142 
Choice Ferns for Amateurs. 
ASPlDl\JM—conti7iued. 
of quite an •evergr-e-en nature, is a Fern of the most cosmo- 
politan character. It is recognised as a native of North 
America and India alike, also of all parts of Europe, where it 
is found in situations varying from the sea-level to an 
altitude of above 3000ft. As a British species it is being 
widely distributed, but generally found on damp, shady 
banks, along hedgerows, or in woods, and usually in some- 
what stiff, loamy soil. As will be seen from Fig. 32, it is a 
particularly strong, bold-growing species. It has produced 
comparatively few striking varieties. 
A. amabile. 
Tliis very pretty species thrives in either the inter- 
mediate or the warm house. It is a native of Nepaul, Geylon, 
the Malaccas, Formosa, and Japan. It is of medium growth, 
for its spear-shaped fronds, 1ft. or more long and 6in. to 9in. 
broad, are borne on slender, polished stalks slightly scaly 
below. The leafy portion is composed of a long terminal 
leaflet and from six to nine lateral ones, disposed on each 
side of the midrib ; these are leathery, .and of la soft green 
colour, 6in. to Sin. long and lin. to l^in. broad; sometimes 
the lowest are slightly compound at the base. The sub- 
divisions, ^in. to fin. long, are of a peculiar shape, having 
at least half their lower side cut away, the upper side and 
the outer part of the lower one being lobed and sharply saw- 
toothed. The sori are disposed close to the margin of the 
fertile leaflets. 
A. annulare. 
Botanically this very handsome Fern, popularly known 
as the Soft Prickly Shield Fern, is but a form of A. aculea- 
tum. To the cultivator, however, it is abundantly distinct. 
It is evergreen, its elegant foliage remaining in perfect con- 
dition until long after the new growth is developed. In 
habit it is more pendulous than A. aculeatum, and its fronds, 
which frequently attain 3ft. in length and Gin. to 9in. in 
width, are usually lax, spear-shaped, and bipinnate : they are 
produced from a stout, tufted, short stem, are numerous, 
spreading, and arched, and, like the stalks and the crown 
itself, are covered with reddish-brown, chaffy scales. The 
plant is very widely distributed, being found in Sweden, 
Norway, France, Spain, and Italy alike in Europe ; in various 
parts of India, Abyssinia, and Natal ; in Madeira, the Canary 
Islands, and the Azores ; in North America, Mexico, Guate- 
mala, Caracas, Java, New Granada, and Singapore. Even 
in England it has a wide range. With regard to variation, 
this species differs essentially from A. aculeatum, which is 
