THE ROYAL FERN 
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is often, though of course erroneously, given to this species. 
Sometimes in the fruitful fronds the fertile pinnules are not 
confined to their upper portions, or even to the upper portion 
of any of the pinnules, for the bases or the middle parts of 
pinnules which are in other respects barren, are sometimes 
contracted, and what is called sporiferous or spore-hearing. 
The venation in the fruitful fronds is the same, as in the 
pinnules of the barren fronds, the only difference being that 
in the former the mid- veins are the only veins which are 
fully developed. Osmunda regalia is a deciduous species, its 
fronds not being able to withstand the frosts of winter. 
Three or four varieties from the normal form of this Fern 
have been discovered in the British Islands ; but the species 
itself is the only one we possess of the genus Osmunda. 
This genus belongs to a group of Ferns called Osmundacese, 
which includes Ferns which when still unfolded have their 
fronds rolled in spirally downwards, the apices occupying the 
centre, — their globular or oblong spore cases being without 
the elastic rings, — which in most of the genera of Ferns gird 
the sporangia, — and bursting, when fully developed, by a 
vertical split. The genus Osmunda of this group consists of 
Ferns with marginal-borne globular spore cases, arranged in 
dense and branching though irregular clusters, on the pinmu 
at the apices of certain of the fronds. 
Distribution. — From the fact that the Royal Fern loves 
to grow in marshy or boggy situations, it will be inferred 
that it is not found at great altitudes ; and consequently it 
is very seldom that it occurs in any place which is more than 
three hundred feet or so above the sea level. Under that 
elevation, however, it is very widely and plentifully dis- 
tributed, sometimes almost monopolizing considerable areas. 
It is found in the following countries of Europe, namely, 
Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, 
Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzer- 
