NEPHRODIUM. 



573 



of a deep green colour and moderately firm texture, smooth above, and slightly 

 scaly beneath, are disposed in a circle or crown, and stand fully 3ft. high, 

 including stalks, in the largest plants ; the stalks, when young, are chaffy 

 with egg-shaped, rusty -coloured, shining scales, most of which drop off as the 

 season advances. The spear-shaped leaflets are distant, and their lowest 

 pinnules (leafits), about Jin. long and Jin. broad, are cut from one-third to 

 half the way down to the rachis (stalk) below. — Eaton^ Ferns of North 

 America, ii., t. 69. 



N. S. crispum — cris'-pum (curled), Moore. 



A variety of normal size, but of very rigid habit, with the margins of 

 the lobes closely rolled back and partially hiding the sori (spore masses), 

 which are very large and very dark in colour. This plant, which is described 

 by Dr. Deakin in his " Florigraphia Britannica," was originally found near 

 Sheffield. — Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, i., p. 328. 



N. S. intermedium— in-ter-med'-i-um (intermediate), Muhlenberg. 



This variety, which, according to Eaton, is the common form of the 

 species in the North United States, seems to be exclusively North American. 

 It has nearly the same range as the species, but extends to Tennessee and 

 probably to Arkansas ; it is not reported from Newfoundland. It has dark 

 green fronds a little broader in outline than those of the type, not unfrequently 

 22in. long and 9in. broad. The leaflets are more spreading than in the type ; 

 the lowest ones are sometimes nearly 3in. distant from the next, and the first 

 or basal pinnule (leafit) is generally a Httle shorter than the second one, as 

 specially noticed by Milde. The indusium which covers the sori (spore 

 masses) is sprinkled on the surface and at the margin with stalked and 

 stalkless glands. The fronds are generally of larger dimensions and more 

 finely cut than in our typical ^Id^nt.— Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 277. 

 Eaton, Ferns of North America, ii., p. 164. 



N. S. tripinnatum — trip-in-na'-tum (three times pinnate), Moore. 



A very handsome Fern, with narrow, upright fronds of a somewhat 

 stiff habit. The leaflets of the fronds are short; their pinnules (leafits) are 

 small, the anterior and posterior ones being unequal in size ; these pinnules 



