432 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



from all other forms at present known. Its curious fronds, which are from 

 ljft. to 2ft. long, 2m. to Sin. broad, and of a deep green colour, have each 

 of their pinna? (leaflets) usually forking, nearly at their base, into two short, 

 spreading parts, each cut into overlapping, spiny-toothed pinnules (leafits). 

 These pinna? are somewhat distant, but owing to half of them being ascending 

 and the other half descending, they cross each other at right angles and give 

 the frond a crowded appearance. The stalks in this singular variety are 

 throughout very scaly, and the sori (spore masses) are confined to the upper 

 portion of the frond only. — Lowe, Oar Native Ferns, i., p. 153, fig. 131. 



A. a. grandieeps— gran'-dic-eps (large -headed), Wollaston. 



This really superb variety, which is by far the best crested form of 

 A. angular e yet discovered, is in general appearance very like a largely crested 



and lobed form of A. aculeatum. 

 Unfortunately, no record of its 

 habitat can be found, and whether 

 it is a natural seedling or a plant 

 raised in cultivation cannot be 

 gathered from any work on the 

 subject. This, however, does not 

 detract from its beauty. Its 

 fronds, of a deep green colour, are 

 only about 1ft. in length and l^in. 

 to 2in. wide, except at the summit, 

 where they end in a large and 

 rather flat crest 3in. to 5in. wide : 

 this is produced by the repeated 

 forking of the rachis, as each 

 frond, at about three-fourths of 

 its length, divides into two or 

 three branches, each of which is pinnate (divided to the midrib) and spiny- 

 toothed. The primary divisions branch again to the third or fourth 

 degree, each ultimate branchlet ending in a short-forked, spiny-toothed and 

 tufted crest (Fig. 64). Fifty or more of these crestings usually form the 

 termination of the very large, spreading, densely leafy head of each frond. 



