164 
THE FERN PARADISE. 
conformation of the fertile frond is different from 
that of the barren one. Spores may be present 
or absent from the backs of the fronds without 
necessitating any change in the latter. But it 
sometimes happens, as in the case of the Hard. 
Fern and the Royal Fern, that the edges of the 
frond are turned back over the collections of 
seed, in order to form the cover or protection 
which in most of the species is a separate for- 
mation. This turning back of the frond narrows 
and gives a different appearance to the leaflets 
so turned back. But there is this further dis- 
tinction between the barren and fertile fronds 
in the Hard Fern and in the Parsley Fern : in 
both cases the fertile fronds are much longer 
than the barren ones. 
The green smooth stem of the Parsley Fern 
is somewhat longer than the leafy portion of 
the frond. The shape of the latter is triangular. 
On each side of the rachis are branches placed 
in alternation, and on these are the irregular 
serrated leaflets which, from their crisped ap- 
pearance, bear, as we have stated, a striking 
