334 
OSMUNDACEiE. 
munda regalis, which prevails chiefly in the south-west of Eng- 
land, and perhaps the south-west of the Highland tract ; being 
very frequent on the coasts of Cornwall, and occurring in plenty 
about some of the lochs of Argyleshire, and on adjacent islands. 
The range of the Osmunda extends the whole length and breadth 
of Britain ; but whether it be found on the islets north of Suther- 
land, or west of Islay, is yet unknown. Still, there are consi- 
derable tracts along the eastern side of England and Scotland, 
where it is either extremely scarce or wholly wanting. The 
Osmunda differs from most of the dorsiferous Ferns in being 
adapted to thrive in marshy places, and to flourish on the sea 
shores, sometimes only just above high water line. Notwith- 
standing that it endures the boreal climate of Sutherland, (a 
county in which the specimens are said to be small), the Os- 
munda is perhaps never seen much above the sea level in Eng- 
land, although the general vegetation of the coast in Sutherland 
approximates closely to what is observed at 1000 or 1*200 feet 
of elevation in England. In respect to frequency of occurrence, 
the Osmunda may rank nearly on the level of its allies, the Bo- 
trycliium and OpJiioglossum, though rather less frequent than 
either of these.”^ 
It is a species of common occuiTence throughout Europe ; 
and a plant very similar, and generally bearing the same name, 
is found in the United States of North America. 
There are good frgures of this fern in Bolton,f in Sowerby’s 
‘ English Botany,’! and in Hooker’s ‘ Flora Londinensis,’§ be- 
sides many of the continental works. 
All authors appear to be agreed in adopting the name of Os- 
munda regalis: the word Osmund is supposed to be derived 
from the Saxon mund, signifying strength : the rhizoma, when 
cut through, has a whitish centre or core, called by old Gerarde 
in his Herbal the heart of Osmund the Waterman : ” my lore 
is insufficient to furnish my readers with the history of the said 
Osmund. 
Its medicinal properties are not noticed in Ray’s ‘ Synopsis ; ’ 
* Analysis, 11. f Bolt. Fil. tab. 5. + Eng. Bot. 209. 
§ Flor. bond. 150. 
