
BRITISH FERNS 417 
“© Acutilobum, tripinnate,—all the divisions of the frond acute, the 
anterior and posterior pinnules nearly of the same length. 
<“ Divisilobum, tripinnate,— the same as acutilobum, except that 
the anterior and posterior pinnules are of unequal lengths, the 
latter far longer and the divisions altogether more highly de- 
veloped—a well-grown plant, is sub-quadripinnate, or even 
quadripinnate. " 
By the almost general consent of angulare hunters and culti- 
vators, Mr. Wollaston's arrangement has been adopted, and the 
name proliferum is no longer used, except as an adjunct to 
denote either such multilobes, acutilobes, etc., as have a marked 
tendency to the proliferous habit, or such as have been long called 
by that name. 
Thus the original proliferum,—and Mr. Wollaston's are proli- 
ferous acutilobes—Miss Crawford's, Mrs. Hole's, and Mr. Henley's 
are proliferous divisilobes. 
Mr. Padley, whose experience in this class of varieties is perhaps 
unrivalled, and who has studied the matter with at least as much 
interest and care as anyone, is in favour of Mr. Wollaston’s 
arrangement,—as far as it goes ; but he still retains the name 
conspicuilobum as descriptive of the varieties which do not quite 
come up to the multilobes or acutilobes, though evidently partaking 
of the same *' gentle blood." 
With reference to these matters Mr. Padley writes : “ With me 
there are two principal divisions of the varieties whose pinnules are 
much divided. The tripinnate or decompositum class; and the 
acutilobe class (comprehending conspicuzlobum, acutilobum, and 
divisilobum)—the main feature in the former being that the pinnules 
are more frondose, and in the acutilobes more acute and narrower. i 
*« Multilobum, or as I prefer to call it eguzlobum, seems to lean 
towards the two divisions; one section to decompositum, the other to 
асийг бит? 
“Му order (of the more finely-cut varieties) is conspicuilobe, 
multilobe, acutilobe, divisilobe ; some people have thrown doubts 
on conspicuilobum, but I consider it a distinct variety.” 
If to these four classes be added the two classes of decomposttum 
—the ordinary, and the higher or more developed class called here 
tripinnatum—it will be found that with a very few exceptions 
(and those probably varieties which combine different characters) 

