
pan R FERNS. 
It was discovered by Pursh' among loose rocks near Onon- 
daga in Western New York, more than fifty years ago; and 
long unknown until lately found under the limestone cliffs of 
Chitteningo Falls, in Pursh’s locality, and elsewhere as in 
Canada West. It is a very interesting fern, the frond being 
like the blade of a knife, auricled or heart-shaped at base, 
the spore-dots in parallel lines-on each side the midrib, 
reminding you of the Scolopendra, or Centipede, and is easily 
cultivated and grows readily from spores, as I can testify by 
actual experiment. 
Thus esteemed and common in Great Britain, under cul- 
tivation, it has originated a good many varieties, such as the 
Crisp-fronded, the Crested, the Forked, the Proliferous, the 
Endive-leaved, the Rugged, the Broad-branched, the Kid- 
ney-shaped, and others with minute differences. Those, 
however, who prefer “nature unadorned” had better turn to 
Silliman’s Journal, for May and September, 1866, and see 
there a full account of the American Hart’s-tongue, identical, 
though it be, with the British, Scolopendrium vulgare, found 
elsewhere, and also flourishing in the Azores with other in- 
teresting species of those islands. 
The Scale Fern (Ceterach officinarum) “sometimes called 
Rusty-back, because the whole under surface of the fronds 
are of a rusty-brown color, from the numerous brown scales 
which cover them,” is a very nice affair, and though “widely 
distributed,” fails us with its presence here. We must be con- 
tent with many speeies which fail our British friends, who, 
so far as the Ceterach, with its ambiguous oriental name - 
concerned, is better off than we; but in their Hard Fern 
(Blechnum) we have a Southern species which will answ 
our purpose as well as their own; and then the B. T 
of Europe and England, has twenty or more varieties, whic 
must be interesting to the amateur pteridologist Or pe 
lover. The Bracken (Pteris aquilina) is a noble fern, y 
too common with us, who have no wild game and deer to a 
a covert among it. The stem cut across exhibits the outi 


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