320 
THE FERN WORLD 
to the entire frond, the colour of which is a more vivid, and 
consequently a brighter green, than that of Dilatata, having 
in fact a sort of light blue tinge upon it. If a simple test, 
however, he required as to the identity of the plant, a portion 
of the frond can be bruised in the hand, and its fragrance or 
otherwise will quickly reveal its identity. The caudex is 
thick and tufted, with abundant fibrous rootlets and the 
stipides are tough and enduring. There are three or four 
variations from the normal form of this beautiful species. 
Distribution. — The named localities abroad in which 
Lastrea recurva grows are not numerous. Amongst them are 
the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores, the Cape de 
Verd Islands, and the island of Madeira. In England it is 
not a very widely distributed Fern; but it is found in the 
following counties : — Cornwall, Devon, Hereford, Lancaster, 
Northumberland, Salop, Somerset, Sussex, and York ; also in 
the Isle of Man. In Wales it occurs in the counties of 
Anglesea, Carnarvon, Glamorgan, Merioneth, and Pembroke. 
It is found in the island of Guernsey. In Scotland it is an 
inhabitant of the counties of Argyle, Dumbarton, Forfar, and 
Inverness. In the Scottish islands it occurs in Arran, Mull, 
Orkney, and North Uist. In Ireland its habitats are in the 
counties of Antrim, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, 
Londonderry, Mayo, Sligo, Waterford, and Wicklow. 
Culture. — Under cultivation this is a most beautiful and 
interesting Fern. Being evergreen, it possesses an additional 
value. It can easily be grown either in the open Fern 
garden, in the case — to which its moderate size adapts it — 
in the Fern house, or in pots. It must be kept under 1 lie 
influence of shade and moisture. Some of the finest specimens 
we have ever seen were growing in the leaf soil on the sloping 
side of a shady wood. In the leaf-mould gathered upon the 
deeply-shaded side of a hedge-bank we have also seen this 
extremely beautiful Fern growing in a state of great per- 
