
30 BRITISH FERNS 
clearly. The second case 15 ш some respects even more extra- 
ordinary. In 1863 a plumose or extra feathery Lady Fern (A. f.f. 
plumosum Axminsterense) was found by Mr. J. Trott near Axminster. 
Its spores usually produced the parental form, but eventually an 
improved one was raised (A. f.f. р. elegans Parsons) which was more 
finely cut. This, showing dorsal bulbils as already described, a 
pinna or side division was sent to the writer for inspection, and as 
there were also spores, and the form was a fine one, a sowing was 
made. The astounding result was only two plants of the parental 
form, and about a hundred of tasselled forms (a feature entirely 
absent in the parent), only two of which were free from defects, gaps, 
and irregularities of make. The two in question were, however, 
perfect, but one (superbum) was much more beautiful in its cresting 
than the other. This in itself formed a unique experience as the 
offspring of a non-crested parent, to say nothing of its scores of 
defective but crested sisters. Naturally, when this bore spores, a 
sowing was made at once, and again the unexpected happened, for 
its abundant offspring turned out to constitute two sections, the ` 
one entirely uncrested but extremely refined editions of the grand- 
parent, and the other magnificently crested, even in some instances 
to the fourth degree the pinnulets being distinctly tasselled, one 
and all being great improvements on the immediate parent. 
The best of the non-crested section (A. f.f. plumosum Druery) is far 
and away the finest plumose Lady Fern extant, and the whole of 
the two sections stand alone. This case, as will be seen, eclipses the 
first one, by culminating in two distinct sections, crested and un- 
crested, all derived in the fourth generation from the normal, and 
the third from the wild Axminster find. Fig. ro shows the pedigree 
of A. f.f. plumosum Druery, in studying which it must be borne in 
mind that each step shown represents the equivalent portion 
of a frond, viz. only one pinna or side division, and on the same 
scale, though the centre might well be taken for a frond. The third 
case of Polystichum aculeatum is equally astounding as representing 
а sudden metamorphosis of type, and is peculiar as affording such 
results after many years of reputed sterility. In 1876 there was 
found by a farm labourer, in a Dorsetshire hedge, a very fine form 
of the Hard Shield Fern, which he took to Dr. Wills, one of our 
most successful collectors in the locality, who named it “ pul- 
cherrimum," on account of its peculiar beauty. It was apparently 
an entirely barren Fern, but eventually found its way into many 
collections by virtue of offsets which it freely produced. This 
reputation for sterihty it maintained until a few years ago, when 
upon a robust plant in Mr. Green's collection, a well-grown offset 
from the writer's specimen, given him many years ago by Mr. G. B. 
Wollaston, a few spores were discovered, one or two sporangia 
occurring as minute dots on several of the pinna. These were 
naturally collected, and sown both by Mr. Green and the writer, 

