POLYSTICHUM LOBATUM. 245 
Main root large, tufted. Fronds evergreen, produced 
in a circle, from one foot to two feet high, stiff, narrow 
spear-head shaped in their general outline, milky green 
in colour, and surface very shining. Stem strong, very 
scaly, and leafleted almost to the base. Leaflets alter- 
nate, short, very gradually decreasing in length as they 
approach the top of the stem, curved upwards ; so close 
together near the bottom of the stem as to overlap each 
other. Leafits pointed egg-shaped, at their base run- 
ning much into each other; slightly saw-toothed; only 
the larger ones eared, and that but slightly ; that next 
the stem, on the upper side of the leaflet, so broad as to 
overlap that next to it, and so long as to partly cover 
the under leafit on the Iea6et next above it. Fructification 
only at the top of the frond; the masses somewhat -ir- 
regular in size, borne by the lowest branch of the side- 
veins, circular, with a cover depressed in the centre. 
It is found on shady hedge-banks, and is more common 
than P. aculeatum, which is some evidence that it is not 
a variety of that species. 
We extract from Mr. Francis's " Analysis of British 
Ferns " the following list of the places where it is 
found : 
" Extremely common in Scotland and in the north of 
England, gradually losing itself towards the south, and 
becoming more and more intermingled with aculeatum, 
which in its turn is superseded still more southerly by ungu- 
lare. In the middle and south of England its recorded 
habitats are Leicestershire ; common about Settle, Yorkshire ; 
Pottery Car, near Doncaster ; Matlock, Derbyshire ; at Stud- 
ley, Sambourne, Overley, and Weatherly, Warwickshire ; 
