66 
New Zealand Ferns 
The most remarkable fern in New Zealand. In out- 
ward appearance the seeds resemble Loxsoma more than 
Trichomanes. Those who have been brought up in the 
land of the kidney-fern can hardly realise how unique is 
the form of the frond. I shall never forget my first sight 
of it. I could not believe it was a fern ; none of the leaves 
happened to be unrolling. For half an hour I sat in 
doubt, deciding at last that perhaps it was a fern. Since 
then I have seen it hundreds of times, but it does not 
lose its glamour ; there is still a return of that first thrill 
when I thought it might be a fern. 
This species is found only in New Zealand; had it 
been known to the Old World the weavers of fairy tales 
would have transformed its dainty green chalice cush- 
ioned in moss into a cup for the wood-nymphs, or some 
such fanciful conceit. This gem of the vegetable king- 
dom is so plentiful that we are apt to lose sight of its 
rare beauty. One can hardly enter an undisturbed piece 
of bush without finding it clustered about the tree roots 
or upon decaying trunks. Recently, when searching for 
a seeded specimen wherewith to illustrate this book, I 
came across a sylvan arch, formed by a massive trunk 
bridging the space between two trees. From end to end 
it was robed with the clustering green cups. I might 
have taken a thousand specimens without marring Na- 
ture's masterpiece. 
