[XXVI] 
\km 
COMMON BRAKES. 
is the largest as well as commonest of all ferns, and must he familiar to all. 
~It appears in the spring, and dies down on the approach of winter. 
The rhizome is creeping and velvety. The stem is stout and long, and is remarkable for the 
disposition of the veins, which, when cut across, form a figure like an oak tree. The frond is tri- 
pinnate, and triangular in shape, and often attains a height of eight feet. The seed is produced in a 
continuous line round the margins of the lobes. 
Common everywhere. 
This species seems rarely to vary. 
etaltorc 
It is so common that it will hardly ever he desirable to transplant it, hut should it he required 
for the fernery, it must he removed with great care during winter, when the rhizomes are dormant. 
