ATHYRIUM F1LIX FCEMINA. 
^ATHY'EIUM FI'LIX FCE'MINA. 
THIS most graceful of all the British Ferns, on that 
account, well deserves its popular name of TJie Lady 
Fern. It is also known as the Female Shield Fern, 
Female Polypody, and Drooping Lady Fern. 
Its root is large, brown, and tufted, often becoming, 
in old plants, very large and stem-like, but even then 
lying upon the surface of the soil. The fronds are re- 
markably lightly formed, plume-like, and graceful, rising 
in considerable numbers from the tuft, and forming a 
strikingly beautiful group. They vary in height from 
nine to eighteen inches; but whatever the height 
(which is greatest in moist, shady, sheltered situations), 
about one-third of the lowest part of the stem is without 
leaflets, but swollen at the base, which is also usually 
covered with long scales. The general outline of the 
frond is narrow spear-head-shaped. The leaflets vary 
much in their arrangement, being usually alternate, but, 
sometimes, opposite, and, sometimes, far apart, but in 
other instances very close together. They vary in num 
ber from twenty to forty pairs, are narrow spear- head" 
shaped, very gradually tapering to a single leant, lower 
ones and upper ones often bending back, or drooping. 
The leafits very numerous, linear-oblong, or broad spear- 
head-shaped, sharp-pointed, lobed, and deeply-toothed, 
the lower lobes the largest. The veining very distinct, 
mid-rib, or vein, waved. Fructification on the upper 
edge of side veins in segment-of-circle, or kidney-shaped 
