■ .7
V f
I » • • Kt
9 > ! F
Í
á
i » ^
S«|
*. I
I k 7
I , J
membranaceous and perfectly smooth, and in color bright-green
above, and somewhat paler beneath.
The veins and veinlets are slightly impressed, and are very
evident ; and, as they are finely reticulated, they give the frond an
areolated appearance. Along each side of the midrib and midveins
there is a longitudinal row of narrow areoles ; outside of
these there are three or four irregular rows of obliquely hexagonal
areoles ; and at the very edge there is a series of short
free veinlets, one extending to each tooth of the serration.
The fertile fronds are considerably taller than the sterile, and
have a much longer and darker-colored stalk. They are about
the same size as the others, and have as many divisions ; but
these are narrowly oblong-linear, being only one and a half to
two lines wide. The wing of the midrib is reduced to a
scarcely perceptible border, which, however, widens out a little
to meet the base of each segment. The margin of the segments
is obscurely crenulate, and usually somewhat recurved. The areoles
are reduced to the paracostal series (one row each side the
midvein) and a few free marginal veinlets. These paracostal
areoles are three or four lines long, and each one is nearly
covered by a rather heavy and rigid oblong vaulted brownish
involucre, which is attached to the enclosing veinlet, and is free
along the edge next the midvein. Under the involucre the
sporangia grow; also from the enclosing veinlet. The sporangia
are provided with the usual incomplete vertical elastic ring of
the Polypodiaceoe. The spores are ovoid-spherical or obscurely
spheroid-tetrahedral, and appear to have a smooth surface.
'1
The sterile fronds appear in May (in Connecticut), and
the fertile fronds somewhat later; so that the fruit is not ripe
until autumn. The fronds wither soon afterwards, and presently
disappear.
I have preferred the name assigned to this fern by Sir
James Edward Smith when he proposed the genus, although
the specific name given by Linnæus is older, and fully as
appropriate.
The genus was named in honor of T h o m a s J e n k i n s o n
W o o d w a r d , LL.B., a fellow of the Linnæan Society. Smith’s
account of the genus and the species known to him reads
thus : —
‘‘ W o o d w a r d i a : Fructificatio in punctis oblongis, distinctis, seriali-
bus, costæ adjacentibus. Involucra superficiaria, fornicata, costam versus
dehiscenda.”
“ I. W. angustifolia; fronde pinnata; pinnis linearibus acutis inte-
gerrimis. Habitat in Pennsylvania. F x amicissimo viro D. Georgio
Staunton Baronetto habui.
“ 2. W. Japónica. (Blechnum Japonlcum, Thunb.)
“ 3. W. Virginica. (Blechnum Virginicum, Linn.)
“ 4. W. radicans. (Blechnum radicans, L in n .)”
It is very probable that Smith received only fertile fronds
from his friend Staunton ; and, as these had very narrow pinnæ,
he gave the name miguslifolia to the species, being not
aware that the Acroslichmn areolalum of Linnæus was the
same thing.
Woodwardia Harlandii, of Hooker, from Hong-Kong, and
(■
1
S' I' 11
i !
1 '-4
IÍ:
I
Wi
' • I
I , ■