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pinnae, and the frond was consequently described as having 

 64 three rows of pinnae, " viz., the two normal lateral rows 

 and, in addition, the vertical pinnate ridge. The upright 

 row had no lower surface but both sides had glossy epithe- 

 lium similar to that of the upper face of the normal frond. 

 Col. Jones had an opportunity of seeing the plant shortly 

 after it was found and was much interested, having been, 

 quite naturally, sceptical of the existence of such a fern 

 until he saw it with his own eyes. He named it paradoxum 

 and suggested that it should be handed over to Mr. Barnes 

 to develop, as that gentleman was very successful as a 

 grower of Blechnums. The suggestion was adopted, Mr. 

 Whitwell receiving a choice montana in exchange with a 

 promise of the first division of the Blechnam. The plant 

 became estabJished and developed over twenty fronds of 

 some three inches in length. It was at this stage that I 

 saw the plant (probably in 1878) in Mr. Barnes's garden, 

 and marvelled at its remarkable and unique character. 

 Unfortunately for everyone, Mr. Barnes was too anxious 

 to redeem bis promise to send back a plant to the finder — 

 the plant was divided with a knife (alas ! the fatal knife), 

 the result being that one of the pieces perished entirely 

 while the other was all but killed. Mr. Barnes's half was, 

 with some difficulty, coaxed back to life and remained with 

 him until his death, when the plant came again into the 

 finder's possession. It never, however, became robust and 

 never shewed any fertile fronds, but eventually died without 

 progeny more than thirty years after its discovery. I saw 

 it in extremis some three or four years ago (I think) when 

 there were, in one pot, three tiny pieces, each of which 

 could have been covered by a shilling, but all still showing 

 the three-wingeel character quite distinctly. The extinc- 

 tion of this fern was a greater disaster to the fern world 



