THE COMMON POLYPODY. 69 
15. cambricum (Lin.). This, which is perhaps the most beautiful 
of all known varieties of Polypodium, is commonly called the Welsh 
Polypody. It is the most compound of the varieties, quite perma- 
nent under cultivation, and under all conditions uniformly barren. 
The fronds, which are regularly bipinnatifid throughout, are ovate or 
ovate-oblong in outline, the lower pairs of lobes being scarcely smaller 
than those above them, so as to give squareness or angularity to the 
base. The lobes are crowded, narrow at the base, and acuminate 
at the apex, the intervening portion being much widened and over- 
lapping, and the whole margin, except the very base and apex, divided 
into narrow linear or linear-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, serrated, 
crowded lobules. This variety, now chiefly known as a garden plant, 
was originally found in Wales, whence its name; the older books 
record as habitats—Glamorganshire: rocks near Dennys Powys 
Castle, not far from Cardiff; rocks in North Wales; and Kid- 
derminster. It has more recently been reported to occur in 
Cheshire: wood near Macclesfield, E. J. Lowe; and in Gloucester- 
shire: Almondsbury, near Bristol, E. Morse. The same variety has 
been found at Montpelier. [Plate VI.—Folio ed. t. III A.] 
* 16. omnilacerum (M.). This is a very beautiful variety, most 
nearly related to cambricum, from which it differs in the lobes not 
being narrowed near the base and in bearing fructification ; while 
from semilacerum it differs in being bipinnatifid throughout. The 
fronds are ovate oblong, a foot or more in length, bipinnatifid from 
the base to the apex. The primary lobes are caudate at the apex, 
sometimes very regularly margined with lobules, so that their basal 
part is nearly equal in width with the middle and upper portion, 
but occasionally one or two of the lower lobules are shorter, while 
in other instances and often in the same frond, they are longer 
than the rest; these lobules are not so much crowded as in cam- 
bricum, sometimes of unequal length, usually linear acuminate, and 
distinctly serrate. The fronds are sparingly fertile. It was found 
about Goodrich Castle, Ross, Herefordshire, by Mr. E. T. Bennett, 
and proves to be a constant variety under cultivation. [Plate VII.] 

