CHAPTER V. 
THE BUCKLER FERNS. 
I. THE MALE FERN. 
Lastrea filix-mas. 
HE Buckler Ferns include some of the finest 
of our native species. One of the most 
plentiful and widely-distributed of these is the 
Male Fern, also called the Common Buckler Fern. 
The Male Fern derives its designation from its 
extremely vigorous and robust manner of growth. 
The texture of its dark green fronds has a some- 
what more rigid appearance than that of most 
ferns. It grows in woods and on hedge-banks, 
on hill-sides and by the water’s edge, — almost 
everywhere in fact ; now exposed in dry situa- 
tions to the full power of the sun, and now hidden 
away in almost impenetrable shade. The Male 
Fern reaches an average height of between two 
