— H5 — 



Although almost every part of the country is rich in ferns, 

 more species are found in the mountainous region. I collected 

 over a hundred species in the vicinity of Kyoto, the former capi- 

 tal of Japan. 



It is rather uncommon to find fern-pots in Japanese houses, 

 but the fern ball is very frequently seen hanging on the porch. 

 For the ball, Davallia bullata, called "Shi no bu" by the Japanese 

 people, is almost exclusively used. This fern does not grow wild 

 in the fields, but is found only in the mountains. It was so much 

 hunted after, for ornamental purposes, that it is very scarce now, 

 being one of the rare ferns for the collector, although common 

 and well known in Japanese households. 



Another fern, which is very familiar to the Japanese people, 

 is Gleichenia longissima, commonly called "Urajiro-shida" (fern 

 with white under surface), or more commonly simply "Urajiro" 

 (white underneath). This is used for ornamental purposes, but 

 is somewhat different from the above mentioned species of 

 Davallia . The leaves being evergreen are used as a sort of dec- 

 oration on New Year's day, being placed above the house ent- 

 rance or gate. 



The young shoots of Pteris aquilina (Japanese name 

 "Warabi") and Osmunda regalis var. Japonica ("Zenmai" in 

 Japanese) are very commonly eaten by the natives. The plants are 

 gathered before the leaves unfold, while the shoots are still fiddle- 

 head shaped. They are sometimes cooked while fresh, but more 

 often they are sold in the markets dried. Starch also is made 

 from the rhizoma of Pteris aquilina and is very good for food. 



The Island of Formosa is very rich in ferns, being located on 

 the border line of the tropical and the temperate zones. The 

 Tropic of Cancer passes' through the middle of the island. I was 

 fortunate enough to travel through the Island for several months, 

 and although unable to devote all my time to ferns, still I col- 

 lected over a hundred species. More than half of these seem to 

 grow also in the Loo-Choo Islands, the southernmost group of 

 islands of the former Japanese Empire. 



The Japanese ferns have interested a number of foreign- 

 botanists. Among the more recent workers are Franchet, Baker, 

 Christ, Luerssen, Eaton and Maximormiz. Although there are 



