380 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



T. r. proliferum — pro-lif'-er-um (proliferous), Druery. 



A very curious form, found wild in Ireland. The fronds, when fully 

 developed and matured, are dotted over with small bulbils, from which young 

 plants are easily raised. — Druery, Choice British Ferns, p. 148. 



T. reniforme — re-nif-or'-me (kidney-shaped), Forster. 



This, the " Kidney Fern of New Zealand," is a plant of very peculiar habit 

 (see Coloured Plate), provided with naked rhizomes of a particularly wiry 

 nature. Its fronds, kidney-shaped and entire, with a deep notch at the base, 

 are 2in. to 4in. broad and very transparent, though somewhat thick ; they 

 are borne on naked, wiry stalks 4in. to Sin. long, and, when fertile, the spore 

 masses are arranged in a very regular manner all around their outer edge, and 

 disposed at the end of almost every vein. This plant succeeds best on soft 

 sandstone broken into small pieces and mixed with rough, fibrous peat. — 

 Hooker and Greville, Icones Filicum, t. 31. Hooker, Species Filicum, L, p. 115 ; 

 Exotic Ferns, t. 2. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, iv., p. 81. Lowe, 

 Ferns British and Exotic, viii., t. 9a. 



T. rigldum — rig'-id-um (rigid), Swartz. 



A very striking and distinct species, native of Brazil, Peru, the West Indies, 

 the Philippine Islands, and Ceylon. The fronds, which are broadly egg-shaped, 

 2in. to Sin. long, and 2in. to Gin. broad, are borne on tufted, erect, wiry stalks 

 2in. to Sin. long and naked or very slightly winged above ; they are three 

 or four times divided nearly to the midrib, and their lower leaflets, 2in. to 3in. 

 long, are divided into leafits which are again deeply cleft into narrow, toothed, 

 very dark green lobes of a somewhat leathery texture. This species is also 

 known as T. achillecefolium, T. obscurum, and T. Seemanni. — Hooker, Species 

 Filicum, i., p. 133. 



T. r. elongatum — e-long-a'-tum (lengthened), Cunningham. 



This variety differs from the typical plant in having deltoid fronds ; their 

 leaflets and leafits. often overlapping, have broader segments and often 

 terminate in a tail-like process. — Hooker, Icones Plantarum, t. 701. 



T. rufum — ru'-fum (reddish), Baker. 



This pretty species, of medium dimensions, native of Demerara, is very 

 distinct. Its simply -pinnate fronds, lOin. long and l^in. broad, are pale green 



