596 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



and Gloucestershire ; in and around Tunbridge Wells ; in Oldbury Court 

 Woods and in the lanes in the neighbourhood of Stapleton, where, Mr. Sweet 

 (in his "Bristol Flora") says, "the area of this plant is no more than 

 half a mile, occurring on the Old Red Sandstone." It has also been found 

 in Carnarvonshire, Denbighshire, Glamorganshire, Merionethshire, and Pem- 

 brokeshire, but always in comparatively small quantities. 



The fronds of A. lanceolatum, 9in. long and 2in. to 4in. broad, are 

 abundantly produced from a central crown and are borne on naked, glossy 

 stalks Sin. to 4in. long and of a peculiar chestnut-brown colour ; they are 

 bipinnate (twice divided to the midrib) and spear-shaped in outline, and are 

 furnished on each side of the midrib with numerous pumas (leaflets). The 

 lower leaflets are distant and cut down to the midrib into numerous oblong 

 pinnules (leafits), which are truncate at their lower side, sharply toothed and 

 often broadly lobed below (Fig. 111). The fructification covers the whole of 

 the under-surface of the fronds, for the oblong sori (spore masses) are so 

 abundantly produced that when mature they become confluent in irregular 

 masses. — Hooker, Species Filicum, hi., p. 190. Nicholson, Dictionary of 

 Gardening, i., p. 131. Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, v., t. 26. 



Like most of its congeners of small dimensions, A. lanceolatum grows 

 well in a greenhouse, shaded from the hot sun. Under such treatment, and 

 provided it be kept moderately moist, the stature of this plant is much 

 increased, and its fronds then attain a length of from lOin. to 12in. and are 

 of a beautiful dark green. The soil which suits this species best is a mixture 

 of peat, lime-rubbish, bricks broken small, and leaf mould, in about equal 

 proportions. In planting or potting, the crown requires to be kept well ahove 

 the surface of the soil. Tins species is usually propagated by division of the 

 crowns in early spring, but the operation is a delicate one, requiring a little 

 more attention than it is usual to bestow on British Ferns. 



A. lanceolatum, whether in the wild state or under cultivation, has produced 

 very few varieties worthy of record ; the following are the most distinct : 



A. 1. bifidum— bif'-icl-um (forked), Lowe. 



A dwarf form, found in Devonshire. Its fronds, only about 4in. long, 

 differ from those of the species in having their extremity divided in two 

 instead of tapering to a point. — Lowe, Our Native Ferns, ii., p. 156, fig. 498. 



