270 
Choice Ferns for Amateurs. 
NE P H R OhKPlS— continued, 
N. d. furcans. 
Among the many crested Ferns in cultivation, tkis 
singular as well as beautiful form is one of the most distinct 
and highly decorative. Its most striking characteristic is 
the furcation of the leaflets, which are either alternate or 
opposite and closely set along the midrib, whereas those of 
N. davallioides are set much farther apart. In the barren 
leaflets, which in fully-developed plants are situated only 
on the lower portion of the frond, and which generally are 
few in number, the furcation is less marked and sometimes 
only rudimentary; in the fertile leaflets it is twice or even 
three times repeated at the extremities of the first divisions, 
becoming more complex towards the summit of the frond, 
where it often forms quite a large tassel, whose weight 
gives the fronds an elegant, pendulous habit. This plant 's 
valuable for growing in large baskets, in which it never fails 
to prove very attractive. Although spores are freely pro- 
duced, it is best propagated by means of the young plants 
produced from rhizomes in the ordinary way, on account 
of the numerous and extreme variations which take place 
among the seedlings. 
N. Duffii. 
This pretty stove species, native of the Duke of York's 
Island, in the South Pacific, is one of the most interesting 
of the whole genus. Its compact habit, its comparatively 
small dimensions, and the bright glossy colour of its beauti- 
fully-tasselled fronds, give it a prominent place in a group 
of Ferns naturally rich in decorative subjects. Its curious, 
irregularly-pinnate fronds are borne on slender stalks 
covered with reddish-brown, downy scales at their base. 
Instead of these fronds being produced loosely, as in most 
other Nephrolepises, they are densely crowded — the outcome 
of closely-clustered crowns ; they seldom measure more- than 
2ft. in length, and are terminated by very handsome crests, 
which vary in size according to the temperature in which 
the plant is grown. A moist heat is required to induce it to 
show its true characters. N, Duffii can only be propagated 
by division of the crowns, an operation easily performed at 
almost any time of the year, but with greater safety in 
early spring; or by young plants produced from the 
rhizomes, which, however, are not so plentiful as in other 
species. It is one of the best Ferns for pot culture, its 
somewhat upright habit making it less suitable than other 
species for baskets, brackets, and wall-coverings. 
N. ensifolia. 
Synonymous with N. acuta. 
