12 
[XIII] 
^spibittra SpttlffMttt 
WITIEEING’S BROAD EERX. 
■ )HIS is the first of a group of three, which are subject to so much variation, and are so closely 
! allied to each other, that it is difficult to determine which are the species and which the 
varieties. Of the three so-called species here given, I consider two to he varieties of the other, 
though I am unable to discover which is the type of the species. 
In this species, the young fronds appear in May, and often survive the winter in sheltered 
places. The rhizome is tufted and covered with pale brown roundish scales, as is also the lower part 
of the stem, which is stout and rather long. 
The fronds are from one to three feet in length; they are bi-pinnate, the pinnules being deeply 
notched, the lobes terminating in sharp spines; the pinnae are opposite, four or five of the lower 
pairs being equal in length, the others narrowing to the extremity. 
The seed is produced in circular clusters on the under surface of the pinnules. 
' pMtei 
Common in woods, and on hedge-rows. 
As before stated, this species is subject to considerable variation. 
fylhxt 
Easy of cultivation in a light, porous soil. 
