BRITISH FERN 
XII 
GRANTIE (Moore) 
Mr. Paul, Truro, Cornwall, 1865. 
T fo 2 Пл, 
Syn. CONGESTUM PAUL ( Woll.) 
Ву Mrs. Grant, The finest of the congested forms of Athyrium. 
There were two crowns when it was found, one of which came into 
Mrs. Grant’s possession, the other found its way to Foot’s Cray :一 
but whether they were from the first separate plants, or whether 
the crowns afterwards developed differently, it soon became 
evident that they had. distinct characters— Mrs. Grant's plant 
being a crispatum, Mr. Sim's a congestum- subsequently the latter 
also came into Mrs. Grant's possession, and is now considered the 
typical form of Grantie, 
A very. similar form was found by Mr. Padley in М. Somerset. 
There are also two other congested forms — smaller in growth but 
very beautiful; crispissimum of Stansfield, renamed Simpsoni 
from its discoverer--and the form improperly named. Edwardsii— 
which Mr. Biggs, curator of the Cambridge Botanic Gardens, be- 
lieves to have originated in Ireland. This plant came from the 
Cambridge Gardens into the possession of Mrs. Riley, of Papplewick 
Lodge, Nottingham, among whose family it soon became known 
under the familiar title of ** Little Mr. Biggs," out of compliment to 
the donor. Some time afterwards a person whose individuality 
we think it only kind not to particularise further, and who had 
heard of its beauty, came to see it, and was so interested in it that 
he asked to be allowed to take another parting look atit, It was 
afterwards remarked that the plant seemed rather in a state of 
confusion, and that the soil had been a little agitated, but nothing 
more was thought of it, until a year or so later, whén it became 
known that a plant exactly similar, and accompanied by a very 
promising family, had been exhibited at one of the Royal Horti- 
cultural Society’s Shows as Edwardsii, and had received a Ist 
Class certificate. 
Crested seedlings of this latter variety have been raised by Mr. 
Lowe. 


