i^fii 
THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF CULTIVATED FERNS. 
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part of rhizome, sometimes producing abnormal tripinnatind sterile fronds. Fronds pinnate, or bipinnate, from 
one to four feet long, glabrous or squamose. Rhizome creep- 
'""X^jS? i n &- — ^ke species belonging to this genus have a very 
distinct and peculiar aspect, and form a very natural 
distinct and peculiar aspect, and form a very 
group. In habit they resemble Polybotrya, by having 
a creeping scaly rhizome ; the linear narrow segments of the 
fertile frond, with their indusiforni margins, are analogous 
to Lomaria, but they differ materially from that genus in 
the margin being revolute, whereas in Lomaria it is plane, and 
usually the axis of an indusium. Fig. 23 represents a pinna 
of the sterile frond, with part of a pinna of the fertile frond of 
S. scandens (med. size).* 
1. S. scandens, J. Smith: Linnaeus. — An elegant ever- 
green stove fern, with a scandent habit, native of the East 
Indian and Malay Islands. Sterile frond glabrous, shining, 
pinnate, somewhat pendulous, from three to four feet long, 
the pinna? linear-acuminate, cuneate at the base, rather mem- 
branous, nearly a foot long, with a serrated cartilaginous 
margin; veins simple or forked, parallel, connected at the 
base by arcuate costal veins, forming a row of long narrow 
areoles close to the midrib. Fertile frond bipinnate, pinnce 
Fig. 23. 
six to eight inches long, pinnules linear, narrow, and 
sporangiferous on the under surface. Both forms are 
lateral, adherent to a slender green creeping rhizome, 
which is covered with long narrow scales, attached by 
their centre. 
2. S. sorbifolia, J. Smith : Linnreus. — A dwarf, ever- 
green, scandent, stove Fern, from Jamaica. Sterile frond 
glabrous, pinnate, about a foot long, with ovate or oblong 
acuminate, undulated, coriaceous, shining, bright green 
pinnse, which are cuneate at the base, and articulated 
with a winged rachis. Fertile frond erect, one foot 
high, pinnate, the pinnce entire and articulate with the 
rachis. Both forms are lateral, adherent to a scaly 
creeping rhizome. 
^OLTBOTEYA, Humboldt.— Named from polys, 
l\ many, and botrys, a raceme ; alluding to the appear- 
ance of the fertile frond. 
Sori amorphous, occupying one or both sides of the 
spiciform segments of the contracted fertile frond. 
Fig. 24. 
Veius pinnate; venules simple, free, external. 
Fronds 
• "We arc indebted to Mr. Henderson, gardener to Earl Fitzwilliam, of Wentworth House, Yorkshire, for numerous specimens 
from his collection of cultivated Ferns, and likewise for information concerning new and rare species not generally known in 
cultivation. The Stenochlama scandens, although introduced about 1840, has not produced any fructification as far as we can learn 
except at "Wentworth, where it has fructified at two different periods. Our figure was taken from a specimen kindly communicated 
by Mr. Henderson, as was likewise that of Polybotrya, but the latter has produced fructification at Kew. 
£ 
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