590 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



culate, 1 inch long, \ inch wide, the rachis winged. Tropics. 

 There are many varieties, including tenellum, with wide- 

 spreading fronds, and lobatum, with pinnatifid fronds. 



A. marginatum. — A giant ; the fronds pinnate, 8 feet 

 long and 3 feet wide; pinnse strap-shaped, emerald -green, 

 Tropical America. 



A. Mayi. — A pretty Fern, with dark-green shining 

 pinnate fronds and dentate pinnse of hard texture. 



A. monanthemum. — Fronds pinnate, erect, bright-green, 

 6 to 12 inches long; pinnse oblong, sori large ; stipes and 

 rachis brown. Temperate regions. G. 



A. myriophyllum. — Fronds tripinnate, proliferous at 

 the apex, dark - green ; pinnules small, very elegant. 

 West Indies. 



A. Nidus, Birds'-nest Fern (fig. 717). — Fronds simple, 

 2 to 6 feet long, 3 to 6 inches broad, nearly the same 

 breadth from base to apex, light-green. Var. australasicum 

 has the rachis black, sharply keeled below. Var. multi- 

 lobatum is an Australian form in which the upper part of 

 the frond is markedly crested or pinnatifid. Tropics. 



A. obtusatum. — Stout-growing, fronds pinnate, 8 to 10 

 inches high; pinnse oblong, obtuse, serrate, leathery, deep- 

 green, with a winged rachis. Var. lucidum has pendulous 

 fronds 2 to 3 feet long. New Zealand and Tasmania. G. 



A. rhizophorum. — Fronds bipinnatifid below, pinnate 

 above, proliferous at apex, 12 to 18 inches long, light- 

 green ; stipes and rachis black. Jamaica. 



A. scandens. — A climbing species with sessile, lanceo- 

 late, decompound fronds, 1 foot long, pale-green; elegant. 

 Sumatra. 



A. Serra. — Fronds pinnate, lanceolate, 1 to 2 feet long; 

 pinnse pendulous, serrate, dark-green ; stipes and rachis 

 scaly. Brazil. 



A. (Diplazium) Shepherd i (striatum). — Fronds bipin- 

 natifid, 2 to 5 feet long, bright-green ; segments obtuse 

 and dentate ; caudex erect. Tropical America. 



A. (Diplazium) sylvaticum. — Fronds pinnate, glabrous, 

 1 to 3 feet long, deep-green ; pinnae narrow, cordate at 

 the base, crenate. Tropics. 



A. viviparum (fig. 718). — Fronds tripinnate, viviparous 

 on the upper surface, 6 to 12 inches long; segments small, 

 linear, dark-green. Mauritius. 



A. (Diplazium) zeylanicum. — Fronds pinnate below, 

 pinnatifid above, 6 to 12 inches long, light-green; stipes 

 and rachis profusely hirsute or scaly. Ceylon. 



Balantium. See Dickson ia. 



Blechnum. — Handsome robust low Tree-Ferns, having 

 simple or forked veins and free clavate venules. Dis- 

 tinguished from Lomaria by having the sori and indusia 

 intramarginal. 



B. brasUiense. — Fronds bold, pinnate, 2 to 4 feet in 

 length ; pinnse decurrent, linear-lanceolate, 6 to 8 inches 

 long, deep-green; stipes furnished with black chaffy hairs; 

 caudex stout, erect. Brazil. 



B. lanceola. — Fronds simple, entire, lanceolate, 3 to 6 

 inches long, deep-green ; stipes scaly at the base ; rhizome 

 creeping. Brazil. 



B. longifolium. — Fronds pinnate, 6 to 8 inches long, 

 usually consisting of a single pair of pinnse and a terminal 

 one, which are large and bright -green ; stipes pale-red, 

 scaly at base ; rhizome creeping. Var. gracile has pin- 

 nate fronds 12 to 18 inches long. Brazil. 



B. occidentale. — Fronds pinnate, 12 to 18 inches long; 

 pinnse sessile, tapering, bright-green; stipes scaly, rhizome 

 creeping. A free, useful plant. Tropical America, &c. 



B. orientale. — Fronds bold, pinnate, broadly lanceolate, 

 1 to 3 feet long; pinnae sessile, entire, linear, tapering 

 towards the apex, pale -green ; caudex erect. Tropics. 



Ceratopteris thalictroides. — An aquatic annual species. 

 Sterile fronds bipinnatifid, 12 to 18 inches long, proli- 

 ferous ; fertile fronds decompound and erect, with linear- 

 revolute segments. Tropics. 



Cheilanthes. — This genus includes some most beauti- 

 ful Ferns. They have small orbicular marginal sori on 

 punctiform receptacles at the apex of the veins, covered 

 by re volute indusia; veins free; caudex csespitose or 

 decumbent. 



C. alabamensis. — Fronds bipinnate, firm in texture, 3 to 

 6 inches long; pinnse deep-green; stipes black. America 

 and Canada. G. 



C. argentea. — Fronds tripartite, triangular, glabrous, 

 2 to 6 inches long ; deep-green above, powdered below ; 

 sori black; stipes brown. Siberia and Japan. G. 



C. Borsigiana. — Fronds tripartite, the lower segments 

 bipinnatifid, 2 to 6 inches long, deep-green, golden powdery 

 beneath; sori black. Peru. 



C. califomica. — Fronds densely tufted, 4 times divided, 

 6 to 8 inches long. California. G. 



C. capensis. — Fronds bipinnate, 3 to 6 inches long; 

 pinnules ovate, crenate, dark-green. South Africa. G. 



C. chlorophylla (spectabilis). — Fronds tripinnate, 2 to 4 

 feet long, straggling ; pinnse alternate ; segments blunt, 

 crenate, dark-green ; stipes brown, shining. Brazil. 



Fig. 718.— Asplenium viviparum. 



C. cuneata. — Fronds decompound, broadly ovate, 6 to 

 10 inches long, dull-green; stipes black. Mexico. 



C. farinosa. — Fronds bipinnatifid, triangular, 1 to 2 

 feet long; segments obtuse, dark-green, white powdery 

 beneath. East Indies, &c. 



C. fragrans. — Fronds bipinnate, 4 to 8 inches long; 

 pinnse obtuse, light-green, fragrant; stipes and rachis 

 hairy. South Europe, &c. G. 



C. hirta. — Fronds tripinnate, hairy, 6 to 18 inches long; 



