c e t e r a c h . 101
A downy, evergreen, distinct-looking, and very pretty
Tern, growing in tufts. The fronds when fresh are thick
and rather fleshy, and from this cause, as well as the
densely-packed scaly covering of the under surface, they
are perfectly opake when dry. Their size is variable, according
to the circumstances of their growth : they are
found from two to six inches in length, rarely exceeding the
latter. They grow on a short scaly stipes, and are either
pinnatifid, as is commonly the case, or more rarely pinnate,
the difference being, that in the latter the fronds are
divided rather more deeply than in the former. The upper
surface is a deep opake green, prettily contrasting with the
rust-coloured brown of the scales on the under surface,
these being just seen projecting from the margin, and still
more fully in the exposed under surface of the young partially
developed fronds. The pinnæ or lobes are of an ovate
form, and either entire or lobed on the margin.
The opacity of the fronds renders the venation indistinct,
and indeed it is only to be made out by examining young
fronds, removing the covering of scales, and the outer skin
of the frond itself. It is then seen, that from the lower
corner the principal vein enters, taking a sinuous course
towards the upper side of the apex; it branches alter-
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