THE COMMON HART'S-TONGUE FERN. 169 
four inches long, very narrow, sometimes not more than one-eighth, 
sometimes nearly a quarter of an inch wide, the margin entire, or 
with a few distant slender teeth or sometimes slightly lobed, mar- 
ginate when there is breadth for the development of the membrane, 
multifid at the apex, the segments toothed like the rest of the frond. 
Sometimes fronds are produced which seem to consist of a scarcely 
margined costa, the multifid apex being represented by a tuft of 
fine teeth-like segments. It differs from proliferum (68) in being 
multifid. [Plate XC bis, B.] 
67. ramo-proliferum (Claph.). This form, raised along with vivo- 
marginatum (66), is equally odd-looking, the parts being reduced to 
a quarter of an inch or less in width. One of the best fronds, repre- 
sented in our figure, is ramose below into three branches; each about 
three inches long; these divide about the middle mto two divisions, 
which again divide, and the apices of these ultimate divisions are 
split down according to their width into two three or more narrow 
segments ; the margin throughout, except in the ultimate segments, ` 
is coarsely serrated, and the fronds are all marginate, and have very 
irregular venation. The fronds are sometimes single, and are then 
represented by one of the branches above described. Some fronds 
are eight inches long, forked near the base, the two branches five 
inches long, and not broader than the stipites, and then forking two 
or three times into a small tuft of slightly broader segments, which 
bear two or three small crenate lobes, and are soriferous. Some 
fronds, equally long, are only divided at the very tips into a few short 
thick divarieate soriferous lobes; and others resembling these are 
merely horned at the top of the stipitate portion. This variety and 
the last are most remarkable productions. Mr. Jackson has sent 
fronds of some seedlings three years old, which are about an inch and 
a half high, twice forked, with narrow branches, evidently of the 
same character as the form first described above. [Plate XC bis, A.] 
68. proliferum (Woll.). This curious little monstrosity was ob- 
tained from spores of a multifid form of marginatum (59). The 
plants are of pigmy dimensions, seldom exceeding three inches in 
membrane of the parent frond. Mr. Appleby thinks, that as they become more deve- 
loped some of them will prove to be strikingly dissimilar. It is remarkable that the 
seedlings of different forms of submarginatum should be so peculiarly sportive. 

