602 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



slightly undulated. The texture is thin and papery and the colour deep 

 green. The broad and distant sori (spore masses) do not reach either 

 the edge or the midrib. In some fully-developed specimens the terminal 

 leaflet is 1ft. long, considerably sinuated (wavy) upwards and proliferous (bud- 

 bearing) at the extremity j the lateral leaflets are also often proliferous at the 

 point. — Hooker, Second Century of Ferns, t. 69. 



A. (Euasplenium) longissimum — Eu-as-ple'-nl-um ; long-is'-sim-um 

 (longest), Blume. 



This beautiful, pendulous, stove species, native of Java, Borneo, Malacca, 

 and the Mauritius, is, of all the known Aspleniums, the one best adapted for 

 growing in a basket of large dimensions. Its very elegant fronds (Fig. 113), 

 2ft. to 3ft. long and 4in. to 6in. broad, are borne on strong, blackish stalks 

 3in. to 12in. long and very flexible ; they are furnished on each side of the 

 midrib with numerous pinnae (leaflets) of a somewhat leathery texture and 

 dark green in colour. The leaflets are stalkless and have their two sides 



