THE LADY FERN. | 51 
— multifidum ramosum (M.). A. form raised from spores by Mr. 
Clapham. It has short broad fronds, more slender and lax than 
multifidum, and the pinn are here and there unequally branched. 
The pinnules are narrower and somewhat depauperated; they are 
also more raggedly multifid at their apices. The whole plant has 
a ragged and semi-depauperated appearance. 
— multifidum semi-depauperatum (Sim.). This form has the apex 
and one side of the frond as in multifidum, from which it was raised. 
The peeuliarity is, that on the other side, the pinn® are much dimin- 
ished in size or altogether wanting, the one half of the frond being 
therefore excessively depauperated. It is a curious form, raised a 
few years since, by Mr. Sim of Footscray. 
56. inexpletum (M.). A very curious much depauperated form, 
chiefly remarkable for its ragged and incomplete appearance. The 
fronds are slender, lax, a foot and a half high, and broad-lanceolate, 
their apices and those ofthe pinne depauperately caudate, and some- 
what tasselled. The pinnules are decurrent, narrow or linear where 
perfect, but very generally more or less depauperated, and sometimes 
reduced to a mere rib. The tassels on the tips of the pinne are 
small and slender. It was raised from spores of multifidum, a few 
years since, by Mr. Sim of Footscray. 
57. apueforme (M.). A small form related to multifidum, but 
apparently distinct, of dwarf habit, and remarkable for the fish-like 
outline of its fronds, which has suggested the name apuœforme. The 
fronds are eight to ten inches long, and two to four inches wide in 
the broadest part just below the middle. In the smaller sterile 
fronds, tlie outline is exactly ovate-lanceolate, and very regular on 
account of the truncately dilated tips of the pinnœ; the base of 
these fronds represents the head, and the rather attenuated apex 
breaking out into a flat repeatedly forked tuft represents the tail of 
a small fish. The pinne in these sterile fronds are forked at‘ the 
tips, but the divisions are blunt and do not separate, so that the 
development does not extend beyond a squarish expansion or dila- 
tation of the parts, while the apex of the frond is several times 
forked, nearly or quite flat, the ends of the divisions being all 
abrupt like the pinne. The mature fertile fronds are about ten 
inches high, rather more lax and open, but with the same gencral 
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