Viviparous and Proliferous Ferns. 
21 
others they are fairly iiunieroiis — ^in Asjoleniuvi 
(Fig\ 15) and Woochvardia, for example. Nor 
are the bulbils or young plants always found 
on one portion of the parents. On this ac- 
count it is usual to separate Ferns possessing 
Fig, 15. A typical example of the Proliferous character of 
certain Ferns— Asplenium attenuatum, a native of Queens- 
land and New South Wales. 
the characteristics into four fairly well defined 
groups. First, there are Ferns in which the vivi- 
parous character extends over the whole or the 
greater part of the surface of the leafy portion of 
the fronds. Secondly, we have those in which the 
proliferous character is confined to the stalk, which 
is covered with such (adventitious) accidental 
