BRITISH FERNS. 
Li 
rare in Scotland, otherwise it is pretty generally distributed 
throughout the British Isles, in localities congenial to Fern life. 
It is quite evergreen, likes a well aerated compost of leaf-mould 
and limy lumpy loam. It is very easily raised from the spores, 
which are borne in long sausage-shaped masses on the back of 
the fronds, which masses, having a fanciful resemblance to the 
legs of the centipede (Scolopendru), give the botanical name to the 
family, which is a particularly small one. The spore heaps, if 
closely examined, are seen to consist of two parallel lines, each 
covered at first by a thin skin springing from the outer side of 
each pair of spore heaps. This discriminates the species from 
the Asplenia, which has single lines only, though similarly 
situated otherwise, and superficially very like when the spores are 
ripe and the thin original covering skin or indusium is hidden by 
them. The most beautiful forms of the species are the barren 
plumosums or crispums, of which many examples have 
been found wild ; these are more or less densely frilled, and, 
thanks to some exceptions to the general rule of barrenness, 
have yielded some finely-tasselled crosses, though, as a rule, the 
crest is at the expense of the frill. S. v. undulatum, a tough 
and simply-waved variety, has yielded numerous beautifully- 
fimbriated or fringed crispums, and has under culture given some 
of the most charming varieties we possess, fringed, frilled, and 
tasselled to boot. 
Name. 
Where Found 
Finder or Raiser and 
or Raised. 
Date. 
bimarginatum 
Ulverstou 
Iladwin 
bimarginato- 
multifidum 
- 
- .. .. 
capitatum 
Dalton .. 
Stcwardson 
c. Forster 
— 
Forster . . 
c. Studdart 
Ireland . . 
C. F. Studdart (1SS0) . 
c. projectum 
— 
— 
cervi-cornu 

Stansfield 
Cliftii 
North Wales .. 
Clift 
conglobatum 
St. Pierre 
H. Bull (1887) . . 
congregation 

Lowe (r.) 
constellatum 
— 
Glave (r.) 
Coolingii . . 
— 
— 
cornutum .. 
- 
- 
coronatum 

.. Stansfield 
corymbifei um . . 
Druery 
Sidford .. 
C. T. Druery (1888) 
Cousensii . . 
Devon . . 
.. J. S. Cousens . . 
crispum . . 

.. 
Description. 
A narrow, neat form, with 
marginal projection on 
both sides. 
Ditto, with multifid crests. 
Dense, large crests. 
Ditto (infra lineate). 
Sagittate, broad, spreading 
crests. 
Staghorn-like, marginate. 
Multittd, leafy, rounded 
crests. 
Deeply cut and projecting 
edges ; sagittate. 
Finely ramo-cristate. 
Dwarf, ramose, bunch 
crested. 
Dense, ramose, fronds form- 
ing a ball, bulbiferous on 
edges; very like Kelwayii, 
Baxterii, and Wardii. 
Fronds rounded off, midrib 
projecting. 
A corymbiferrus form. 
Dense, moss-like crests. 
Extremely ramose, quite 
distinct, ult imate divisions 
rounded and crenate ; also 
bulbiferous. 
A term applied to the plu- 
mose foimsof this species; 
fronds deeply frilled, 
usually barren. 
