RARE FORMS OF FERNWORTS-XV. 



Young Cliff Brakes. 



The juvenile forms of ferns are a never ending 

 source of trouble to both beginner and advanced stu- 

 dent — to the beginner because he cannot name them 

 off hand; to the advanced student because the begin- 

 ner expects him to be able to do so. A few species of 

 ferns can readily be named from cheir baby stages, 

 but for the majority, a mature and fertile frond is ne- 

 cessary for a satisfactory determination. The fern 

 student who takes pleasure in his work rarely sends 

 back even these immature specimens sent him for 

 name, without a pretty close guess as to their identity, 

 but it is no disgrace for even the best to confess to ig- 

 norance when confronted with some strange sporeling. 



The beginning fern seems to have a choice of two 

 forms for its first leaves, — rounded or forked. In 

 general, the species whose fronds at maturity are 

 much divided, favor the forked type of leaf and the 

 first green blade or, at least, the second is a two lobed 

 affair, thin and delicate but with nothing about it to in- 

 dicate which of half a hundred species it may develop 

 into. In subsequent leaves, a new pair of pinnules 

 appear about the first and in time the regular frond is 

 developed. With simple fronded plants, and often in 

 those whose mature fronds exhibit a considerable 

 amount of cutting, the first leaf is rounded and subse- 

 quent leaves are not forked. 



One of the most interesting of this latter group and 

 one that can be identified by its first tiny leaf, is the 

 cliff brake (Pcllaca at ro purpurea) This is not entirely 

 due to its shape, however, for the peculiar blue-green 

 hue of the mature plant, which sometimes causes it to 

 be known as the blue fern, is to be seen in the spore- 



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