LYGODIUM. 



427 



L. heterodoxum— het-er-od-ox'-um (heterodox), Kuaze. 



This species, native of Mexico and Gruatemala, is also known in gardens 

 as L. spectahilis^ Hydroglossum Lindeni^ and Lygodictyori Lindeni. The 

 primary petiole (first stalk) is very short or obsolete ; the secondary ones 

 are about IJin. long. The leaflets have their ultimate divisions 4in. to 6in. 

 long, fin. broad, of a thin texture, naked on both surfaces, and borne on 

 petioles that are not articulated, the lowest often ^in. long. The fertile 

 divisions show the fructification disposed in close rows along their edge. — 

 Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 439. 



L. japonicum — ^jap-on'-ic-um (Japanese), Swartz. 



This very pretty and elegant, greenhouse species is a native of Japan 

 and China ; it also extends from the Himalayas to Ceylon, Java, the 

 Philippines, and North Australia. It is easily distinguished from all other 

 species by the shape of its leaflets (see Plate), which are 4in. to Sin. long, 

 nearly as broad, and triangular ; the primary petiole (first stalk) is very short, 

 and the secondary one is from Jin. to lin. long. The terminal segments are 

 halbert-shaped, whereas the lateral ones, two or three on each side, are very 

 unequal, and not articulated at the base ; the lower ones, borne on longer 

 stalks, are pinnate (divided to the midrib) in their lower part, their divisions 

 being entire or notched ; they are of a soft, papery texture and a most 

 pleasing pale green colour. The fertile divisions, of the same shape as the 

 barren ones, are much contracted, and bear their fruiting spikelets on the 

 edge on both sides.— ZToo^er, Synopsis Filicum, p. 439. Nicholson, Dictionary 

 of Gardening, ii., p. 308. Loive, Ferns British and Exotic, viii., t. 72. 

 Beddome, Ferns of Southern India, t. 64. 



L. japonicum is undoubtedly the most popular member of the whole genus ; 

 its decorative merits are so well recognised that for years past thousands of 

 plants of it have found their way to our great flower markets, where it 

 is known only .under the name of L. scandens. The consequences of this 

 mis-naming are that in many, if not all, private estabhshments the plant is 

 found under the spurious name, and that the true L. scandens, which is a 

 totally different plant, exists only in botanical gardens and in a few nurseries, 

 where visitors generally bestow a doubtful and criticising look on the name 

 of L. japonicum appended to the true specimens. L. japonicum is a delightful 



