WILLDENOW’S FERN. 
181 
knowledgment, it is not available for the exceptions, the inter- 
mediate forms, and these alone present the difficulty in distin- 
guishing the species from each other. 
I cannot conclude this subject without alluding to an ingeni- 
ous hypothesis, suggested by a very clever botanist, Mr. Jenner, 
of Lewes ; who supposes that there are two distinct species, and 
that the intermediate states are hybrids, and, on this account, 
partake of the characters of both. To this suggestion I would 
venture to reply, that we are at present without sufficient evi- 
dence of even the possibility of hybridization among Cryptoga- 
mic or non-polleniferous plants, and we cannot prudently invent 
an hypothesis to explain a phenomenon. 
Of this species, or variety, whichever may be the correct title, 
there are two most beautiful and remarkable forms; indeed, 
these are so distinct, and the intermediate states so rare, that 
they might claim a rank at least equal to that of the fern under 
which I have placed them, were it not that their rare occurrence, 
and the proximity of abundance of the usual form of angulare, 
induces the conclusion that the variations are merely accidental. 
The first of these has the stem nearly of equal length with the 
frond, and very sparingly clothed with scales : the figure of the 
frond is elongate -triangular, the lower pair of pinnae being the 
longest. The entire frond is nearly without scales. The texture 
of the frond is leathery, but in habit, as well as in the form of the 
pinnules, it agrees very closely with the normal form of angulare. 
I found two or three roots in Herefordshire, and Mr. Jenner 
has presented me with a frond gathered in Sussex. The second 
variety is still more remarkable. A specimen, for which I am 
indebted to the kindness of Mr. Pamplin, has above twenty pairs 
of pinnae, of equal length : these are gracefully curved and pen- 
dulous at the extremities, the pinnules very slender and rather 
distant, and the auricled portion at the base of each is complete- 
ly divided to the midrib : both the pinnule, and the lobe or au- 
ricle, terminate in a very acute point : the whole is densely 
chaffy. I believe this plant is now only known in cultivation. 
My specimen was cultivated by Mr. Choules, formerly gardener 
to Lady Guildford ; it is also preserved in the Royal Botanic 
Garden, at Kew. 
