“ forming largo-anglod areoles next the costa, narrower oblique ones
often extending to the margin.” According to the view wc take of
the genera of Ferns, these not-veined species require to he separated
from those with free veins, and we have accordingly in our Index
FiUeum adopted the name of Blechnidium for the net-veined plant
above referred to, which thus becomes Blechnidiim melanopus.
Tho name of the present genus comes from hleclmon, a Greek
word appHcd to some kind of Fern.
BRITISH SPECIES AND VARIETIES.
B. Spicant : a perennial m th dimorphous pectinate-pinnatifid fronds.
{a) Fronds narrow-lanceolate, or normal in outline,
var. lancifolium ; fronds very narrow, almost linear, ivith short h lu n t lohes
helow, entire and caudate in tho upper p art, th e fertile sparingly
lobed helow, spicate upwards.
var. subserratum : fronds narrowish ; segments falcatoly cnrved forwards,
crenately serrate on th e posterior side, th e anterior margin entire.
var. imbricatnm : fronds short lanceolate, with crowded densely imbricated
segments, th e fertile of th e same form pinnate, th e pinnæ crowded
acute ; stipites and rachides thick, channelled in front.
var. s tric tum: fronds elongate-lanceolate, with d istan t suhsymmetrical
crenately toothed segments, th e fertile of th e same form or somewhat
narrowed with narrow obscurely crenate segments.
(&) Fronds m u ltifid or ramose,
var. ramosum : fronds branched, th e apices of th e branches densely m u ltifid
crisped forming close obtuse tu fts ; fertile fronds similar.
var. multifurcatum : fronds often divided below, th e apices of fronds or
branches repeatedly forked, formmg a spreading tu ft of acutely
prolonged segments.
THE COMMON HARD EERN.
BLECHNUM SPICANT.
B. fronds tuftod, dissimilar, linear-lanceolate, coriaceous ; tho
barren spreading or prostrate peotinato-pinnatifid, with approximate
ohlong linear subfalcate flat segments, often pinnate helow, the short
rounded segments being there remote ; the fertile taller, erect,
pinnate, with narrow linear subfalcate acuto contracted pinnæ having
rcflexed margins ; sori intramarginal. [Plato XCIV.]
B l e c h n u m S p ic a n t , Smith, Mem. Acad. Boy. Sc. Turin, v. 411. Withering,
A rr. Brit. PI. iii, 765. Roth, Gat. Bot. i. 132 ; Id ., FI. Germ. iii. 44.
Koch, Syn. 2 ed, 984. Fries, Sum. Veg. 83. Ledebour, FI. Boss. iy. 523.
Moore, Handb. Brit. Ferm, 3 ed. 217; Id ., Ferns o f Gt. Brit. Nature
Printed, t. 43 C. Newman, Hist. Brit. Ferns, 3 ed. 17. Bentham, Handb.
Brit. FI. 635. Nyman, Syllog. FI. Eur. 434.
B l e c h n u m b o h e a l e , Swartz, Schrad. Journ. Bot. 1800, ii. 7 5 ; Id ., Syn. Fil.
115. Smith, Eng. Bot. xvii. t . 1150 ; Id ., Eng. FI. 2 ed. iv. 303. Oi'ay,
Nat. A rr. Brit. PI. ii. 15. Mackay, FI. Hih. 343. lloolcer Amott, Brit.
FI. 7 ed. 590. Bahington, Man. Brit. Bot. 4 ed. 427. Sowerby, Ferns o f
Gt. Brit. 64, t . 37. Schlcuhr, Krypt. Gew. 102, t . 110. Willdenow, Sfi.
P lant. V. 408. Sturm, FI. (Farm.) t . 6. Mettenius, F il. Hort. Bot. Lips.
64, t . 4, fig . 11, 12.
B l e c h n u m S p ic a n s , Wollaston, Phytol, n, ser. i. 301 ; ii. 143, 220.
Osm u n d a S p ic a n t , Linnoeus, Sp. Plant. 1522. Lightfoot, FI. Scot. 654. Bolton,
F il. Brit. 8, t . 6. Flora Banica, t . 99. Curtis, FI. Lond. t . 127. Poiret,
Enc. Supp. iv. 147, in obs. (spicans).
O sm u n d a b o r e a l is , Salisbury, Prod. 402.
O n o c l e a Sp ic a n t , Hoffmann, Deutschl. FI. ii. 11.
A s p l e n iu m S p ic a n t , Bernhardi, Schrad. Journ. Bot. 1801, i. 17.
S t r u t h io p t e r is S p ic a n t , Weis, Plant. Crypt. 287. Scopoli, FI. Cam. ii. 288.
Allioni, FI. Pedem. 2390.
A c r o s t ic h u m S p ic a n t , Villars, Hist. PI. Dauph. iii. 838. Sibthorp, FI.
Oxon. 267.
A c r o s t ic h u m n e m o r a l e , Lamarck, FI. Franç. i. 11 ; Id ., Enc. Bot. i. 35.
L o m a r ía S p ic a n t , Desvaux, Berl. Mag. v. 325 ; Id ., Prod. 287. Sprengel,
Syst. Veg. iv. 62. L in k , Fil, Sp. 75. Presl, Tent. Pterid. 142. Fée, Gen.
F il. 68. Buprecht, Dist. Crypt. Ross. 45. Pappe é Rawson, Syn. Fil. A fr.
Aust. 29. Newman, Hist. Brit. Ferns, 2 ed. 89. Deakin, Florigr. Brit.
iv. 51, fig. 1587. Lowe, Nat. Hist. Ferns, iv. t . 62 B. Hooker, Sp. Fil.
iii. 14.
L o m a r ía b o r e a l is , L in k , Hort. Reg. Berol. ii. 80.
S t e Ga n ia b o r e a l is , R. Brown, Prod. FI. Nov. Holl. 152, in obs.
S p ic a n t a b o r e a l is , Presl, Epim. Bot. 114.
Var. lancifolium : sterile fronds narrow (J to J in.), tlie upper
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