164 
New Zealand Ferns 
to read Mr. Field's experiments. He found it most diffi- 
cult, almost impossible, to grow in his fernery, and came 
to the conclusion that it was cross-grained by nature, 
and would not stand petting. 
It was one of the species that grew spontaneously in 
my garden. When young it is not in the least like the 
mature plant, either in outline, texture or colour. A 
friend dug up a plant with great care, under the impres- 
sion that it was Hy pole pis distans, and took the utmost 
pains in packing, watering and carrying it many miles 
to my fernery, where it proved its identity by giving up 
the ghost with the same promptitude as Mr. Field’s 
plants. I have observed this delicate, drooping habit in 
a seedling with its roots near the surface; eventually it 
put out a strong underground root to the nearest open 
ground, which in due course sent up the coarse, robust 
frond associated with the name “bracken.” 
When thrusting their young shoots through the 
ground, it is the bend of the crook which bears the 
strain and first appears above the surface, not the tip, 
as with daffodils, lilies, etc. The shoulder of the crook 
is sufficiently rigid and strong to push its way through 
tough dry clay and to protect the tender folded tip. 
The underground roots of this species, called “Aruhe” 
by the Maoris, used to be their principal food. It is the 
most universally distributed fern in the world. 
