24 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



discovered in 1854, growing in sandy loam, near Petit Pot Bay, and it has 

 since been noticed in other parts of that island. Its fronds, produced from 

 a slightly tuberous rootstock, are lin. to 3in. long, narrow- spear- shaped, with 

 the point bluntish and the base narrowed ; they are of a thick texture and 

 do not show any midrib. The fertile spike, about Jin. long, is borne upon 

 a firm stalk Jin. to ljin. long when fully developed. — Hooker, British Ferns, 

 t. 47. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, ii., p. 500. Lowe, Ferns British 

 and Exotic, vii., t. 65b. Correvon, Les Fougeres rustiques, p. 163. 



This species requires greenhouse protection in winter if cultivated in pots, 

 and should then be potted firmly and particularly well drained. 



O. minor — min'-or (lesser). This is probably the same as 0. vulgatum 

 ambiguum. 



O. nudicaule — nu-dic-au'-le (naked- stemmed), Linnams. 



This half-hardy, North American species, probably one of the smallest 

 kinds known, seldom exceeds 4in. in height. It is found growing plentifully 

 on sandy borders of ponds in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida ; 

 it is also found in New Caledonia, in the Malaccas, on the Guinea Coast, in 

 Angola, &c. Its fronds, produced from four to six in one crown from a slightly 

 tuberous rootstock, are of a bright, pale green colour. The barren division, |in. 

 to ljin. long, about Jin. broad, and egg-shaped or oblong, is of a thin texture 

 and does not show any veins. The fertile spike, Jin. long, is borne on a 

 stalk often 2in. to 3in. long and of a very slender nature. — Hooker, Synopsis 

 Filicum, p. 445. Eaton, Ferns of North America, ii., t. 81. Beddome, Ferns 

 of Southern India, t. 71. 



O. opacum — o-pa'-eum (opaque). This is synonymous with 0. bidbosum. 



O. (Cheiroglossa) palmatum — Cheir-og-los'-sa ; pal-ma'- turn (palmate, 

 hand-like), Linnaeus. 

 Of all the North American species this is the most interesting and the 

 most showy ; it also differs from all other kinds from the same country in 

 being thoroughly epiphytal. It is found growing wild in the axils of the 

 old leaves of the Palmetto, on the banks of the Caloosahatchie, South Florida, 

 Forks of Turkey Creek, Indian River, Florida, always nestling in the sheaths 

 of the old leaves of the Palmetto. It is also a native of Southern Brazil 



