70 IV. WOODSIA. 
f^ilar with the angles rounded, less deeply pinnatifid than 
in W. ilvense ; the lobes, 3 7 in number, are broadly ovate 
and entire, the first superior lobe sometimes considerably 
larger than the rest. The pinnae are usually alternate, the 
lower ones distant, and gradually becoming smaller from 
near the middle. The midvein of the pinna is indistinct, its 
venules free, simple or forked, extending almost to the mar- 
gin. The sori are placed near the extremity of the veins, 
and in consequence of the presence of more numerous spore- 
cases are larger than in W. ilveruis, and often become 
confluent. 
This is equally rare with its kindred species, and has 
been discovered only in the wildest and most inaccessible 
mountain regions. It has been found on Clogwynn-y- 
Garnedd, Snowdon, in Wales ; and on Ben Chonzie, Ben 
Lawers, Craig-Challiach, Mael-dun-Crosk, and the Clova 
mountains in Scotland. It is also met with rarely in 
arctic and sub-arctic countries. 
The "Woodsias are best cultivated in moderate- sized 
well-drained pots, kept in a cold frame, facing the north 
in the summer season, and should not be kept constantly 
closed up. They are very impatient of sunshine and 
stagnant moisture. The crown of the plants may in pot- 
ting be advantageously elevated a little between three 
small pieces of freestone. They must not be kept too 
damp, especially during winter. A shady shelf in a cool 
greenhouse, where there is a free circulation of air or a 
dryish cold frame are good situations in which to preserve 
them during the dormant season. When it becomes 
necessary to divide the tufts, which is the most ready 
mode of propagation, it should be done very carefully in 
spring about the time they commence their seasonal 
growth. In obtaining plants from their wild habitats for 
the purpose of cultivation, as with most other of the rare 
ferns, it is found that small plants are much more suc- 
cessfully transplanted than the large and older masses. 
