476 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 19 
i mode described last year, will have a fine effect out-of- 
doors, or in the conservatory. I do not. however, con¬ 
sider it equal for this standarding to these already 
named. The compost should, so far as Heath soil is 
] concerned, resemble that for Splendens in its earlier 
1 stages, but for large plants it should consist nearly 
wholly of good fibry loam. 
I find that many other plants must wait. Before get¬ 
ting thoroughly into this standard question, read what 
i was lately said of the. circumstances in which they 
I should be used. There are many positions out-of-doors, 
such as in dwarf beds, that a tall, conical-shaped plant, 
or a very dwarf standard, would he far preferable, as a 
gaze point, to a tall, leggy standard. R. Fish. 
GREENHOUSE FERNS. 
{Continued from page 437.) 
Asplenium axillare (Axillary). — This Fern has 
been transferred from Anpidium and Allontodia by 
Mr. Smith, of Kew. No doubt it is a true Asplenium, 
by its linear seed-cases, placed on the upper side of the 
veins. Fronds oval, lance-shaped, bending forwards, 
tlnice-cut, growing two feet long, of a beautiful lively 
green; pinnae wide apart; leaves narrow and sickle¬ 
shaped, cut at the edges; seed-cases narrow, sometimes 
two on a vein ; root-stock thick and creeping, by which 
it may be easily increased by dividing the rhizoma 
across, with a frond beyond the cut. It is a native of 
Madeira. 
A. Brown ri (Mr. Brown’s), named so by Mr. Smith, 
in honour of Mr. R. Brown, the eminent botanist, who 
spent man y years in New South Wales, of which country 
this Fern is a native. Fronds two to three feet long, 
dark green, lance-shaped, and rather drooping, and 
partly thrice-cut; pinnae lance-shaped, with the leaves, 
or pinnules, largest next the stem, sharp-pointed, and 
cut at the edges into oval segments; stem scaly; sori, 
or seed-cases, oblong, with a rising cover or indusium; 
root-stock thick and creeping. Increased by division. 
A. BULBiFKRUM (Bulb-bearing).—From that great 
storehouse of Ferns, New Zealand. Fronds two feet 
high, erect two-thirds of their length, then gracefully 
bending downwards, partly thrice-cut, producing living 
j plants plentifully on the leaves, to manage which, see 
A. compressum below. This Fern is remarkable by 
having the under-surface of the leaves covered with 
small heart-shaped scales of a dark colour. 
A. compressum (Compressed).—A Fern from the rocks 
j ot St. Helena. Fronds two feet high, pinnate, very 
i stout and leathery, main stem winged; pinme broad 
and compressed, nearly every one producing plants, 
] bluntly cut at the margin, root-stem erect. Increased 
by the young plants produced on the leaves. These 
j should be taken off, and laid on the soil, and covered 
with a bell-glass, and when fairly rooted and fresh fronds 
produced, they should be potted off into small pots, and 
| repotted as they require it. All the viviparous Ferns 
should be treated in a similar way, in order to make 
sure of good plants quickly. 
A. dimidiatum (Halved). — The A. J'ormosum of 
gardens. A beautiful Fern, from the mountains of 
Jamaica, but hardy enough to bear a greenhouse treat¬ 
ment. Fronds slender, a foot high, and pinnated; 
pinum oblong, overlapping each other and sharply cut 
at the margin; seed-cases narrow; several pairs on 
each leaf. This is a dwarf, lovely Fern, though it is 
rather scarce. Increased by seeds only. 
A. mvERsiFOLiuM (Vai ious-leaved).—A Fern disco voted 
by the late A. Cunningham, in Norfolk Island. The 
fronds of this Fern are very variable; some are broad, 
j others partly so, and others all quite narrow; I have 
j them now growing in all the stages. The narrow ones j 
! are generally fertilo, but the others also bear seed some- I 
j times, so that they cannot be divided into barren and 
fertile fronds. By this peculiarity it is easily distin¬ 
guished from any other species. Increases readily by 
division, hence it ought to be in every collection. 
A. ebeneum (Ebony or Black stalked).—The habitat 
of this Fern is rather wide. It has been found at the 
Cape of Good Hope, in Mexico, and North America. 
It is a neat, rather dwarf species. Fronds nine inches 
high, long, lance-shaped, and pinnated ; pinna; over- ; 
lapping, heart shaped, rounded at the top, and notched 
1 at the margin ; stems black, shining, and rather hairy. 
Increases readily by seed. 
A. flaccidum (Feeble).—A new Zealand Fern, of a j 
drooping habit, hence it may be grown in rustic baskets. 
Fronds long, lance-shaped, two feet or more long, ' 
often tripinnate, and dark green; pinna; very long and j 
narrow, producing plants on the apex and ends of the 
segments. Increased by division, as well as by the 
young plants on the leaves. 
A. flare ll i folium (Fun-leaved). — From New Holland. 
This is also a drooping or rather weeping Fern, and is 
proper to be placed in baskets, to hang from the roof, 
; or it should at least be placed upon a tall pot turned 
upside-down, to allow room for the fronds to droop, and 
he seen their full length. Fronds long and narrow, 
growing a foot long, pinnated about two-thirds of the 
length of the frond, the rest being naked. It produces 
roots, and a plant at the end of each full-grown frond; 
by these it must be propagated. 
A. fubcatum (Forked).—A Fern, from the Cape of 
Good Hope, of great beauty. Fronds bipinnate, or 
twice divided, growing a foot high ; pinme sharp oblong; 
leaves wedge-shaped, with a deep incision at the top; 
stems covered with brown scales; root-stock round, 
slender, and creeping. Increased by division. 
A. lucidum (Shining). — Native of New Zealand. 
Fronds two feet long, leathery and shining, pinnated 
and lance-shaped; pinna; with long-stemmed leaves, 
wedge-shaped, nud serrate, or cut. 
A. marinum (Sea-side).—Though a native of Britain, 
on the rocks near the sea, this Fern never thrives well 
in gardens in the open air In the greenhouse, on the 
contrary, it grows remarkably line, much larger than it 
is ever lound wild. I have had plants with fronds 
eighteen, inches long. At Sion House, the sent of the 
Duke of Northumberland, it may be seen forming quite i 
a bush, two feet high and as much through. It is found, | 
also, in the Channel Islands, the south of Europe, 
Madeira, Tcneriffe, and the north of Africa. Fronds 
long, lanceolate, pinnate, and dark green ; pinme oblong, 
rounded at the apex, sharply cut at the edges; stem 
winged. Increased by division. 
A. monanthemum (Oue-sccded).—A scarce Fern, from 
the West Indies and Cape of Good Hope. Fronds 
pinnated, one foot long, and bright green ; pinna; half¬ 
cut, partly overlapping, round at the top, and bluntly 
cut on the upper margin. Seed-cases narrow, and 
solitary; stems black, placed on a non-creeping rhizoma ; 
hence it must be increased by seed. I believe this Fern 
is only in cultivation at Kew. 
A. obtusatum (Blunt-fronded).— A very handsome 
Fern, native of New Zealand. Frond rigid, erect grow¬ 
ing, leathery, bright green, and pinnated. It is a dwarf 
species, seldom growing more than nine inches high; 
pinme bluntly oblong, rounded and serrated at the 
“margin; main stem always winged; stems of the 
leaves covered with scales. A very remarkable and 
well-defined species. Messrs. Osborne, of Fulham, 
cultivate this handsome Fern on the floor of their 
greenhouse very successfully. Increased by division. 
A. palmatum (Hand-shaped). — A handsome Fern; 
native of the Canary Islands; fronds simple, but deeply 
