July 11> 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
721 
there are instances on record of several attaining the 
advanced age of 250 years, whilst one old patriarch 
has had 405 years placed to its credit. If the 
tortoise moves slowly it would seem to possess 
plenty of staying power. 
»l » — 
THE BRITISH POLYPODIES. 
There is a quiet and graceful beauty amongst many 
of the British Ferns, which only those who take 
them in hand, and give them a little sympathetic 
attention till their successful cultivation is acquired, 
can fully appreciate. Some of the Shield Ferns, 
particularly the garden or cultivated varieties, rival 
their exotic congeners in plumy or feathery beauty. 
The Polypodies generally are unassuming Ferns in 
the wild state, but several of them are really beauti¬ 
ful and interesting, whether in company with their 
associations, and environment of wood and glen, or 
in ferneries either in the open air or under glass. 
Near large towns with a smoky atmosphere, their 
beautiful greenery is brought to the greatest per¬ 
fection under the protection of glass. In the 
environments of London, and in several of the 
south-eastern counties of England, the rainfall is 
too light, and the atmosphere too dry to secure the 
finest results under open air treatment. All are well 
divided and sterile, while the upper half is merely 
pinnatifid and fertile. It is known as the Irish 
Polypody, because found there in a wild state. The 
variety P. v. omnilacerum resembles the Welsh 
Polypody in having twice divided fronds, but they 
are wholly fertile. It is very distinct and worthy of 
cultivation. There are many other varieties, some 
crested and others variously divided ; but the most 
finely divided is P. v. trichomanoides which has 
broad fronds, three or four times divided into 
slender segments resembling to some extent Tricho- 
manes radicans ; hence the varietal name. Through 
the courtesy of Messrs. J. Backhouse & Son, of the 
York Nurseries, York, we are enabled to reproduce 
the accompanying illustration of this decidedly 
handsome variety. Indeed, there is very little doubt 
that this is the finest of all the elegantly divided 
forms of the Common Polypody. 
The Oak-fern (P. Dryopteris) in our experience 
comes next to the common species in its frequency 
of occurence in a wild state. It may be readily 
recognised by the wiry, upright stalks of its fronds, 
the blade of which is three-branched, spreads 
horizontally, and is of a rich dark green. The frond 
is ^broadly triangular, and each of the branches is 
pinnate, with the pinnae again more or less deeply 
divided. In a wild state it thrives best in rocky 
wards the root, it may be distinguished. It frequents 
damp woods, in mountainous districts, particularly 
towards the norlh, hence termed the Mountain Poly¬ 
pody; and is easily cultivated, if afforded plenty of 
moisture, and partial shade. 
The Alpine Polypody (P. alpestre) has lanceolate, 
bipinnate, fragile, almost stalkless fronds, closely 
resembling those of the Lady Fern, for which it has 
often been mistaken in its native home. It is readily 
distinguished from that Fern, however, by the 
absence of an indusium or covering to the sori, as in 
all other true species of Polypody. The fronds 
attain a height of 6 in. to 3 ft., according to the cir¬ 
cumstances that favour growth or otherwise. There 
is a variety named P. alpestre flexile, which differs 
from the type, in its narrow fronds, loose, spreading 
habit, and deflexed pinnae with few pinnules. It 
has sometimes been named Pseudathyrium flexile, 
because an imperfect indusium has sometimes been 
detected on cultivated specimens. 
-»*-- 
MESSRS. LAING’S BEGONIAS. 
The cultivation of tuberous Begonias is carried on 
with as much earnestness as ever in the nurseries of 
Messrs. John Laing & Sons, Forest Hill. Those 
planted in the open air are strong, and provided the 
Polypodium vdlgare trichomanoides. 
worthy of house room, and some of them in 
particular. 
The common Polypody (Polypodium vulgare) is, 
perhaps, the least striking of the five British species, 
but has its uses and recommendations, nevertheless. 
The fronds are deeply pinnatifid, evergreen, and 
furnished with large circular clusters of golden spore 
cases, that are more conspicuous than in any other 
British Fern, Polypody or otherwise, with exception, 
perhaps, of the totally different Osmunda. 
The cultivated varieties are now very numerous, 
and a large proportion of them are much more orna¬ 
mental than the type. The finest of all the older 
and better known varieties is the Welsh Polypody 
(P. v. cambricum) which is more decidedly ever¬ 
green than the type. The new fronds are 
developed comparatively late in the spring, and 
retain their healthy and fresh green aspect till the 
new set is being produced. The fronds are deeply 
and irregularly lobed a second time, much broader 
than those of the type, and perfectly barren, that is, 
they do not develop a trace of fructification ; and in 
this respect they resemble the excess of the vegetative 
ascendency of Adiantum tenerum farleyense, and 
Scolopendrium vulgare crispum over that of the 
fronds of the fertile and ordinary forms of those 
respective species. Another old variety, P. v. 
semilacerum, has the lower half of its fronds twice 
glens, and in shady places in the drier parts of damp 
woods, where it is shaded, but not heavily overhung 
by trees. The whole plant varies from 6 in. to a 
foot in height when doiDg well. Under cultivation 
it thrives readily when kept moist and somewhat 
shaded ; and likes a loose soil containing peat or leaf 
mould. The fronds die down in autumn. 
The Limestone Polypody (P. robertianum) has a 
close general resemblance to the Oak-fern, when the 
latter is in a small state. The side branches of the 
frond are relatively much shorter, however, of a dull, 
deep green, more rigid and upright; while the sur¬ 
face has a mealy appearance, owing to its being 
covered all over with stalked g’ands. The species is 
one of the few British species, which will thrive on a 
calcareous or chalky soil, and in a wild state is more 
or less confined to limestone districts. Limestone is 
not essential to its welfare in a state of cultivation, 
nor does it occasion any difficulty to the cultivator. 
The Beech-fern (P. Phegopteris) grows about the 
same height as the Oak-fern, and is often found under 
similar conditions, but is very different in general 
aspect. The fronds are triangular, pinnate at the 
lower portion, but only deeply pinnatifid above the 
third or fourth pairs of pinnae, which are again 
more or less deeply cut. By these characters and by 
the fact that the lowest pair of pinnae always stand 
apart from the rest, and are directed downward to- 
growing season proves favourable we may expect 
good results towards the end of next month. Five 
houses, each 90 ft. long, are devoted to the select 
and named varieties grown in pots. The older 
plants have been flowering for many weeks past, but 
the younger specimens are in various stages of pro¬ 
gress, most of them only showing their first flowers. 
These are not seedlings of this year, but young 
tubers from last year's selection, or plants raised 
from cuttings ; and they will keep up a display to the 
end of the season. 
Single Y arieties - 
At one time it appeared that single varieties would 
be neglected by having to give way to the doubles ; 
but after all a house may be rendered very gay by a 
variety of colours that can hardly be displayed by 
double varieties on account of their structure. 
Laing’s Fringed White, with its deeply indented 
petals may yet prove the mother of a distinct and 
beautiful race, as variations upon it get evolved. 
Laing's Fringed Crimson has all its petals fringed, 
but the inner ones are wavy as well, and the whole 
of a rich, dark colour. Duchess of Fife is a beauti¬ 
ful pink variety, both fringed and goffered, to which 
an Award of Merit was accorded at the last Temple 
Show. Picotee-edged varieties are very numerous, 
and vary with pink, rose, scarlet, and carmine edges 
of variable width. Striped and Carnation-flaked 
