40 HANDY BOOK OF 
young plant of the True Maidenhair, that he may watch its 
progress with the deepest interest. 
The Blechnum spicant of Withering and Roth is now 
assigned to the genus Lomaria. Mr. Smith, of the Kew 
Botanic Gardens, restricts the genus Blechnum to those 
species in which the lateral, or side veins, continue beyond 
the line of thecae, and to the margin of the pinna ; the genus 
Lomaria to such as present the lateral veins terminating in 
the line of thecse. This distinction is extremely simple, and 
must steadily be borne in mind. 
Few, if any, local associations pertain to this frequent 
species. It occurs on road-sides and village commons, 
in. woods, by streamlets, and on moist heaths ; in the 
southern counties sparingly, but more abundantly in the 
northern. The roots are wiry, black, and tough ; the 
rhizoma both tufted and hairy ; emerging simultaneously 
from the earth with the lily of the valley, the cowslip and 
sweet violet, the white saxifrage and woodruff; it does not, 
however, again seek the shelter of maternal earth, but con- 
tinues green and luxuriant through the winter. The most 
casual observer may, perhaps, have noticed the beautiful 
arrangement of fern-seeds on the lower surface of the leaves; 
in some, profuse in others, wanting. This peculiarity is 
very obvious in the Lomaria spicant : and some slight dif- 
ference exists between such fronds or leaves as are called 
fertile, and such as are seedless ; it is not, however, sufficient 
to perplex the learner. Paley accounts for this singular 
arrangement of the seeds. " In all plants," said he, " two 
purposes are obvious ; viz., the perfecting and preserving 
the seeds." Seed-vessels are mostly lodged in the centre 
the recesses or labyrinths of the flowers. They are sur- 
rounded with concave petals, which serve to reflect upon 
them both light and warmth ; and when any deviation 
occurs, it bears an especial reference to some peculiarity of 
flowering or station. Thus, in some water-plants, the per- 
fecting of the seeds is carried on within the stem ; in the 
