CONSPECTUS 
OP THE 
SUBORDERS AND GENERA UNDER WHICH THE SPECIES OF BRITISH 
FERNS ARE ARRANGED IN THIS WORK, 
Ord. Pilices. 
Subord. I. Polypodies.- —Capsules dorsal or marginal, surrounded by 
an articulated elastic ring, and opening transversely and irregularly. 
Fronds circinate in vernation. 
A. Capsules opening transversely, arising from the back of the frond; 
the ring vertical, usually incomplete. 
* Nudisorse. — Sori destitute of involucre .f 
1. Gymnogramme. — Sori oblong or linear, on forked veins. 
2. Polypodium. —Sori subglobose. 
** Indusiatse. —Sori furnished with an involucre or indusium. 
3. Woodsia.— Sori subglobose. Involucre beneath the sorus, more or 
less cup-shaped, and fimbriated at the margin. 
4. Cystopteris.— Sori subglobose. Involucre ovate, cucullate at the 
base, and having its origin beneath the sorus. 
5. Aspidium.— Sori dorsal, subglobose. Involucre orbicular and pel¬ 
tate. 
6. Nephrodium.— Sori dorsal, subglobose. Involucre subcordate and 
fixed by the sinus. 
7. Asplenium. — Sori dorsal, linear or oblong, rarely curved or some¬ 
what horseshoe-shaped, attached laterally to the veins, and opening 
towards the midrib. 
8. Scolopendrium.— Sori dorsal, linear, in opposite pairs, and 
opening towards each other. 
9. Pteris.— Sori continuous, dorsal, but at the margin on a mar¬ 
ginal receptacle. Involucre formed of the reflexed and generally mem¬ 
branous margin of the frond. 
10. Adiantum. — Sori dorsal, roundish (in many exotic species ob- 
f In this section the genus CeteracJi has been generally placed, but as that is now found 
to possess a narrow involucre, like that of Asplenium, it is restored to the latter genus. 
