ASPIDIUM. 
129 
are narrow in outline and grow more obliquely; the 
leaflets larger than in its fellows, of a stiffer texture and 
darker colour, and they merge their bases in the stem. 
Mr. Francis tells us that 
from Ray downwards it has 
been admitted as a species by 
reliable authorities ; he lays 
much stress upon “ the shorter, 
more crowded, and less scaly 
pinnae.” He says that it 
prevails in Scotland and the 
North of England, which we 
could cite numerous authori- 
ties to confirm, that towards 
mid-England it loses itself in 
aculeatum , which, in its turn, 
merges in angulare in the 
south. There is no doubt 
that the last-named is as 
abundant in the genial climate of Kent as louatum is in 
the northern woods. 
This is a handsome fern, welcome to the eye, both in 
its wild home and in the fernery. Its fronds grow in a 
crown, but they bend backwards so much that some of 
those on each well-grown plant become nearly hori- 
zontal. It is evergreen in shady situations, and its firm 
texture can bear a blast better than any other of our 
native ferns. This gives it a good claim to a place in 
the fernery, for it forms an excellent shelter for more 
delicate species. No draught should be allowed admit- 
tance to a fernery, but if there is any corner that must 
necessarily be exposed, let it be the home of the brave 
lobatum . 
K 
