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THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF CULTIVATED FERNS. 
315 
I 
Fig. CI. 
Sori distinct, and 
phical range, being found in the East and West Indies, North and South America, the Islands of the Pacific 
Ocean, and throughout Europe. Their nearest affinity is with Woodsia, from which genus they are distinguished 
by their semi-ealyciform indusium. Fig. 61 represents a pinna of C. 
tenuis (nat. size), with a magnified pinnule shewing the position of the 
sori and venation. 
1. C. fragilis, Bernhardi (Aspidium, Swartz). — A very brittle, neat, 
deciduous, hardy Fern, indigenous to Britain, and found throughout 
Europe, and in the Canary Islands, Northern India, the Cape of Good 
Hope, and North and South America. Fronds lanceolate, bipinnate, six 
inches to a foot long, of a lively green ; pinna? oblong or ovate-lanceolate ; 
pinnules ovate or ovate-lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid, with dentate seg- 
ments. Sori distinct in an early stage, subsequently confluent. Fronds 
terminal, adherent to a short creeping rhizome. This species varies con- 
siderably even in the outline of its fronds, some are lanceolate and others 
triangularly elongate ; some of the forms are perhaps distinguishable, 
although often connected by intermediate states. 
C. fragilis j8. angustata. — Fronds lanceolate-acuminate, bipinnate ; 
eight to twelve inches long ; pinna? taper-pointed ; pinnules ovate or 
linear lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid with toothed segments, or simply 
toothed. Sori scattered. 
2. C. dentata, Hooker (Aspidium, Swartz; Cystea, Smith). — A neat 
dwarf hardy deciduous Fern, native in Britain, and probably elsewhere. 
Fronds ovate-lanceolate, six to eight inches long, bipinnate, lively green ; 
pinna? lanceolate ; pinnules ovate-obtuse, rarely pinnatifid, bluntly and unequally toothed, 
near the margins. Fronds terminal, adherent to a short creeping rhizome. 
3. C. Dickieana, Sim. — A very neat dwarf hardy deciduous Fern, found originally in a cave near the sea, at 
Aberdeen, by Dr. Dickie. Frond ovate-lanceolate, bipinnate, six inches long, of a grass green ; pinna? rather 
ovate, overlapping, deflexed ; pinnules oblong-ovate, obtuse, somewhat crowded, pinnatifid, and very slightly 
toothed. Sori distinct, near the margins, ltachis winged. Stipes scaly at the base ; terminal, adherent to a 
tufted rhizome. We place this and the last doubtingly as species, though they appear distinct ; C. Dickieana is 
certainly one of the most distinct-looking of the whole genus, and comes true from the spores. Both have been 
considered varieties of C. fragilis. Perhaps C. Dickieana and C. dentata are the extreme forms of a species distinct 
from C. fragilis. 
4. ft hulbifera, Bernhardi (Aspidium, Swartz). — A bulb-bearing hardy deciduous Fern from North America. 
Fronds lanceolate-elongate, bipinnate, one to one and a half foot long, palish green ; pinna? lanceolate ; pinnules 
ovate-oblong, deeply pinnatifid, with dentate segments. The fronds of this species bear bulbs near the apex, and 
usually one or two on the under surface of each pinna; these fall away very readily, and produce 'young plants. 
Fronds terminal, adherent to a tufted rhizome. 
5. ft alpina, Desvaux (C. regia, Prcsl. ; Aspidium regium and alpinum, Swartz). — A very neat dwarf-growin" 
hardy or frame species, indigenous to Britain, and found in the East and West Indies, North and South America, 
and the southern part of the Alps. Fronds lanceolate, sub-tripinnate, six or eight inches long, light green ; pin- 
nules ovate-oblong, confluent, deeply pinnatifid, with broadly and shortly linear obtuse segments, having two or 
three erect blunt teeth. Fronds terminal, adherent to a tufted rhizome. 
6. C. tenuis, Schott (Aspidium, Swartz ; C. atomarium, Willtlenow). — A half hardy deciduous Fern, from North 
America. Fronds oblong-lanceolate, sub-tripinnate, twelve to fifteen inches long, light green ; pinnules oblong, 
rather ovate, largest next the rachis, deeply pinnatifid, with blunt dentate segments. Fronds lateral or terminal, 
adherent to a creeping rhizome. 
7. C montana, Link (Aspidium, Swartz). — A very elegant hardy or frame species, indigenous to Britain, found 
also in the north part of the Alps, and in the rocky mountains of North America. Fronds triangular, sub-tripartite, 
tripinnatifid, nearly a foot long, lively green ; pinna? spreading ; pinnules oblong-obtuse, with inciso-dentate 
blunt segments. Sori confluent. Fronds lateral or terminal, adherent to a slender creeping rhizome. 
fASTREA, Drcsl (Aspidii sp. Swartz ; Ncphrodii sp. of Authors). — Name commemorative of M, Delastre of 
_jy Chatcllcrault, a French botanist, and an excellent microscopical observer. 
Sori round, uniserial, medial or terminal. Indusium reniform, lateral, rarely orbicular, glabrous or pilose, 
sometimes cochleate. Veins forked or pinnate ; venules direct, free. Fronds pinnate, bi-tri-pinnate, or decom- 
pound, from one to live feet long, glabrous, pilose, or glandulose. — The name given to this genus was originally 
applied by Bory do St. Vincent, to a sectional group of the PolypodiumB, which included Oreopteris, Thelyptcris, 
and sonic other British species; and it has, been subsequently adopted by l'resl, and others, for an extensive 
group of the Aspidica?, including those just named, baying forked or pinnate free veins, and reniform indusia. 
In its present form, Lastrea contains the greatest number of species of any genus of aspidiea?, and the 
species vary considerably in size, habit, and circumscription of frond. The close affinity of some of them with 
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