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Lomaria Spicant, usually called the Hard Fern, occurs on all
our commons, heaths and forests ; in the southern counties sparingly
; in the northern counties, and in Wales, Scotland, and
Ireland more abundantly. Its roots are black, very tough, and
wiry ; its rhizoma tufted and hairy. The young fronds make
their appearance in May, arrive at maturity in August and Sep-
tember, and continue perfectly green and vigorous
throughout the Yvinter ; they are fertile (fig. c), and
barren (figs. e a n d /) : these figures represent them
of half the natural size. The fertile frond is linear,
simply pinnatifid, and pointed at the apex ; the
lower half of the rachis is dark-purple, shining,
and naked ; the pinnæ are linear, narrow, and
romided at the apex. The lateral veins are few
in number; after leaving the midvein, each runs
half-way across the pinna towards the margin ; it
then turns at a right angle towards the apex of the
pinna, until it reaches the angle formed by the
previous vein : on this bent portion of each vein are
situated the thecæ in a continuous line (see fig. a) :
the footstalks of the thecæ are represented attached
to the inside of the line of veins. Immediately
adjoining this attachment of the thecæ is
a continuous linear indusium, opening towards the
midvein (fig. 5) ; this indusium appears divided
into sections at the points where the lateral veins
terminate. The masses of i> „
thecæ soon get beyond the indusium,
and forma continuous
black Hue on each side the
midvein, as represented in the
figure. The exterior portion
of the pinna, left entirely unshaded,
is without veins. The
veins in a barren pinna are
represented in fig. i^.
BRAKES.—In Scotland, B r a c h e n .
P t e r i s A q u i l i n a of Authors.
Fteris femina.—Gray.
l o c a l i t i e s .
E n g la n d .
W a l e s .
S co tland.
I r e l a n d”■}Universally distrilrated.
By a reference to Presl’s “ Tentamen Pteridographiæ,” it
will he seen that the Linnean genus Pteris has undergone much
subdivision, and that our British species, Pteris AquiUna, is by
that author referred to the genus Allosorus of Bernhardi; but,
unfortunately, in this genus he has included species which
scarcely possess a single character in common; and moreover
the Allosori Aquilini, to which our species belongs, constitute
the third and not the typical subdivision of the genus. I t is
therefore needful either to institute a new genus for the reception
of the Allosori Aquilini of Presl, or to restore to them their
ancient generic name. Not feeling competent to the former, 1
adopt the latter course, hoping that some professed botamst
will ere long undertake to classify the heterogeneous species at
present included in this extensive genus. The species of Pteris
are distributed over every region of the earth, but by far the
greater number are intertropical.
Pteris Aquilina, the common Brakes, is the most abundant of