590 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



material, such as partly -decayed moss, sending up here and there tafts of new 

 fronds. The stalks on which the fronds are borne are stout, round, channelled 

 in front, and scaly at the base only. The leaflets, 4in. to 6in. long and ^in. 

 to lin. broad, are of two distinct forms, the lower ones being barren, opposite, 

 somewhat spear-shaped, and toothed at the edges. The upper portion only of 

 the fully-developed fronds is fertile, diiFering in that respect, as well as in 

 general appearance, from all other known species. The fertile leaflets, which 

 are also opposite, are longer and narrower than the barren ones ; their lobes 

 are much deeper, and each of these is terminated by a single sorus (spore 

 mass), situated at its extreme point (hence the name davallioides). This is 

 a Fern which should be in every collection ; for covering walls of large 

 dimensions or for planting on dead Tree Ferns it has no equals ; a good 

 specimen of it makes an exhibition plant of particularly attractive appearance, 

 as the barren and fertile portions of its fronds are as distinct as those of the 

 better-known Asplenium hiforme. The spore masses are covered by a kidney- 

 shaped involucre. — Hooker., Sj^iecies Filicum, iv., p. 155 ; Filices Ewoticce, t. 60. 

 Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, ii., p. 445. Lowe, Ferns British and 

 Exotic, vii., tt. 23 and 24. 



N. d. furcans — fur'-cans (forked), Moore. 



Among the many crested Ferns in cultivation, this singular as well as 

 beautiful form, introduced into European gardens by Messrs. J. Yeitch and 

 Sons, through Messrs. J. Baptist and Sons, of Sydney, New South Wales, is 

 one of the most distinct and most highly decorative. So difterent indeed 

 is it from the type, that it is questionable whether the plant really is a form 

 of N. davallioides, although such was Moore's decided opinion. Yet the most 

 essential characteristic — that of the fructification being disposed at the extreme 

 point of the lobes of the fertile leaflets — is altogether absent, the barren and 

 the fertile leaflets are of the same nature, and there is no contraction noticeable ; 

 finally the whole habit of the plant is also thoroughly distinct. N. d. furcans 

 is of equally robust growth, but its handsome, arching fronds, 3ft. to 4ft. long, 

 Sin. broad, and of a more massive appearance, are produced in great abundance 

 from an agglomeration of crowns. Its most distinct characteristic is the 

 furcation of the leaflets (Fig. 144), which are either alternate or opposite and 

 closely set along the midrib, whereas those of N. davallioides are set much 



