186 
BRITISH FERNS. 
once distinguishes it from its fellow, and to the general 
observer the mode of growth 
of the fronds, turning the 
pinnae to one side, and bend- 
ing in an arched direction, 
forms a good feature for iden- 
tification. In habit of growth, 
situation, texture, and general 
appearance, the two are closely 
allied, but the one just de- 
scribed generally attains a 
somewhat larger size and 
grows more freely; they re- 
quire exactly the same treat- 
ment under cultivation. 
OSMOTDA. 
Gen. Char. “ Capsules subglobose, coriaceous, pedicellate or 
sessile, reticulated, opening vertically halfway down into two 
valves, and having on one side towards the apex a very small, 
incomplete, gibbous ring. Involucre none .” — Sir W. Hooker. 
45. Osmunda regalis. Osmund Royal f or 
Flowering-fern. 
Caudex very large, ascending ; stems tufted, smooth, fronds 
bipinnate, oval ; leaflets oblong, entire, sometimes lobed near 
the base, panicle of fruit at the summit of the frond. 
Name derived from two Saxon words, os , house, and 
murid , peace; or else commemorative of the story of 
Osmund the waterman. 
The flowering-fern has strong fibrous roots; the 
caudex is very large, and when protected by bushes, and 
favoured by marshy ground, it often rises as much as a 
