Cincinalis aquilina,
F u p te td s aquilina.
G l e d it s c h .
N e W3I.1N.
F te r is—Brake. -E a g le .
T u b Common B rak e , or as it is freq u en tly called B racken,
is a common indigenous species.
I t extends tliro u g h o u t E u ro p e ; found in China, Sitka, K am tschatka,
Siberia, In d ia , Malaya, Cape of Cood H o p e , Mau ritiu s,
Bourbon, Sierra Leone, Senegambia, F e rn an d o P o , Algiers,
Teneriffe, Madeira, California, Guatemala, Mexico, Veraguas,
Sandwich Islands.
Fro n d s usua lly b i-trip in n a te , often tria n g u la r in form, being
more elongate if la rg e r fronds. Pinna; ovate, opposite, freq u en tly
d istan t; secondary pinnre lanceolate; pinnulets sessile, mostly
entire.
Veins simple or forked.
Sori marginal and linear. Ind u sium membranaceous.
Ehizoma creeping.
Mr. Moore describes four va rie tie s:—
1.—-Vera. W ith secondary pinnules deeply pinnatifid.
2.—Integerrima. Ma rgin entire.
8.— Crispa. Un d u la te or waved.
4.—M u ltifid a . Multifid.
L en g th of frond from six inches to ten feet.
T h e Bra ck en is used for many purposes, b u t more especially
as a substitute for straw, as a litte r for cattle, and for thatching.
I t may be p ro cu re d anywhere, y e t will n o t bear transplanting
except in winter.
T h e illustration is from a p lan t in th e au th o r’s collection at
Highfield House.