A Dictionary of Choice Ferns. 
73 
ACROSTICHUM -co7ithmed. 
borne on firm^ erect stalks^ 4iii. to Gin. long, and scaly 
throughout, are from 1ft. to 2ft. long and fully 1ft. broad, 
deltoid in form, and simply pinnate, with their upper leaf- 
lets slightly lobed, truncate on the lower side at the base, 
6in. to Sin. long, and 4in. to 6in. broad, usually furnished 
with small leafits on each side. The fertile fronds are 1ft. 
long, deltoid, and thrice pinnate. Fig. 42. 
Fig. 42. Acrostichum acuminatum, one of the most graceful 
and decorative species in the genus. 
A. apiifolium. 
A pretty, very dwarf, stove species, from the Philip- 
pines, with an Anemia-like habit that renders it distinc- 
tive. The barren fronds, 4in. to Gin. each way, are borne 
on stems about 2in. long, erect, and densely clothed with 
short, woolly hairs ; they are tripinnate, with leaflets close, 
the lowest pair only having leafits divided not quite to the 
midrib, while the ultimate divisions are oblong-rhomboidal, 
their outer edge being slightly toothed. The fertile fronds are 
borne on a slender and entirely naked stem. Gin. to Sin. 
long; they have distinct, branching peduncles, with a few 
distant, slender, either simple or compound branches. Both 
are produced on a stout, woody, upright stem. The specific 
name is in reference to the Parsley-like fronds. 
