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THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



With the exception of the varieties of S. vulgare, which are usually and 

 with greater certainty increased by the division of their crowns (and a few 

 by means of the bulbils produced on their fronds), the propagation of 

 Scolopendriums is effected by spores, which are abundantly produced and 

 germinate freely. 



Principal Species and Varieties. 



S. (Antigramme) brasiliense— An-tig-ram'-me ; bras-il-i-en'-se (Brazilian), 

 Kunze. 



This stove species, which, according to Lowe, was introduced into the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1836, is a native of Brazil. Its fronds, 6in. to 12in. 

 long and lin. to l£in. broad, taper towards both ends and are borne on short, 

 hairy stalks ; they are of a leathery texture and their veins intercross one 

 another about two-thirds of the distance from the midrib to the edge. The 

 spore masses are confined to the free veins. — Hooker, Species Filicum, iv., p. 3. 

 Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, v., t. 14b. 



S. Douglasii — Doug-las'-i-i (Douglas's). Synonymous with S. plantagineum. 



S. DurYillei — Dur-vil'-le-i (Durville's), Bory. 



In this singular-looking species, native of Ualan, the fronds, which are 

 produced from a firm, wide-creeping rhizome, and borne on firm, erect, naked 

 stalks 2in. to Sin. long, vary from simple, oblong- spear- shaped, 6in. long, lin. 

 broad, with the edges notched and the base eared, to broadly triangular and 

 twice divided half-way to the midrib, with several leaflets on each side cut 

 down nearly to the rachis into narrow, toothed or pinnatifid lobes ; they are 

 of a somewhat leathery texture and naked on both sides. The spore masses 

 reach from the midrib two-thirds of the way to the edge without any raised 

 line between them. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 247. 



S. Hemionitis — He-mi-on-i'-tis (Hemionitis-like), Swartz. 



A greenhouse species, popularly known as the " Mule's Fern " ; it is 

 a native of Southern Europe, being found in the South of France, Italy, 

 Spain, and the Mediterranean Islands, and is no doubt related to the common 

 S. vulgare, but its fronds, borne on slender and slightly hairy stalks 4in. to 



