300 
Choice Ferns for Amateurs. 
POL,YPODl\JM—cont'mued. 
P. dissimile. 
Synonymous with P. chnoodes. 
P. drepanum. 
A very liandsome, greenhouse speeies, native of 
Madeira, with fronds l^ft. to 3ft. long, Sin. to 12in. broad, 
produced from a short, upright stem, land borne on tufted 
stalks, wdiich are 1ft. to l^ft. long and densely clothed with 
dark-coloured scales at their base. The lowest leaflets, 
which are also the largest, often measure 8in. in length and 
Sin. in breadth; the leafits are spear-shaped, unequal-sided, 
conspicuously-eared on the upper side, and truncate on the 
lower side at the base, with a broad, uncut centre and 
numerous teeth. The fronds are of a leathery texture, with 
both sides nearly naked. The very prominent and abun- 
dant sori are disposed irregularly in rows on each side of 
the mid vein, and eventually become confluent. 
P. Dryopteris, 
This exceedingly pretty, dwarf-growing, hardy species, 
popularly known as the Oak Fern, has a most extensive 
range of habitat — Northern India, the Western Himalayas, 
Manchuria, Japan, &c. Of the four native Polypodies with 
deciduous foliage, P. Dryopteris is undoubtedly the one 
most generally know^n and most deservedly appreciated. 
On account of the peculiarly bright pea-green colour of its 
fronds, and of its close and compact habit, it is much 
admired and frequently used for forming in the hardy 
Fernery edges which, all through the summer, possess a 
freshness looked for in vain among all other Ferns of dwarf 
habit. These fronds, produced from a wide-creeping 
rhizome of a very slender nature, and borne on slender 
stalks Gin. to 12in. long, naked upwards and slightly scaly 
below, are deltoid, and generally measure from Gin. to 10 in. 
each way. Their lower leaflets are much the largest (Fig. 28), 
and the spear-shaped leafits are slightly notched. They 
are of a soft, papery texture and smooth on both surfaces. 
The abundant but minute sori, of a light brown colour, are 
scattered over the whole under-side of the frond. A pecu- 
liarity noticeable in this species consists in the development 
of the fronds, the rolled-up leaflets of which, in a young 
state, resemble three small balls or green peas placed on 
wires. In planting the Oak Fern, a spot where moisture 
and shade can always be depended upon should, if possible, 
be selected, and a shallow bed made of a compost of two 
parts of fibrous peat, one part of leaf mould, and a free 
admixture of silver sand, or, better still, of broken sandstone. 
If grown in pots for a cool frame or for the greenhouse, 
