116 Choice Ferns for Amateurs. 
A D I AN TUM — continued, 
shining stalks 6in. to 9in. long. They are deltoid, twice or 
thrice divided to the midrib^ and are furnished with 
numerous leafits, borne on short footstalks, and set some- 
what far. apart, which gives the fronds a peculiarly light 
and feathery appearance, the more so that they are deeply 
lobed on their outer margin, where the sori, round or nearly 
go, are situated lat the extremity of the lobes. A. Moorei, 
which has proved very variable, possesses the peculiarity of 
reproducing itself freely by means of the little bulbils 
borne on its fine, fibrous roots. 
A. palmatum. 
A very beautiful and graceful Fern, native of Peru, 
which thrives equally well under either greenhouse or stove 
treatment. Its handsome and particularly light fronds, 
produced from a stout, underground, prostrate stem, are 
borne on very slender stalks 9in. to 12in. long, shining black, 
but rather downy at the base ; they are three times divided 
to the midrib, often reaching 3Jft. in length by lOin. in 
breadth. The leafits, which are distinctly stalked, are of 
comparatively large dimensions, being lin. to Ifin. broad; 
they are of a thin texture, smooth, set far apart, and vary 
in shape; but all are deeply cut down into from three to 
five large lobes, which are again more or less divided. The 
sori, oblong in shape and of variable length, are disposed 
at the tips of the lobes, usually one to each. 
A. pedatum. 
This thoroughly distinct and magnificent species, 
although given as a native of British India by Beddome, 
is essentially a Fern from North America, where it is exten- 
sively distributed. North. American Ferns are mostly 
valued for their hardiness and usefulness, producing as they 
do in the outdoor Fernery a contrast which could not pos- 
sibly be obtained by planting British species and varieties 
alone. Some of them, too, are individually interesting, and 
foremost among these is A. pedatum, on account of its 
unique appearance, robust growth, and distinctive 
character. Fig. 61. In its native country it will bear over 
30deg. of frost. There, it is true, it is naturally protected by 
a thick layer of leaves, which annually covers its crowns when 
at rest; it is also protected each year by a covering of snow. 
A. peruvianuin. 
A well-marked, Peruvian, stove species, undoubtedly 
one of the most ornamental of all the known large-growing 
Maidenhairs. Its ample and gracefully-pendent fronds, 
which are produced from a thick, underground, running 
rhizome, are borne on stout, upright, black, polished stalks. 
