434 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



angular teeth. They are of a remarkably bright shining green colour. This 

 beautiful sub-variety reproduces itself true from spores, which occupy the 

 greater part of the fertile fronds. It is generally, though erroneously, called 

 A. a. Baylice. — Lowe, Our Native Ferns, i., p. 186. 



A. a. g. COrnutum— cor-nu'-tum (horned), Lowe. 



This very singular Fern is of slender and dwarf habit. Its curious fronds 

 vary in breadth from less than 1 in. to 3 Jin., and seldom exceed Gin. in 

 height, inclusive of the stalks, which are quite 2in. long ; their extremity 

 terminates in a cornute (horn-shaped) appendage, which has all the appear- 

 ances of an abortive pinnule (leant). — Lowe, Our Native Ferns, i., p. 187. 



A. a. g. Grayii— G-ray'-i-i (Gray's), 



This Fern, which is perhaps the prettiest of all those in cultivation, was 

 originally discovered in Devonshire. It is dwarf in habit and nearly normal 

 in outline, although the leaflets are somewhat unequal in length ; instead 

 of terminating abruptly like those of the ordinary A. a. grandidens, they 

 gradually taper to the apex, where they are very sharp. — Lowe, Our Native 

 Ferns, i., p. 187. 



A. a. imbricatum — im-bric-a'-tum. (overlapping), Moore. 



This thoroughly handsome and distinct variety, which in habit somewhat 

 resembles A. aculeatum lobatum, was originally found wild in Somersetshire. 

 Its rich green, bipinnate ' (twice-divided) fronds, 2ft. long and only about 

 2in. broad, are borne on very short stalks, and are of a narrow spear-head 

 shape. Their leaflets are blunt, short, and linear-oblong, while their blunt 

 and crowded pinnules (leafits) are conspicuously imbricated (overlapping), and 

 more markedly so on the fronds of the young plants. The stipes (stalks) and 

 the basal portion of the rachis (stalk of the leafy portion) are proliferous, 

 a bulbil being usually found on the larger fronds touching the soil. — Lowe, 

 Our Native Ferns, i., p. 84, t. 17b. 



A. a. Indivisum— in-di-vi'-sum (undivided), Wollasion. 



A robust-growing form, originally found in Somersetshire. Its handsomo, 

 spreading, very leafy, deep green fronds, ljft. to 2ft. long and about 6in. wide, 



