338 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



water about the roots the foliage soon becomes flabby and begins to show 

 unmistakable signs of ill-health. The Allantodia is also averse to strong 

 light, and to preserve the bright green colour peculiar to its fronds it is 

 necessary to protect them from the strong rays of the sun. The waterings 

 must be copious during the summer, and gradually lessened until in winter 

 the roots are kept only sufficiently moist to prevent the plant from shrivelling. 

 The propagation of this species is effected exclusively from spores, which 

 are produced in abundance and germinate freely. 



A. Brunoniana— Bru-no'-ni-a'-na (Brown's), Wallich. 



This solitary species, also known as Asplenium javanicum of Blume, 

 which grows freely under either greenhouse or stove treatment, is a native 

 of Tahiti, Java, and Ceylon, and is found on the Himalaya Mountains at an 

 elevation of 6000ft. Its fronds, often 2ft. long and about 1ft. broad, are 

 furnished on each side of their rachis (stalk of the leafy portion of the 

 frond) with undivided pinnae (leaflets) 4in. to 6in. long and lin. broad. 

 Their veins, forked near the midrib, show two rows of hexagonal areolae 

 (six-sided cells) occupying the outer half of the space between the midrib 

 and the edge, and are bounded by an intramarginal line. The sori (spore 

 masses) are confined to the anterior vein of the first fork. — Hooker, Species 

 Filicum, iii., p. 275. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, i., p. 48. Beddome, 

 Ferns of Southern India, t. 159. 



ALLOSORUS— All-os-o -rus. See Cheilanthes, Cryptogramme, 

 and Pellaea. 



