198 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



A. Deekenil— Deck-en'-i-i (Decken's), Kuhn-. 



A greenhouse species, from Mount Kilimanjaro, East Tropical Africa, of 

 botanical interest only, with spear-shaped fronds 9in. to 12in. long and 

 densely clothed below with rusty scales.— Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 523. 



A. decoratum— dec-or-a'-tum (decorative), Kunze. 



In this handsome stove species, native of the West Indies, Guiana, and 

 Peru, which is totally distinct from all others in cultivation, the barren 

 fronds, 1ft. or more long by Sin. to 4in. broad, are of a coriaceous (leathery) 

 texture and of a bright green colour ; they are acute (sharp-pointed) at 

 their extremity, rounded at their base, and their edges are densely fringed 

 with squarrose (rough) scales nearly Jin. long and of a bright brown colour. 

 The fertile fronds are nearly as large as the others ; both are produced 

 from a very stout caudex (trunk), equally furnished with scales of the same 

 bright colour, but fully Jin. in length— Hooker, Species Filicum, v., p. 195. 



A. (Stenochlaena) decrescens — Sten-och-ke'-na ; de-cres'-cens (de- 

 creasing), Baker. 



A greenhouse species, native of the Cameroon Mountains, West Tropical 

 Africa, with a wide-scandent (long-trailing) rhizome (prostrate stem), on which 

 are disposed the barren fronds of a leathery texture, and about l^ft. long and 

 4in. broad, furnished with about forty pinnte (leaflets) of various lengths on 

 each side, gradually narrowing to mere auricles (ears or rounded appendages) 

 at the base. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 412. 



A. decurrens — de-cur'-rens (running down), Desvaux. 



A stove species, of botanical interest only, native of the Philippines. 

 Its barren fronds, 1ft. or more long, have both sides naked, but their edge is 

 densely fringed with minute dull brown scales. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 403. 



A. dendricolum — den-dric'-ol-um (living on trees), Baker. 



A stove species, of little decorative value, although in the Andes of 

 New Granada trees are covered with its little, lanceolate (spear-shaped) 

 barren fronds, barely 4in. long, thickly fringed with minute, pale brown 

 scales. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 521. 



