74 



THE FERN BULLETIN 



proach this one, nor is bipinnatum listed among the 

 other forms. The specimens illustrated were found 

 by Geo. Fraser of Uclulet, B. C who it is understood 

 moved them to his garden where they reverted to the 

 type the following year. Spores sent to England are 

 reported to have reproduced the new form as well as 

 several others. It is likely that the original plants 

 would once more produce the form when given good 

 cultivation. 



An interesting point of nomenclature is connected 

 with the generic name of this species. In the older 

 American fern books it is pretty generally given as 

 Lomaria spicant but most modern works list it under 

 Blechnum. The whole matter turns upon the arrange- 

 ment of the indusium. The genus Lomaria is charac- 

 terized by an indusium formed by the recurved and 

 altered margin of the pinnules and the sori are there- 

 fore marginal and form a nearly continuous line. In 

 Blechnum on the contrary, the indusium, is distinct 

 and though the sori are also marginal in some species, 

 the arrangement is quite different from that of 

 Lomaria. Our species has such narrow fertile fronds 

 crowded with sori that for a long time the fact of a 

 special indusium was not noticed, or if noticed was not 

 given sufficient weight. 



FERN SEED. 



"We have the receipt of fern - seed ; we walk 

 invisible," says one of Prince Hal's rollicking 

 companions in Shakespeare's play of "Henry IV." 

 and Ben Jonson makes one of his characters say, "I 

 had no medicine, sir, to go invisible, no fern- 

 seed in my pocket." As late as Addison's "Tat- 

 ler" we are told of a quack advertising that he "had 



