The seven VEGETABLE FAMILIES. 205- 
month they all grew cluftered together, and began to form a Globule. 
From that time the Root increafed very fart ; and in December the young 
Heads fhewed themfelves : in February they ripened : and next month the 
Seeds will be perfedl. 
In the fame manner I have fown the little Grey Bryum, upon the 
North-weft part of the Qi^en’s feat in Kengfington Gardens, the hone- 
building near the water: thefe Seeds alfo were from Weftburn green: an- 
other fcafon will fliew the fuccefs. 
This is a point the more important, becaufe a Pupil of Linnjt;us, from 
what he obferved in a very peculiar Plant, has fuppofed the Seeds to be 
Farina ; and diftinguifhing the Rudiment placed elfewhere, from all Seeds, 
by the name of Propago, has fuppofed other Mosses like that; and the 
great Matter himfelf adopts the opinion. Errors, fupported by fuch names,, 
are very dangerous. Certainly in this Plant there are no fuch propagines,, 
nor any thing fo fingular. The regular Seeds ripen in Heads containing 
Capfules; and every Plant has one of them. The Plant, in its natural 
fize in the various Periods of Growth, is reprefented at Fig. 8. 
CHAP.. XLV.. 
Of the Various Leaf’d Polypody,. 
I T has been faid in the Gharadlers of the Seven Families of Plants, that 
the Ferns confift of a lingle Leaf, bearing the Seeds upon its back.. 
Such are the upright Leaves, a a, of the Polypody here figured, as an 
inftance of this family : See Plate 18 : and fuch, occahonally, the lower 
and fpread Leaves, b b might become : for howfoever different an af- 
pe(T they wear, they are capable of growing up to the fame height, and 
of breaking into the fame divifions. When the Leaf grow'S up for Fruc- 
tification, the indentings are continued down almofl: to the middle Rib, 
and the Leaf then becomes the fame with the Leaf a, in. all particu- 
lars. 
It is not particular to this Plant, among the Ferns, to have two kinds ' 
of Leaves, the one barren, and the other florid : our common Rough 
Spleen wort, and the Ofmund Royal, with many other, have the fame Va- 
riations, tho’ the difference in form is lefs ; and therefore lefs confpicuous. 
This Plant is a native of the Eaft- Indies ; found principally about the 
Stumps of old Trees in their Foreds. The Botanifts of earlier periods 
were 
