238 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



fronds borne on stipes (stalks) 2in. to 6in. long, slender and naked. The 

 leafy portion of the frond itself is fan-shaped, and seldom exceeds ljin. each 

 way ; it is composed of numerous segments or sub-divisions, which are dicho- 

 tpmous (repeatedly divided in two), not more than half a line broad, and 

 of a rush-like texture quite peculiar to this species. They are divided about 



Fig. 31. Actiniopteris racliata 

 (| nat. size). 



half the distance down, of a bright green colour, and very glossy. The seg- 

 ments of the fertile fronds are longer than those of the barren ones, and these 

 fronds are also borne on longer stalks. See Fig. 31 (reduced from Col. Bed- 

 dome's "Ferns of Southern India," by the kind permission of the author). — 

 Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 246. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, i., p. 21. 

 Beddome, Ferns of Southern India, t. 124. 



