Y
near the ascent of Glyder Vawr, from the Lianberris side, and
I am uncertain to which of the supposed species it belongs.
I believe Mr. Roberts, of Bangor, first discovered the plant in
this locality, but I fear it is extinct, as this gentleman failed in
his search after it, in company with Mr. C. C. Babington,
in 1835, and I spent hours hunting diligently in the same place,
in August, 1838.
Roots long, fibrous, brown. Rhizoma tufted, brown, slightly
scaly : the young fronds appear in May, and last till September
or October ; the shape of the frond is linear, lanceolate, and pinnate
; the pinnæ are attached by their stem only: they are
indented hut not pinnatifid. Sadler, who appears to consider the
^ plants distinct, thus characterises them :—
JDe filicibus veris, &c. p. 45.
TV. hyperborea. “ Frond linear, lanceo-
late, pinnate, beneath pubescent: pinnæ
J / ’ nearly ovate, obtuse at the base, unequally
cuneate, nearly sessile, obtusely lohato-pin-
uatifid ; masses of thecæ becoming nearly
confluent; stipes smooth, rachis pilose.”—
'' Sadler, 1. c.
W. Ilvensis. “ Frond oblong, pinnate, beneath
hairy ; pinnæ opposite, lanceolate,
pinnatifid ; the lobes oblong, obtuse, the
lower ones spreading : masses of thecæ confluent
; stipes and rachis scaly-villose.”—
Sadler, 1. c.
A small portion of the rachis is naked, the
veins are irregularly distributed, frequently
the midvein is not to be traced without difficulty,
no single vein appearing to have a
superiority over the rest : none of the veins
reach the margin, and each at its extremity
bears a mass of thecæ.
The plants are represented of the natural
size ; the two pinnæ detached are magnified,
the upper shows the masses of thecæ in their
natural situation, the lower exhibits the
veins, and the points of attachment of the
thecæ at their extremities, the thecæ themselves
being removed.
T H F B R IT T L F F FRN .
C y s t o p t e r i s f r a g i l i s .—Bernhardi, Presl.
Cistopteris dentata, fragilis, and alpina.—Hooker, Francis.
Cystea fragilis, dentata, angustata, and regia.—Smith.
Polypodium fragile.—Linneus, Hudson, Lightfoot, Berkenhout.
Polypodium fragile and rhæticum.—Bolton.
Polypodium fragile, dentatum, and trifidum.—Withering.
Aspidium fragile.—Sadler.
Cyclopteris fragilis, Athyrium dentatum and regium.—Gray.
l o c a l i t i e s .
E ngla n d . . Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, not uncommon; Yorkshire, near
Richmond; Lancashire; Cheshire; Shropshire; Derbyshire, Matlock, Buxton,
Dovedale, and the Quadrangle of Haddon Hall ; Somersetshire, near Bristol ; Bath
and Cheddar Cliffs ; Gloucestershire, Painswick on walls; Devonshire; Cornwall.
W a l e s . . . . Caernarvonshire, in various localities ; at Cwm Idwel in profusion; Denbighshire, Dinas
Bran,near Llangollen, and near Wrexham; Merionethshire near Maentwrog; Montgomeryshire,
Craig Breidden and Cwm Istwith; Radnorshire, Craig-Pwll-du ; Brecknockshire,
Brecon; Carmarthenshire; Glamorganshire.
Scotland . . Throughout the Western Highlands, and in localities too numerous to mention.
I r e l a n d , . . County Antrim, Red Bay, and Glenarriff; county Sligo, near Sligo in profusion;
county Galway, various localities in Cunnemara; county Kerry, various localities.
T h e genus Cystopteris was established by Bernhardi, and
appears to have been adopted by nearly all subsequent botanists ;
it contains but a limited number of species, all of which frequent
moist or mountainous districts, rooting in the fissures of rocks,
or the interstices of stone walls. They are plants of small size,
of erect but elegant growth, and are of a remarkably brittle
character, whence the excellent specific name of fragilis. In this
country we have hut one of these species, and ou this much
labour, perseverance, and ingenuity have been expended, in the
hopes of exalting some of the more remarkable of its Protean
fronds to the dignity of species. So absorbing is this spirit
of species-making, that I believe nothing less than a month’s
ramble in the Alpine districts of Caernarvonshire or Argyleshire
could possibly undeceive these who have thoroughly imbibed
a belief in the validity of these species; and as those who are
strongest in the study are frequently the weakest on the mountains,
I doubt not that many will long cherish them with
unwavering faith.