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those near the base of the lobes bearing each one small
circular sorus near their extremity—the fructification thus
becoming almost marginal.
This is a very delicate and graceful Eern for pot-culture
or for a Wardian case, and requires plenty of percolating
moisture. On the damp, shady sides of sheltered artificial
rock-work, in the open air, it grows with tolerable vigour.
Polystichum Phegopteris and Lastrea Phegopteris are
names which have been proposed for the Beech Eern.
P o l y po d ium v u lg a r e , Linnoeus-—The Common Polypody.
(Plate I. fig. 2.)
This is an evergreen Pern, growing abundantly on pollard
trunks, mossy banks, moist rocks and walls, and old
thatched roofs ; and pretty generally distributed over the
United Kingdom. When sheltered the fronds are of a
lively green, and it may he then recognized by the comparatively
large circular patches of golden spore-cases;
indeed, it may generally be known by this feature alone, no
other native sort having the fructification at all similar in
appearance. It grows with a creeping stem as thick as
one’s finger, which is covered over with pale brown chaffy
taper-pointed scales. Erom its upper side spring the
fronds, and from its lower side chiefly the branching fibrous
k
roots by which it clings to its support. The fronds, if exposed
to frost, perish; but if at all sheltered they remain
green during winter, and until after young ones have been
produced, which happens generally towards the end of
May. The stipes or stalk of the fuU-grown fronds is usually
nearly equal in length to the leafy portion; the entire frond
measuring from six to eighteen inches in length. The
frond itself, that is, the leafy part, is lance-shaped in outline,
but cut in from the margin along both sides nearly as far
as the midrib or rachis, and thus becomes what is called
pinnatifid. The portions into which it is divided are
called the lobes, or segments, or divisions of the frond; and
in this case, they are usually oblong in form, generally
rounded at the end, but sometimes tapering to a blunt
point, and occasionally notched along the margin.
Each lobe has a slightly tortuous midvein, producing alternate
lateral veins (venules), which generally have about
four veinlets or little veins disposed alternately; it is the
lowest of these veinlets, on the sides towards the apex of
the frond, which produces the sorus when it is present; the
rest, which are barren, terminate in club-shaped apices,
which are very conspicuously seen when a fresh frond is
held up between the eye and a strong light. Most of the