'1 
1 
THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF CULTIVATED FERNS. 
justly styled the giants of the Fern race. They have generally hollow trunks, varying in height from a few feet 
to forty, and in many instances fifty, feet, bearing a large crown of usually decompound fronds ; the bases of 
which, becoming indurated, form part of the solid structure of the trunk, or are deciduous, falling away by a 
distinct articulation, leaving permanent spirally arranged scars around the caudex. Their sori are round, 
globose, intramarginal, medial, costal, or axillary, furnished with a calyciform, lateral, interiorly-attached, special 
indusium; naked or furnished with articulated hairs, involving the spore-cases, which are usually compressed, 
sessile, their receptacle being elevated, gibbous, or columnar. From the Dicksoniese they are distinguished by 
the position of the sori, which is medial, axillary, intramarginal, or costal, instead of being, as in Dicksoniece, 
always terminal, and usually marginal. All the species belonging to this tribe that are now in cultivation, have 
been introduced within the last seven years ; two of them, indeed, are enumerated in the " Hortus Kewensis" as 
having been introduced many years since, but they had long disappeared from English gardens. 
(HYATHEA, Swartz. — Name derived from hyatheion, a little cup ; in reference to the form of the indusium. 
(y Sori medial, or costal, uniserial, usually axillary. Spore-cases compressed, arising from a globose recep- 
tacle. Indusium inferior, with an operculiform apex, subsequently calyciform, entire or unequally lacerated on 
the margin. Veins pinnate ; venules direct, free. Fronds pinnate to decompound, from six to ten or fifteen 
feet long ; ultimate pinnules pinnatifid, and frequently articulated with the rachis. Stipes aculeate or squamose. 
— The present genus, which is the type of the tribe, differs from Hemitelia principally in the formation of its 
indusium, and from Alsophila in the sori being naked, or furnished with a hairy indusium or a small lacerated 
scale at its base. There are many species described by authors, and four of them are in cultivation. The 
character by which the genus is distinguished is very obvious, namely, 
the calyciform or cup-shaped indusium, which resembles the cupule or 
cup of an oak. Fig. 79 represents a pinnule of 0. elegans (nat. size), with 
a segment showing the position of the veins and sori, and a solitary sorus 
(magn). 
1. C. arborea, Smith. — A noble evergreen stove Fern, from Jamaica. 
Fronds lanceolate, sub-tripinnate, six to ten feet long, rigid, coriaceous, 
dull green ; pinnules lanceolate, scaly beneath ; segments linear-oblong, 
entire, acute, slightly falcate, all, except the lower pair, adnate-decurrent 
at the base and crenulate at the margin. Eachis and stipes dark- 
coloured, aculeate; terminal, adherent to an erect caudex. The tallest 
plant in cultivation is about three feet high. 
2. C. elegans, Heward. — A beautiful evergreen stove Fem, from 
Jamaica. Fronds glabrous, broadly lanceolate, six to twelve feet long, 
tripinnate, light green ; pinnules lanceolate ; segments linear-oblong^ 
entire, membranous, slightly falcate, adnate, round at the apex, crenately 
serrate at the margin. Eachis and stipes muricate at the base, and 
densely covered with light-coloured deciduous chaffy scales. Fronds 
terminal, articulated with an erect arborescent caudex. The tallest plant 
in cultivation is eight feet high, and four inches in diameter. 
3. C. dealbata, Swartz. — A very beautiful evergreen warm greenhouse 
species, from New Zealand. Fronds glabrous, broadly lanceolate, tri- 
pinnate, five to seven feet long, bluish-green above, and very glaucous 
beneath ; pinnules lanceolate, segments oblong -linear, acute, slightly 
falcate ; all, except the lower ones confluent at the base, and crenulate at 
the margin. Stipes scaly and muricate, especially at the base. Fronds 
terminal, adherent to an erect caudex. The tallest plant in cultivation is 
nearly two feet high. 
4. C. patens, Hort. — A slender growing evergreen stove species, from 
Jamaica. Fronds broadly lanceolate, tripinnate, six to nine feet long, 
yellowish green ; pinnules lanceolate, spreading, segments linear-oblong, 
acute, inferior ones distinct and often pinnatifid, with round lobes, the superior adnate-decurrent. Eachis of a 
light brown mahogany colour, and, as well as the stipes, aculeate ; terminal, adherent to a slender caudex, three 
feet high. 
MEMITELIA, R. Brown (Cyatheas sp. of Authors; Cnemidiaria, PresV). — Name derived from hemi, half; 
and teleia, perfect ; alluding to the indusium, which is semi-calyeiform, or resembling a half cup. 
Sori medial, uniserial, sub-marginal, or irregular ; receptacle globose. Indusium semi-calyciform, interiorly 
attached, becoming reflexed, lunulate. Veins simply or pinnately forked; venules free, or the inferior ones 
angularly anastomosing, forming a costal arch, and other areoles between the sinus and midrib of the segments. 
Fronds pinnate or bipinnate, glabrous, squamose, or aculeate, from four to ten feet long, with broad obtuse, 
lanceolate or falcate segments. — The value of generic characters will, of course, be estimated by what is considered 
Tig. 79. 
§> 
