326 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



H. rarum — ra'-rum (rare), R. Brown. 



This close-growing species has a wide range of habitat, being found 

 pendent from trees in Chili, Cape Colony, and Mauritius, as well as in 

 Tasmania and New Zealand, where it densely covers trunks of Tree Ferns 

 with its pendent fronds. These fronds are of a flaccid nature, 2in. to 6in. long, 

 lin. to 2in. broad, and borne on very slender stalks lin. to Sin. long ; 

 they are oblong in shape and bipinnatifid (divided twice nearly to the 

 midrib).' The leaflets, simple, narrow, forked, or pinnatifid, show two or 

 three deeply- cut segments on each side. The large sori (spore masses), which 

 are terminal on the segments of the upper leaflets, are provided with an 

 involucre • (covering) that is divided half-way down or more and has a 

 wedge-shaped base and rounded valves. — Hooker^ Species Filicum, i., p. 101. 

 Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, ii., p. 166. Lowe, New and Rare Ferns, 

 Addenda, p. 182. 



H. r. imbricatum — im-bric-a'-tum (overlapping), Colenso. 



This variety, native of New Zealand, ditfers from the species only in 

 ha^T.ng the stalk of its leafy portion much shortened, and the pinnas (leaflets) 

 overlapping and slightly crisped. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 58. 



H. recurvum — re-cur'-vum (crooked), Gaudichaud. 



A species very closely allied to the better-known H. caudiculatum, with 

 fronds of about the same size and similarly divided. It is common in the 

 Sandwich Islands. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 61. 



H. reniforme — re-nif-or'-me (kidney-shaped). Hooker. 



A species of medium growth, native of the Andes of Ecuador and Peru, 

 and closely iresembling, in general habit, H. crispum, from which it is readily 

 distinguished by its truly-bipinnate (twice -divided) fronds and by their very 

 narrow segments. The specific name here applies to. the shape of the involucre 

 (covering) with which the sori (spore masses) are provided, and not, as in 

 Adiantum reniforme and Trichomanes reniforme, to the shape of the frond. 

 — Hooker, species Filicum, i., p. 110, t. o8c. 



H. sabinaefolium — sab-i-nai-for-i-um (Savin-leaved), Baker. 



A small-growing species, native of Salak, Java, with egg-shaped or 

 triangular fronds lin. to 2in. long, more than lin. broad below, and borne on 



