100 
Choice Ferns for Amateurs. 
ADIASTVM— continued. 
disposition of leafits lare concerned, is exactly that of the 
populiar A. Farley ense; but it is essentially a cool-house 
variety, and is of dwarfer habit. It is interesting to note 
that this plumose form of the common Maidenhair Fern, 
like most other plumose forms, is entirely barren. 
A. C.=V. ma^nificum. 
In this fine form the fronds often attain If ft. in length 
and upwards of 4in. in breadth, while their arching charac- 
ter gives the plant a most distinct appearance. They are 
furnished with leafits much larger than those of the type, 
and of a softer, rich green colour. Their edges are prettily 
fringed, and overlap. 
A. C. = V. Mairisii. 
In order to develop its foliage perfectly, this variety 
requires stove temperature. It has all the appearance of 
a hybrid between A. Capillus-Veneris and A. cuneatum. 
It is of particularly robust constitution and somewhat erect 
habit, and possesses the property of reproducing itself true 
from spores. 
A. C. = V. Moritzianum. 
By some authors this handsome variety is given as 
native of South America, and by others as coming from 
Madeira. It appears to be the most gigantic form known. 
The fronds attain a length of 2ft. or even more, and are 
twice or thrice divided to the midrib. They are furnished 
with large leafits, rather distant, of a bright green colour, 
fan-shaped at their summit, and wedge-shaped at the base, 
and they are of an elegant and pendulous habit. 
A. caudatum. 
An evergreen, stove species, very different from the 
majority of Maidenhairs, and one that is exceedingly useful 
for growing in suspended baskets. It is found wild nearly 
everywhere through the tropics. The usual length of the 
fronds, which are simply pinnate, is from 1ft. to l^ft., 
when they generally root at the extremity. They are pro- 
vided on each side of the midrib with leaflets about in. 
long, dimidiate, nearly stalkless, with the lower line straight 
and horizontal, while the upper, rounded, one is more or less 
cut, the point generally blunt, the lower ones slightly 
stalked and wedge-shaped at the base. The leaflets are 
pale dull green or greyish, and, like the stalks, are covered 
with short, pale brown hairs, more abundant as they ap- 
proach the crown. The roundish or transversely oblong 
sori are disposed on the edge of the lobes. 
