THE TREE MAIDENHAIR. 
2S5 
6 . 
THE TREE MAIDENHAIR 
Plate 1, Pig-. 6. 
HIS beautiful Fern is one of the rarest of 
our native species. It is found in 
Devonshire and Cornwall, in some parts 
of South Males, and in Ireland; in Ireland, in 
fact, more abundantly than in any other part of 
the United Kingdom. But it is more than possible 
that the True Maidenhair abounds in some loca¬ 
lities where it has never been yet discovered. It 
often orows in inaccessible situations, and this 
o 
fact would give a reason for the supposition which 
we have started. Rocks on or near the sea 
coast, and dripping sea caves, are its favourite 
habitats. 
The True Maidenhair has a black, hairy, creep¬ 
ing rhizoma of slender shape, from which are 
thrown up a little clustering mass of the most 
beautiful and delicate fronds. The stems of the 
