636 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



either the soil or the moss of the basket : even the pinnae are frequently 

 proliferous at their extremity. — Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, v., t. 34. 

 Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 205. 



A. (Euasplenium) rhizophyllum— Eu-as-ple'-ni-um ; rhi-zoph-yl'-lum 

 (leaf-rooting), Kunze. 

 A very handsome, greenhouse species, native of Tropical America and 

 the Polynesian Islands, with fronds 6in. to 12m. long, l^in. to 2in. broad, 

 borne on greyish, naked stalks 2in. to Gin. long, and cut down into numerous 

 horizontal leaflets of a thin, papery texture. These leaflets are closely set, 

 cut down throughout nearly to the midrib into simple or forked pinnules 

 (leafits), and are about lin. long and Jin. broad. The sori (spore masses) 

 are disposed one only to each pinnule and close to its margin. — Hooker, 

 Species Filicum, hi., p. 200. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, i., p. 133. 

 A. rhizophyllum of Linnams, better known as Camptosorus rhizophyllus, is 

 now classified under Scolopendrium. 



A. (Darea) Richardi— Da'-re-a j Rich-ard'-i (Richard's), Hooker. 



A greenhouse species, of small dimensions, its leathery fronds seldom 

 exceeding lOin. in height including their stalks. It is a native of New 

 Zealand, and one which seems near some of the dwarf tripinnatifid forms 

 of the popular A. fiaccidum. — Hooker, Species Filicum, hi., p. 197. 



A. (Darea) rutaefolium— Da'-re-a ; ru-tae-fol'-i-um (Rue-leaved), Kunze. 



This is a beautiful, greenhouse species (see Plate), native of Cape Colony, 

 Natal, Zambesi Land, the Himalayas, Ceylon, and Japan. Its fronds, Gin. to 

 loin, long, 2in. to 3 in. broad, and borne on compressed, greenish, naked 

 stipes (stalks) Gin. to 9in. long, are of a somewhat erect habit and furnished 

 with from twelve to twenty pairs of leaflets, of a leathery texture and bright 

 shining-green colour, 2in. or more long and cut clown to the rachis (stalk 

 of the leafy portion) into numerous distant pinnules (leafits) ; the lowest of 

 the leafits on the upper side are again cut into linear segments, on the 

 margin of which the small and abundant sori (spore masses) are usually 

 disposed. — Hooker, Species Filicum, hi., p. 206. Nicholson, Dictionary of 

 Gardening, i., p. 133. 



