








































190 THE BRITISH FERNS. 
in the best forms half an inch to an inch long, flat, and tapering off to 
a narrow acute point, instead of being dilated and split into little 
lobes, or cristate. There are some fine old garden plants of this 
character, sometimes called cristatum or multifidum. 
131. polycuspis undosum (M.). A dwarf and apparently narrow 
variety multifidly-branched, the ultimate segments forming simple 
attenuate points, but the whole of the multifid part is slightly curled 
or twisted. It was found by Mr. Stansfield at Giggleswick Scars, near 
Settle, and by Mr. S. Appleby in the neighbourhood of Doncaster. 
132. flabellatum (M.). A finely developed flabellately-multifid 
form, the fronds of which are six to eight inches high, and as much 
across in the multifid part; the lower half is normal, but in the 
upper half the costa becomes frequently branched, the branches | 
continuing broad even almost to the extremity, the divisions much 
overlapping, but scarcely cristate ; this tuft of branchlets is spread 
out nearly flat. It was found near Nettlecombe by Mr. Elworthy. 
133. digitatum (Woll.). This variety resembles ramosum (151), 
except that its fronds are flat, that is, all its ramifications and divi- 
sions are in one plane, so that the fronds are somewhat hand-shaped 
or fan-like. The stipites are sometimes branched, and the lamina is 
usually branched both near the base and higher up the costa; the 
central portion of the frond is excessively ramified into a crowded 
dense tuft of which the segments are crowded and much overlapping 
but not crispy, while the branches, often three or four in number, 
much resemble well-developed fronds of the ordinary multifidum 
(197). It was raised from spores some years since by Mr. Wollaston ; 
and has also been found at South Weald, Brentwood, Essex, by 
Miss Lucy Moss. Some notion of the wonderfully compound rami- 
fications of the vascular development of this variety, may be formed 
from the following approximate caleulations made from a frond 
grown by Mr. Wollaston :— 
Primary axis . 2 z A 6 1 stipes. 
First series of ramifications : : 3 stipites. 
Second series of ramifications Tue 9 coste or midveins. 
Third series of ramifications 5 . 98 coste or midveins. 
Fourth series of ramifications . . ` 99 cost: or midveins. 
Fifth series of ramifications’ . . 891 branch midveins. 
Sixth series of ramifications . . . 2673 veinlets or apical midveins. 
Sometimes this variety produces subulate leafless fronds, and these 

