FERN CONFERENCE. 



515 



abnormally leafy or feathery development of the fronds, accom- 

 panied by partial or entire barrenness, the general normal out- 

 line being retained or merely widened. It has been found to 

 characterise specially the three species of Athyr'ium filix-fmmina, 

 or the Lady Fern ; Polystichum angulare, or the soft prickly 

 Shield Fern; and Scolopendri urn vuhjare, or the common Hart' s- 

 tongue, in all of which species several distinct forms have been 

 found wild. Among the other genera the Lastreas, considering 

 the large number of other varieties their several species have 

 yielded, have afforded only two true plumose forms — the soft 

 Male Fern giving 'Lastrea filix-mas Bollandice and the Moun- 

 tain Lastrea, or Lemon-scented Buckler Fern, a very fair form 

 indeed. Both, however, fall far short in their foliaceous develop- 

 ment or decomposite cutting in comparison with the best forms 

 of the other three species named. Among the smaller species, 

 the Sea Spleemvort {Asplenium marinum) and the common 

 Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asp. tricliomanes) have each yielded true 

 plumose varieties. Asp. t. incisum is especially line, and, 

 varying slightly in form, has been found in several localities. 

 That] found by Mr. Clapham is the best. The Hard Fern 

 (Blcchnum spicant) has yielded, so far, no wild plumose form, 

 but one has been raised under cultivation and named, at too early 

 a stage probably, B. s. serratum, Airey No. 1. The specimen of 

 this which I exhibit is w r ell worthy of note, being sub-tripinnate, 

 or divided thrice. The Maidenhair, Ad. cap. veneris var, 

 Cornubicnsc, is the plumose form of that species, and is the 

 counterpart of Ad. Farlcijense on a smaller scale. The common 

 Polypody (P. nil gave) has afforded several varieties. P. v. cam- 

 bricum, or the Welsh Polypody, has been found in several places, 

 and a much more developed form of it, P. v. Prcstonii, w T as dis- 

 covered in the Lake district. P. v. plumosum (Hadwin) is 

 another of less advanced type. Incidentally I may remark that 

 the various names given to these true plumose forms afford a 

 proof that Fern nomenclature is far from perfect. 



In the common Hart's-tongue (Scolopcndrium vulgare) we 

 have the plumose form exemplified in the numerous finds of 

 crispum, of which the major number are perfectly barren. In 

 these the normal strap- shaped frond is transformed into a 

 deeply puckered frill, which, in extreme cases, attains a width of 

 five inches. The form found by Dr. Wills in Dorsetshire is 



