CULTIVATION 
2 7 
Good loamy soil, reasonable attention, and full exposure 
or only partial shade are what the Dryopterids like. 
POLYSTICHUM is closely allied to Dryopteris botanically 
as well as in habit and habitat, though more usually under 
bush cover than are the ferns of that genus. P. luctuosum 
makes a fine specimen plant of a beautiful fern when well 
treated ; P. adiantiforme is often cultivated in Europe, and it 
also makes a fine specimen; P. aristatum , P. Macleaii , P. 
aculeatum , and P. pungens have the same general habit as 
P. luctuosum ; while Cyrtomium falcatum , often cultivated in 
Europe, is also a specimen plant. All they require is good 
drainage, good loam, light shade and regular attention. These 
species are, however, more subject to scale than most other 
ferns. 
Nephrolepis is so well known in cultivation as the most 
hardy and vigorous fern genus we have that I need only 
name the respective South African species as their cultural 
requirements are identical, viz. fresh loam, little frost, regular 
watering, and either sunshine or shade. The South African 
species are N. cordifolia (N. tuberosa ), N. exaltata and N. 
biserrata. 
Oleandra ARTICULATA. — This fern occurs in shady 
localities among rocks — usually perpendicular rocks — where 
moisture is never absent and seldom in excess. The long 
slender rhizomes do not root readily, and it is therefore one 
of the difficult ferns to cultivate. A suspended basket or 
bracket, filled with broken bricks and charcoal, and lined with 
moss, suits it best, if it can be arranged so as never to get 
quite dry. Even at its best it is not a showy fern, being 
curious rather than pretty. 
POLYPODIUM. — This immense genus, though rather spar- 
ingly represented in South Africa, has, even here, types very 
different in habit and habitat. 
P. vulgare (also a British fern) enjoys sunshine on well- 
drained leaf mould or a turfy bank ; P. phymatodes likes 
similar or more sandy soil, or even pure sand, either in 
sunshine or shade ; P. punctatum likes to occupy a fork 
