VI. POLYSTICHUM. 85 
ceolate, rigid, and of leathery texture, deep green, and 
prickly serrate on the margin. The stipes is very short, 
clothed below the leafy part with large broad taper-pointed, 
chaffy scales, and with smaller ones above. The fronds are 
simply pinnate. The pinnse are short, alternate, extend- 
ing nearly to the base of the stipes, somewhat crescent- 
shaped, the base being auricled on the upper side, and 
sloped or cut away on the lower side, crowded and sub- 
imbricate, being twisted so that the upper margin pro- 
jects behind the next superior pinna. The serratures of 
the margin are acutely spined. The mid-vein is distinct, 
and branches into free alternate veins, which are gene- 
rally three-branched, the anterior venule bearing a soru?, 
and terminating just bej'ond it ; the other venules some- 
times bear son and reach to the margin. The vein of 
the enlarged lobe at the base of the pinnae is pinnate, often 
with several of its simple venules bearing a sorus. The 
sori form a line on each side of and a little distance from 
the mid-rib, often crowded, and sometimes confluent, and 
thej- are usually confined to the upper part of the fronds. 
Each sorus is covered by a circular indusium, which is 
peltate or attached to the vein by a short central stalk. 
This rare northern species, of a distinct and elegant cha- 
racter, is found in the fissures of rocks towards the summits 
of some of our loftiest and bleakest mountains, exposed to 
storms and blasts, to meet which its constitution seems to 
be specially adapted. It is found in England, in Wales, 
and in Ireland, and more abundantly in Scotland, and is 
also met with in other parts of Europe. 
Polystichum Lonchitis is a plant of very tardy increase ; 
the same crown may be cultivated for years without throw- 
ing out any offsets for the purpose of propagation. It 
may be kept in good health if potted^rm/y in well-drained 
soil. The best situation for it, is a cool moist frame, in 
which, when established, it will grow with tolerable vigour. 
Exposed on out-door rockwork, it will rarely be found to 
have a prolonged existence, unless the damp but well- 
drained condition of its natural localities can be tolerably 
