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BRITISH FERNS. 
Doodia aspera . Rough Doodia. Fronds pinnate, up- 
right, rigid, 8 to 1 0 inches high ; leaflets sickle-shaped, 
sharply serrated, dark green. A native of New Holland. 
Doodia caudata. Tailed Doodia . Fronds pinnate ; 
stems smooth ; caudex tufted. A very familiar species, 
imported from Australia. 
Doodia lunulata . Crescent-shaped Doodia . Caudex 
creeping; fronds pinnate, slender, drooping, 1| foot 
long; leaflets crescent-shaped, sharply serrated at the 
margin; stems reddish- purple. The most striking cha- 
racteristic of this pretty graceful fern is, that its young 
fronds are always more or less tinged with red, being 
entirely red when they begin to uncoil, and very prettily 
tinted till nearly full grown. We have it from New 
Zealand. 
Doodia monstrosa . Tasselled Doodia . Resembling the 
last species, of which it is probably a variety. It is a 
dwarf form, and very pretty and curious, because of the 
frequent divisions of the ultimate leaflet which form a 
crest on the apex of the frond ; the leaflets are similarly 
divided, though in a less degree, for some distance down 
the frond. 
Meniscium palustre. Marsh Menisciuw. \. The generic 
name of this fern is derived from meniskos, a crescent , 
and refers to the shape of the sori. Fronds pinnate, 4 
feet high ; pinnae 8 inches long ; sori nearly covering 
the under surface of the leaflets. A magnificent fern. 
A native of South America. 
Nephrolepis is a genus of ferns with kidney-shaped 
involucres, hence the name, derived from nephros , kidney , 
and lepis, scale. 
Nephrolepis pectinata. Comb-shaped Nephrolepis. 
Fronds pinnate, linear-lanceolate, glossy, evergreen ; 
