Vlll 
PREFACE. 
into prominent notice the manifold variations in form and 
development of which individual species are capable, both 
in their natural and cultivated state ; and it may interest 
the lovers of Ferns to possess a brief sketch of the changes 
observable in their several parts, so far as they have become 
known to the editor of this book. The subject must be limited 
to our own Island-Ferns in chief, but not exclusively, as 
will be seen in the following pages. Hitherto few exotic 
species, exhibiting abnormal growth, have appeared in our 
conservatories and stoves : a few are familiar, such as the 
beautiful Nephrodium molle, var. corymbiferum, Pteris 
serrulata var. cristata, &c. But our own islands do not 
probably exceed, in natural varieties, the warmer regions of 
the globe. In a letter upon the Flora of the East Indies, 
the Rev. John Barton remarks — “ Some of the wild ferns of 
Indian hill ranges vary exceedingly, quite as much as the 
Female Fern or the Hart’s-Tongue at home. Some species 
of Microlepia, for example, Lastrea filix-mas, and another 
species akin to Lastrea dilatata and spinulosa, exhibit all 
manner of varieties. I noticed that in damp warm spots 
there was a tendency to such irregularities of form, and I 
imagine this would be the case all over the world.” 
The observations which we have recorded upon the 
changes incident to the several parts of a Fern, will be best 
arranged in the order of those of the stipes, rachis, costa, 
lamina, and fruit. In doing this, we introduce several 
illustrative woodcuts ; but we also avail ourselves of 
references to the excellent figures in Mr. Lowe’s volumes 
of “Our Native Ferns,” a work which has catalogued and 
described, with exact care, the numerous abnormities of 
British species known to the author, who has spared no 
expense in his profuse and characteristic delineations of 
them. Our references to that work will be distinguished by 
the number of the figure, prefixed by the letters N.F. 
1. The Stipes, or frond-stem, varies little, branching from 
