I I 



although the first fronds were ragged, the plant is regaining 

 its symmetrical character, and the later fronds are hand- 

 some and well formed. It looks like a very foliose 

 subdeltoid form of filix-mas, and this is what it will 

 probably turn out to be, although even yet its actual 

 relationship cannot be regarded as quite settled. The 

 seedlings, sown in 1914, are now coming on freely. They 

 have a general resemblance to the parent, and are so much 

 alike that I regard the batch as a pure culture. In the 

 young state all have a strong resemblance to dilatata, so 

 much so as to be easily mistaken for ordinary seedlings of 

 that species, but as they develop the filix-mas character 

 gradually comes out. A few of them have retained the 

 dilatatoid appearance longer than the rest, and these I am 

 watching with special interest. I have not yet seen one 

 which has the bicoloured scales of L. dilatata, but this 

 character is not easily made out in the young state. I 

 have given plants to those of my friends whom I could 

 persuade to accept them, and hope for reports from other 

 cultivators. A curious incident happened in 1915, viz. 

 Mr. Boyd's plant produced one frond with unspotted scales, 

 and this was practically identical in character with some 

 of the fronds on my fern. 



Although, I fear, I have encroached unduly upon our 

 editor's space (not at all, quite the contrary. — Ed.), I 

 have not touched upon those interesting plants, L. cvistata 

 and L. uligtnosa. These, however, are only collaterally 

 and indirectly allied to dilatata (through spinulosa), and 

 are in no danger of being mixed up with it. 



F. \V. Stansfield, 



Reading, July, 1916, 



