1 88 
THE FERN PARADISE. 
covered hedge-banks ; almost everywhere on eleva- 
tions above the ground level where accumulations 
of leaf-mould lie in hollows with pent moisture, will 
the Common Polypody grow, thriving most vigo- 
rously in situations where its roots are subject to 
the most favourable conditions of soil and moisture. 
Most appropriately is it^ called the Polypody — 
the Many-Footed Fern — for its rhizomes creep in 
all directions under its shady covering. From these 
thick, fleshy rhizomes — about a finger’s thickness — 
grow its matted fibrous roots. These, thread-like, 
penetrate almost everywhere in a horizontal direc- 
tion, growing and spreading with the progress of 
the rhizomes, from the upper surface of which start 
the clustering fronds. These are simple, narrow, 
and strap-shaped in general outline, having a 
smooth, light green stem, sometimes about half 
the length of the entire frond, but generally some- 
what less. On each side of the very prominent 
midrib, or rachis, the leafy portion of the frond is 
deeply indented or cut in, almost down to the 
midrib, giving the appearance of a row of leaflets 
on each side of the rachis, attached to a leafy 
