6 O S J1U N D A C I. A Y T O N IA N A .
making a handsome specimen u n d e r pot culture ; req u irin g to
be grown in a shady damp situation.
A deciduous h a rd y species. N a tiv e of N o r th America.
In tro d u c e d into the Ilo y a l Gardens, K ew , in the ye a r 1773,
b y Mr. M a rtin .
T h e fronds, which are bipinnatifid, grow somewhat e re c t out
o f an erect caud ex , th e middle portion of the frond being-
contracted and fe rtile , h av in g ste rile pinnae above, and this
portio n b en d in g horizontally.
T h e appropriatene ss of M ich au x ’s name of in te rru p ta cannot
h e d oubted, y e t Linnaeus’s name of O. claytoniana has p rio rity
in its favour.
I n fronds th irty -tw o to th irty -th re e inches in len g th th e
basal te n inches is n ak ed , above which are th re e pairs of
pinnae, wh ich are sub-opposite, th re e inches an d a h a lf in
le n g th , d istant, and occupying five inches above th e s tip e s ;
th e n come th e fertile pinnae, about five pa irs, occupying nine
more inches of th e fro n d , above w hich th e re are sterile pinnae,
about e ig h t or nin e p a irs, close to g e th e r, touch in g each other,
an d oc cupying th e rema in in g n in e inches of th e fro n d , and
this u p p e r po rtio n be in g somewhat tria n g u la r in form.
Stipes v e ry h irsu te , w ith long woolly pale re d hairs. W h e n
th e fro n d is en tire ly ste rile it is n o t erect, b u t in c lin ed at an
angle of about 40°, bearin g fifteen or sixteen pairs of pinnae.
Colour v ivid green. Veins forked.
T h e wood-cut illu stra tio n is from a p h o to g rap h , and is in ten d ed
to shew the h ab it o f this exceed in g ly handsome F e rn .
F o r plants I am in d eb ted to th e late Mr. L a rg e , of New
Y o rk , and to M r. Sim, of F o o t’s Cray.
I t may h e p ro cu re d of any N u rse rym an .
T h e illu stra tio n is from a p lan t in my own collection.
Portion of sterile Piimn.