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can we say for Adiantum Luddemanianum, that extraordinary 

 ramose and crested form of maidenhair so long known in 

 cultivation ? This originated in a French nursery, and 

 was found growing in the soil under the staging of a 

 greenhouse by Mr. E. Schneider, who chanced to pay a 

 visit. Some plants of A. capillus veneris had been grown in 

 the nursery, but the plant in question was the only fern 

 visible. It was a robust clump, and speedily changed 

 hands, as may be imagined, the owner of the nursery 

 simply regarding it as an interloper. The presence, under 

 the circumstances, of such an extraordinary and unique 

 11 sport " which the solitary plant evidenced was a mystery 

 indeed. Another instance, presenting new features in the 

 specific direction, occurred some years ago in Messrs. 

 J. Veitch and Sons' nursery at Chelsea, in the case of 

 Todea gvandipinnula, assumed to be a form of Todea supevba, 

 or possibly a hybrid between T. Frasevi and T. hymeno- 

 phylloides, as plants of these were adjacent to the culture 

 which yielded the plants — a fairly large batch, all alike. 

 Its hybrid character is, perhaps, but not surely, indicated 

 by the infertility of its spores, as the todeas are difficult 

 to raise. On the other hand, some time afterwards, Todea 

 Moovei (Baker) was introduced as a new species from 

 Australia, and this cannot be discriminated from Todea 

 grandipitmula. 



The appearance of specific exotic forms in collections 

 prior to their intentional introduction, such as occurred 

 with Lomavia Patersoni at Kew years before it had been 

 found in its native habitat and sent thither, can, of course, 

 be accounted for by wind-borne spores being introduced 

 in the soil attached to other importations, but that is a 

 very different matter to most of the cases cited above, 

 where no similar type is known to exist, and where the 

 chances would seem to be infinitely against the appearance 

 of not one only but numerous examples within the very 



