68 
European Ferns. 
ance in the genus than in any special beauty or attractiveness. There is a variety 
( trifoliatum ) in which there are one or two pairs of small pinnae at the base of the 
large one which terminates the frond. B. longifolium, a form of which is known as B. 
graci/e, is a pretty species frequently met with in cultivation ; it was introduced to the 
Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1833. It has slender pinnate, deep-green fronds, varying from 
six inches to a foot and a half in length, with a few large, distant pinnae, similar to the 
solitary one of B. Lanccola. This is a native of Tropical America — from Mexico and the 
West Indies southward to Brazil and Peru. B. asplenioides is a pretty little plant, having 
very narrow fronds with small, broad segments placed very closely together, and reminding 
one very much at first sight of the Maidenhair Spleenwort ( Aspleniuni Trichomanes) ; it is a 
Tropical American plant. One of the Australian species, B. cartilagineum, which is peculiar 
to the Australian continent, is of some interest as being probably the only species of the genus 
possessing any claims to be considered of economic importance. It has a short, thick, 
woody rootstock, covered with shining black scales. The fronds are from a foot to two 
feet in length, with very numerous serrulate pinnae, from three to six inches long, of a some- 
what leathery texture. It is the thick rhizome that possesses economic value; this is first 
roasted by the natives, and then beaten so as to break away the woody fibre : its taste 
is said to resemble that of a waxy potato. B. cartilagineum is a very handsome species, 
and will succeed well in a cool greenhouse. 
