35§ 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



A. Dregeana, the size of the last, with deeply toothed 

 leaflets of quite a firm leathery texture. The fertile or 

 flowering part is borne on the upper portion of the fronds. 

 A. Phyllitidis, of vigorous constitution, often reaching a 

 height of 2ft. The pinnate fronds are of a dark leathery 

 green, and form a bold tuft, which, when overtopped by 

 the slender fertile ones, resemble a plant in flower. 

 A. rotundifolia, fronds ift. long, with rounded pinnae, which 

 when first developed are of a reddish bronze tint. The 

 fronds are disposed almost horizontally, and will root at 

 the ends and push up young plants therefrom. The fertile 

 fronds are like the preceding. A. tomentosa, distinguished 

 from all others by the rusty-coloured hairs with which the 

 stalks are thickly covered, though in other particulars it is 

 something in the way of A. Dregeana. 



Angiopteris evecta. — The huge spreading fronds of this 

 are pushed up from a swollen base, so that it never forms 

 a tree-like habit. A head of fronds will attain a diameter 

 of 20ft., but of course it is very effective when much 

 smaller than this. 



Aspidium. — By some authors the Ferns grown in gardens 

 under the names of Cyrtomium and Polystichum are 

 grouped under the head of Aspidium, but they are here 

 referred to under their better-known titles. 



Asplenium. — An extensive group of fairly easy culture, 

 the members of which in most cases push out their grace- 

 fully arching fronds from one central crown, thus forming 

 a specimen of very regular shape. There are numerous 

 kinds in cultivation, a few of the best being the following : 

 A. alatum, with prettily toothed oblong-shaped pinnae 

 arranged on either side of a curiously winged stem. 

 A. Bellangeri, in which the fronds are produced so 

 regularly as to form quite a vase-shaped specimen. They 

 are about i Sin. long, from 2in. to 3m. broad, twice 

 divided, and of a bright cheerful green. A. bulbiferum, 

 very handsome, the much-divided fronds bearing a great 

 number of small plants on their tips. A. cicutarium, 

 fronds very thin in texture, and of a particularly bright 

 green. A. Colensoi, a compact, dense-growing plant 

 in the way of A. bulbiferum, but smaller. A. dimorphum, 

 with two different sorts of fronds. A. ebeneum, a compact 

 plant about ift. high, something like an enlarged 

 form of the British A. Trichomanes. A. formosum, after 

 the manner of the last, but with more divided leaflets. 

 A. incisum, an upright plant ift. high, with the leaflets 

 deeply cut. A. laserpitifolium, with extremely elegant 

 much-divided fronds, which are iyd. long and I Sin. 

 broad. A. longissimum, the fronds of this are 2ft. to 3ft. 

 long and about 4-in. wide. The pinnae are arranged 

 alternately on a conspicuous bla kish stem. A. Nidus, 

 which has large leathery undivided fronds, borne in a 

 regular manner, thus leaving a hollow centre ; it is from 

 this circumstance known as the Bird's-nest Fern. 

 A. obtusilobum, a dwarf Fern that pushes out long 

 runners on which little plants are borne at intervals. 



A. rutaefolium, with very deeply-cut fronds. A. vivi- 

 parum, the fronds of which are divided to the finest 

 possible proportions, the plant being therefore of an 

 exceedingly light feathery appearance, while the tiny 

 plants are in some instances at least thickly scattered 

 over the frond. 



Athyriam Goringianum pietum. — A deciduous Fern, 



with spear-shaped fronds, and numerous leaflets divided 

 into pointed segments. The stalks are reddish, while 

 the fronds are of a greyish green hue. It reaches a height 

 of ift. or more. 



Bird'S-nest Fern.— See Asplenium Nidus. 



Bleehnum. — Most of the Blechnums are vigorous Ferns, 

 with either simple or once divided fronds. They succeed 

 in a mixture of peat, loam, and sand, and grow rapidly, 

 from which circumstance some of them are very popular. 



B. brasiliense is quite a miniature Tree Fern, with a stem 

 iyd. high, and when crowned with its massive once 

 divided fronds it forms an imposing feature. The variety 

 corcovadense differs from the type in the young fronds 

 being bright red when young. B. glandulosum is a 

 creeping kind with spear-shaped fronds l8in. in length, 

 and furnished with long narrow sickle-shaped pinn*. 



B. occidentale is of vigorous growth, but of comparativelv 

 dwarf hab.t, the fronds being about ift. long. It may 

 be grown with very little trouble, and on this account is 

 very popular. 



Brainea insignis. — A small Tree Fern, with a stem 

 never more than 4ft. high. The pinnate fronds are in the 

 strongest examples about iyd. long. They are of a 

 bronzy tint when young. It needs stove temperature and 

 careful cultivation. 



Clieilanthes. — A pretty little class of Ferns, remarkable 

 principally from the fact that the fronds are very hairy, 

 hence they should be grown in a moderately dry atmo- 

 sphere, as if very moist they soon decay. A selection would 

 include : C. aurea, that reaches a height of about 6in., 

 with triangular-shaped fronds, the under-sides of which 

 are covered with a yellow powder. C. elegans, some- 

 times called the Lace Fern, from the fact that a frond 

 presents the appearance of an intricate pattern of lace. 

 They are very brittle, and clothed with a woolly down. 



C. farinosa, an upright grower ift. high, with fronds 

 covered with a whitish powder, in the way of the Gymno- 

 grammas, but not so pronounced. C. hirta Ellisiana, with 

 long spreading intricately divided fronds, clothed with 

 reddish brown hairs. C. tomentosa, a delicate greenhouse 

 species, with quite woolly fronds. 



Cibotilim. — A limited group, one member of which, 

 C. Barometz, forms a large wide-spreading specimen, 

 while the other three, C. princeps, C. Schiedei, and 

 C. spectabile, are 'Free Ferns. C. Barometz is sometimes 

 called the Vegetable Lamb, from its massive prostrate 

 hairy stem. 



Cyathea. — The members of this family consist for the 

 most part of Tree Ferns, many of which are very rare. 

 Two noble species for the conservatory are C. dealbata 

 and C. medullaris. The first-named, C. dealbata, is said 

 to occasionally reach a height of 40ft., but here it is 

 seldom taller than 10ft. to 12ft. The fronds are of a 

 bluish green colour above and silvery white underneath. 



C. medullaris is one of the most rapid in growth of Tree 

 Ferns, and attains in its native habitats a height of 40ft., 

 with spreading fronds 12ft. to 15ft. long. As C. dealbata 

 is a native of New Zealand, and C. medullaris of the same 

 district, and also of Norfolk Island, it follows that they 

 will both succeed in a greenhouse. The last-named is 

 valuable for decorations when small. 



Cyrtomium. — Two species of Cyrtomium, both of which 

 are natives of Japan, are valuable Ferns for the cool green- 

 house, as they succeed better under such conditions than 

 in heat. They are C. falcatum and C. Fortunei. Both 

 have pinnate fronds about i8in. long, and of a stout 

 leathery texture, the last-named being of a much deeper 

 green than C. falcatum. 



Davallia (Hare's-foot Ferns). — The Davallias form an orna- 

 mental class of Ferns, many having curious creeping 

 rhizomes or stems which are particularly hairy, resembling 

 the foot of an animal, hence the appellation of Hare's- 

 foot Fern, as applied especially to D. canariensis. These 

 creeping kinds are better adapted for hanging baskets or 

 for rockwork than for growing in pots. They are not 

 deep-rooting subjects, therefore, if confined at all, wide- 

 mouthed pans are more suitable for them than pots. Care 

 must be taken not to bury the creeping stems, as this is 

 very injurious to the plants. In most kinds the fronds are 

 freely produced, and many of them from their firm, solid 

 nature will remain fresh a long time when used in a cut 

 state. The species are numerous, a few of the best being 



D. bullata, sometimes called the Squirrel's-foot Fern, 

 from the curious appearance of its creeping stems, which 

 are clothed with reddish brown scales. The bright green 

 elegantly divided fronds are about ift. long, and freely 

 produced. It succeeds perfectly in the greenhouse, but 

 is quite deciduous during the winter. D. canariensis 

 (Hare's-foot Fern) reminds one of the last-mentioned, 

 but is evergreen, and the fronds are as much as 1 Sin. long, 

 while their colour is a very deep green. D. dissecta is 

 a free-growing stove species about l|ft. high, the fronds 

 being very finely cut and light green. D. elegans has 

 also elegantly divided fronds, which are of a bright 



