106 VII. LASTREA. 
. cristata : fronds narrow elongate ; pinnules con- 
tracted and confluent ; apex of frond and of pinnaa multifid- 
crisped. 
LASTREA FILIX-MAS, var. CEISTATA, Moore and Houlston, Gard. 
Mag. Hot. lii. 317. 
The Male Fern, or Common Buckler Fern, has a large 
tufted caudex, gradually elongated, becoming in aged 
plants often elevated above the surface and producing nu- 
merous strong dark brown, deeply penetrating roots. Some- 
times, however, it assumes a decumbent position, the crown 
being curved at the extremity, from which the fronds 
arise, nearly or quite erect. The fronds grow up in a 
circle several from each crown, to which they are terminal 
and adherent ; they grow to the average height of two to 
three feet, and bear pinna? to within about a third of their 
length from the base. The young fronds appear annually 
in May ; their vernation is at first circinate, but in a few 
days after development commences, the apex becomes 
liberated, and bent downwards, acquiring a curve similar 
to that of a shepherd's crook. The stipes is short, and 
usually, together with the rachis, densely covered with 
narrow membranous chaffy pale brown scales of various 
size. The fronds are sub-bipinnate in the normal form of 
the species, broadly lanceolate, or not unfrequently oblong- 
lanceolate, with an abrupt acuminated apex. The pinna? 
are linear lanceolate, acute, alternate, spreading, the lowest 
shorter than those about the middle of the frond, which 
are from four to six inches long ; they are pinnate at the 
base, the pinnules having usually a broad attachment, and 
in the upper part of the pinnse becoming more or less com- 
bined. The pinnules and lobes are oblong-obtuse, crenato- 
serrate on the margin, and more acutely and closely serrate 
at the apex. The mid- vein of the pinnules is sinuous ; 
the venules alternate, becoming branched near the mid- 
vein, either simply forked, or when vigorous having the 
