Plants 5--18 dm.high, clothed with a rusty tomentum 
when young ; sterile leaves clustered; pinnae linear-lan- 
ceolate; fertile leaves 2-pinnate; sporecases cinnamon- 
colored, 
In swamps and shaded woods. May-June. 
O. ctnnamomea frondosa Eaton, [in Gray }. c.] with 
the lower pinnae sterile and the upper sporebearing, has 
been observed at Laurel, Md., by Pollard; and var. 
glandulosa Waters,[Fern Bull. 10: 21.] by Maxon 
and Waters. 
O. regalis was used extensively in medicine in Pre- 
Linnean times. Radix Osmundae regalis and Med- 
ulla radicts Osmundae were used in various ways by 
the earlier herbalists. 
Inthe land of Osmundr this handsome fern is known 
by the name of Safsa-Busken. Linnaeus [It. sc. 4o. 
1751. | mentions a certain famous medicine-woman, 
who used to go to this ‘‘bush”, in silence and fasting to 
invoke the aid of whom —he did not know. This spe- 
cies is evidently one of the many plants to which the 
people of ages ago attributed some magic power or about 
which hovered some Genius, evil or good. 
The Virginian plant was distinguished by Linnaeus 
as Osmunda regalis B. and by Willdenowas Osmunda 
spectabilés. [Sp. Pl. 5: 98. 1810. ] 
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