

 congested, and with curly-tipped pinnae, of the same size ; 

 L. p. in. cvispa cr 1st at a, a crested dwarf, no larger; L. p. 

 m. Langi, a narrow, dense-fronded and crested pigmy, like 

 a starfish, all of which are quite at home in thumb pots, 

 and yet have all the concentrated prettiness of the best of 

 their larger brothers. As they are robust little fellows in 

 their way it is extremely curious that nature should cramp 

 them into so small a compass while favouring other 

 members of the same species so markedly as to size as she 

 has done. 



In the Lady Ferns we have, as great contrasts, the 

 species normally growing very large, while in Athyrium 

 fclix-fcemina congestum minus and A . /./. c. cvistatum we have 

 two dwarf gems of four or five inches stature, both of 

 dense growth and the latter prettily tasselled. A form 

 which we must provisionally name, A . /./. minus Boydi, is 

 much smaller still, forming quite a mossy clump of three- 

 inch fronds. A. f.f. stellatum, found by Mrs. Wilson, 

 reaches about six inches, with rounded spiky pinnae, the 

 opposite parts of which form stars, whence the name. 

 Somewhat larger but still dwarf, about nine inches or so 

 -as a rule, are A. f.f stipatum Gvanta, A. f.f. congestion 

 Whitwell, and A. f.f. congestum Phillips, all with dense stiff 

 fronds and very pretty. A. f.f. cvispum, an old form, has 

 a rambling root stock and branching crested fronds some 



