Sim Rh tet tis pegs New York State Callege of Agriculture At Gornell University Dthara, N. Y. Library Cornell University Library QK 525.T Th 6 wT 3 1924 001 717 333 fort mann “Pokin’ round mid ferns and mosses, Like a hop-toad or a snail — Somehow seems to lighten crosses, Where my heart would elsewise fail.” A Fern Lover The Fern Lover's Companion A Guide for the Northeastern States and Canada BY GrorGE Henry Tinron, A. MM. 1 WITH ONE HUNDRED AND EPGHTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS “This world’s no blot for us Nor blank; it means intensely and it means good: To find its meaning js my meat and drink.” Rohert Browninge BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 1923 Copurtyht, L922, By Grorarn Tenney Triron. All rights reserved PRINTED IN THE UNITED STaTES OF AMERICA DEDICATION To Alice D. Clark, engraver of these illustrations, who has spared no pains to promote the artistic excel- lence of this work, and to encourage its progress, these pages are dedi- cated with the high regards of Tue AUTHOR. CONTENTS List of Hlustrations Preface Introduction Key to Genera : Classification of Ferns The Polypodies ; The Bracken Group: Bracken Cliff Brakes Rock Brake ee The Lip Ferns (Cheilanthes) The Cloak Fern (Notholina) The Chain Ferns The Spleenworts: The Rock Spleenworts. Asplentum. The Large Spleenworts. Athyrdim Hart’s Tongue and Walking Leaf The Shield Ferns: Christmas and Holly Fern Marsh Fern Tribe . The Beech Ferns The Fragrant Fern The Wood Ferns The Bladder Ferns The Woodsias 3 The Boulder Fern (Dennstirdtia) Sensitive and Ostrich Ferns The Flowering Ferns (Osneinda) Curly Grass and Climbing Fern Adder’s Tongue . The Grape Ferns: Key to the Grape Fern Moonwort . 2 |. Little Grape Fern Lance-leaved Grape Fern Matricary Fern Common Grape Fern Rattlesnake Fern PAGE “1 Gr mer OW eaAr ~1 I yn . 90 103 LOE 114 121 128 130 AES 157 165 170° eee 187 191 193 194 196 196 19S 199 204 8 THE Fern Lover’s CoMPANION Filmy Fern . : Noted Fern ‘Authors 2 Fern Literature . Time List for Fruiting at Ferns Glossary Note: Meaning of Gemis anid Species Checklist . Latin Index English Index LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS A Fern Lover . Prothallium Diagram Pinnate Frond Bipinnate Frond Pinnatifid Frond Spore Cases Linen Tester Curly Grass. Schizea . Lok oh go a Cinnamon Fern. Osmunda cinnamomea Sensitive Fern. Onoclea sensibilis . Ostrich Fern. Onoclea Struthiopteris Interrupted Fern. Osmunda Claytoniana Climbing Fern. Lygodium . 2 0 0 2... Flowering Fern. Osmunda regalis spectabilis Adder’s Tongue. Ophioglossum . Grape Fern. Botrychium Polvpody. Polypodinum Beech Fern. Phegopteris . Cloak Fern. Notholena Filmy Fern. Trichomanes Bracken. Pteris Maidenhair. Adiantum Cliff Brake. Pellwa . Lip Fern. Cheilanthes . Rock Brake. Cryptogramma Chain Fern. JWoodwardia Shield Fern. Polystichum Wood Fern. . pseudocaudata : : : 2 ot Spray of Maidenhair. . : se OF Sori of Maidenhair . . . ; oe 008 Maidenhair. Adiantum nedlatien: : . 54 Alpine Maidenhair te SS tr 55 Venus-Hair Fern. Adiantum capillus-venerts . a. Purple Cliff Brake. Pell@a atropurpurea .. 22109) Dense Cliff Brake. Cryptogramma densa...) : . 6 Slender Cliff Brake. Cryptogramma Stellert A Ree eee Oo Parsley Fern. Cryptogramma acrostichoides oy i . 64t Alabama Lip Fern. Cheilanthes alabamensis é . . 66 Hairy Lip Fern. Cheilanthes lanosa : OT Slender Lip Fern. Cheilanthes Fees . ; . 69 Pinne of Slender Lip Fern 70 Powdery Cloak Fern. N otholenn Fi aiboter 72 Common Chain Fern. Woodwardia virginica 73 Net-veined Chain Fern. JVoodwardia arcolata 75 The Spleenworts Pe Ra are een at Ti Pinnatifid Spleenwort. Asplenium pinnatifidum 79 Scott’s Spleenwort. Asplentum ebenoides 80 Green Spleenwort. Asplentum viride ook 81 Maidenhair Spleenwort. Asplentwum Trichomanes . .. ae Maidenhair Spleenwort. Asplentum Trichomanes (Fernery) 83 Ebony Spleenwort. Asplenium platyneuron — . 85 Bradley’s Spleenwort. Asplenium Bradleyi. . . S6 Mountain Spleenwort. Aspleniwm montanum . 88 Rue Spleenwort. Asplentum Ruta-muraria | : . 89 Rootstock of Lady Fern (Two parts) 2 2 2... : . 92 Tue Fern Lover's Companion Sori of Lady Fern. Athyrium angustum Varieties of Lady Fern . eg Ale ee ae Lowland Lady Fern. Athyrium asplenioides Silvery Spleenwort. Athyrium acrostichoides Narrow-leaved Spleenwort. Athyrium angustifolia Pinne and Sori of Athyriwmn angustifolium Sori of Scolopendrium vulgare Hart's Tongue. Scolopendrium aidgare Walking Fern. Camptosorus rhizophyllus Christmas Fern. Polystichum acrostichoides Varieties of Christmas Fern Braun’s Holly Fern. Polystichum Brant Holly Fern. Polystichum Lonchitis Marsh Fern. Aspidium Thelypteris Marsh Fern, in the mass . ; 3 Massachusetts Fern. Aspidiam simulatum. New York Fern. Aspidtum noveboracense Sori of Aspidium noveboracense Pinne and Sori of Aspidian noncbaracen nse Oak Fern. Phegopteris Dryopteris . Northern Oak Fern. Phegopteris Robertiana Broad Beech Fern. Aspidium hexagonoptera Long Beech Fern. Aspidiim polypodioides . Fragrant Fern. Aspidium fragrans ; Marginal Shield Fern. Aspidinm marginale Crown of Fronds of Aspidium marginale Sori of Aspedium marginale Male Fern. Aspidium Filix-mas Aspidium Filiz-mas and details we Goldie’s Shield Fern. Aspidium Goldianum Aspidium Goldianum, in the mass : Crested Shield Fern. Aspidiwm cristatum : Crested Shield Fern. Aspidiim cristatum (No. 2) . 11 . 93 aod: » 4 96 99-100 .101 .102 103 104 106 . 108-109 .110 .112 113 .114 115 117 118 .119 .120 122 .123 124 126-127 .129 131 132 133 185 136 138 139 141 142 Clinton’s Shield Fern. Aspedium cristatum var. Clintonianwin 143 Crested Marginal Fern. Aspidium cristatum X marginale .145 Aspidium cristatum % marginale, in the mass . Boott’s Shield Fern. Aspidiwm Boottii Spinulose Shield Fern. Aspidium spinulosum 146 147 149 12 Tue Fern Lover's Companion Aspidium spinulosum var. intermedium Aspidium spinulosum var. americanum : Bulblet Bladder Fern. Cystopteris bulbifera Cystopteris bulbifera with sprouting bulb Fragile Bladder Fern. Cystopteris fragilis Rusty Woodsia. Woodsia alvensis . Northern Woodsia. Woodsia alpina . Details of Alpine Woodsia Eas ; Blunt-lobed Woodsia. Woodsia oben : Smooth Woodsia. JVoodsia glabella Hayscented Fern. Dennstedtia punctilobula, Forked variety of Dennstadtia punctilobula Field View of Dennstedtia punctilobula . Pinne and Sori of Dennstedtia punctilobula . Meadow View of Sensitive Fern . : Obtusilobata Forms of Sensitive Fern, Leat to Fruit ; Sori of Sensitive Fern ; : Sensitive Fern. Onoclea sensibilis : Sensitive Fern. Fertile and Sterile Fronds on ame Plant E Ostrich Fern. Onoclea Struthiopteris. Fertile Fronds Ostrich Fern. Sterile Fronds . Sori and Sporangia of Ostrich Fern Royal Fern. Osmamnda regalis spectabilis . Sori of Roval Fern oe Interrupted Fern. Osmunda C laytoniana Interrupted Fern. Fertile Pinnules Spread Open Cinnamon Fern. Osmunda cinnamomea Cinnamon Fern. Leaf Gradations Two Varieties of Cinnamon Fern Osmunda cinnamomea glandulosa Curly Grass. Schizea pusilla . Sporangia of Curly Grass ‘ Climbing Fern. Lygodium malniatian. Adder’s Tongue. Ophioglossum vulgatum . Moonwort. Botrychium Lunaria Moonwort, Details ae er Little Grape Fern. Botrychium staple wv : Lance-leaved Grape Fern. Botrychium lance olatiein 173 173 174 175 .176 178 179 .180 181 182 183 184-185 .186 .187 188 189 .192 194 .195 LOT 197 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 13 Matricary Grape Fern. Botrychium ramosum |. . 198 Common Grape Fern. Botrychium obliquum . ‘ : 200 Botrychium obliquum var. dissectum ar > 2 OL Botrychium obliquum var. oneidense .. bees 202 Ternate Grape Fern. Botrychinm te rnatin var. ‘ite r nod ann 203 Ternate Grape Fern. B. ternatum var. intermedium . . . .203 Rattlesnake Fern. Botrychium virgintanum 2 2... 2205 Filmy Fern. Trichomanes Boschianum .. Phy Rage 1 OF Fruiting Pinnules of Filmy Fern . 2 2... 2» » #208 Crosiers . . any Oy ete ees 209-210 Noted Fern Authors a py oR eee eee cere ee Spray of the Bulblet Bladder ‘Ferm ner eee eae » 4219 PREFACE LOVER of nature feels the fascination of the ferns though he may know little of their names and habits. Beholding them in their native haunts, adorning the rugged cliffs, gracefully fringing the water-courses, or waving their stately fronds on the borders of woodlands, he feels their call to a closer acquaintance. Happy would he be to receive instruction from a living teacher: His next preference would be the companionship of a good fern book. Such a help we aim to give him in this manual. If he will con it diligently, consulting its glossary for the meaning of terms while he quickens his powers of observa- tion by studying real specimens, he may hope to learn the names and chief qualities of our most common ferns in a single season. Our most productive period in fern literature was between 1878, when Williamson published his “‘Ferns of Kentucky,” and 1905, when Clute issued, “Our Ferns in Their Haunts.” Between these flourished D. C. Eaton, Davenport, Waters, Dodge, Parsons, Eastman, Under- wood, A. A. Eaton, Slosson, and others. All their works are now out of print except Clute’s just mentioned and Mrs. Parsons’ ““How to Know the Ferns.’ Both of these are valuable handbooks and amply illustrated. Clute’s is larger, more scholarly, and more inclusive of rare species, with an illustrated key to the genera; while Mrs. Parsons’ is more simple and popular, with a naive charm that creates for it a constant demand. 15 16 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion We trust there is room also for this unpretentious, hut progressive, handbook, designed to stimulate interest in the ferns and to aid the average student in learning their names and meaning. Its geographical limits include the northeastern states and Canada. Its nomenclature fol- lows in the main the seventh edition of Gray’s Manual, while the emendations set forth in Rhodora, of October, 1919, and also a few terms of later adoption are embodied, either as svnonyms or substitutes for the more familiar Latin names of the Manual, and are indicated by a differ- ent type. In every case the student has before him both the older and the more recent terms from which to choose. However, since the book is written primarily for lovers of Nature, many of whom are unfamiliar with scientific terms, the common English names are everywhere given promi- nence, and strange to say are less subject to change and controversy than the Latin. There is no doubt what species is meant when one speaks of the Christmas fern, the ostrich fern, the long beech fern, the interrupted fern, etc. The use of the common names will lead to the knowledge and enjoyment of the scientific terms. A friend unfamiliar with Latin has asked for pointers to aid in pronouncing the scientific names of ferns. Fol- lowing Gray, Wood, and others we have marked each accented syllable with either the grave (>) or acute (‘) accent, the former showing that the vowel over which it stands has its long sound, while the latter indicates the short or modified sound. Let it be remembered that any syllable with either of these marks over it is the accented syllable, whose sound will be long or short according to the slant of the mark. We have appropriated from many sources such mate- Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 17 rial as suited our purpose. Our interest in ferns dates back to our college days at Amherst, when we collected our first specimens in a rough, bushy swamp in Hadley. We found here a fine colony of the climbing fern (Lygodium). We recall the slender fronds climbing over the low bushes, unique twiners, charming, indeed, in their native habitat. We have since collected and studied specimens of nearly every New England fern, and have carefully examined most of the other species mentioned in this book. By courtesy of the hbrarian, Mr. William P. Rich, we have made large use of the famous Davenport herbarium in the Massachusetts Horticultural library, and through the kindness of the daughter, Miss Mary E. Davenport, we have freely consulted the larger unmounted collection of ferns at the Davenport homestead, at Medford,* finding here a very large and fine assortment of Botrychiums, including a real B. ternatum from Japan. For numerous facts and suggestions we are indebted to the twenty volumes of the Fern Bulletin, and also to its able editor, Mr. Willard N. Clute. To him we are greatly obligated for the use of photographs and plates, and espe- cially for helpful counsel on many items. We appreciate the helpfulness of the cfmerican Fern Journal and its obliging editor, Mr. E. J. Winslow. To our friend, Mr. C. H. Knowlton, our thanks are due for the revision of the checklist and for much helpful advice, and we are gratefud to Mr. S. N. F. Sanford, of the Boston Society of Natural History, for numerous courtesies; but more especially to Mr. C. A. Weatherby for his expert and helpful inspection of the entire manuscript. * Recently donated to the Gray Herbarium. 18 Tue Fern Lover's Companion The illustrations have been carefully selected; many of them from original negatives bequeathed to the author by his friend, Henry Lincoln Clapp, pioneer and chief promoter of school gardens in America. Some have been photographed from the author's herbarium, and from living ferns. A few are from the choice herbarium of Mr. George E. Davenport, and also a few reprints have been made from fern books, for which due credit is given. The Scott’s spleenwort, on the dedication page, is reprinted from Clute’s “Our Ferns in Their Haunts.” INTRODUCTION (HOREAT tells us, ““Nature made a fern for pure leaves.” Fern leaves are in the highest order of cryptogams. Like those of flowering plants they are reinforced by woody fibres running through their stems, keeping them erect while permitting graceful curves. Their exquisite sym- metry of form, their frequent finely cut borders, and their rich shades of green combine to make them objects of rare beauty; while their unique vernation and method of fruit- ing along with their wonderful mystery of reproduction invest them with marked scientific interest affording stimulus and culture to the thoughtful mind. By pecu- liar enchantments these charming plants allure the ardent Nature-lover to observe their haunts and habits. “Oh, then most gracefully they wave In the forest, like a sea, And dear as they are beautiful Are these fern leaves to me.” As a rule the larger and coarser ferns grow in.moist, shady situations, as swamps, ravines, and damp woods; while the smaller ones are more apt to be found along mountain ranges in some dry and even exposed locality. A tiny crevice in some high cliff is not infrequently chosen by these fascinating little plants, which protect themselves from drought by assuming a mantle of light wool, or of hair and chaff, with, perhaps, a covering of white powder 19 20 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion as in some cloak ferns — thus keeping a layer of moist air next to the surface of the leaf, and checking transpiration. Some of the rock-loving ferns in dry places are known as “resurrection” ferns, reviving after their leaves have turned sere and brown. A touch of rain, and lo! they are green and flourishing. Ferns vary in height from the diminutive filmy fern of less than an inch to the vast tree ferns of the tropics, reaching a height of sixty feet or more. REPRODUCTION Ferns are propagated in various ways. A frequent method is by perennial rootstocks, which often creep beneath the surface, sending up, it may be, single fronds, as in the common bracken, or graceful leaf-crowns, as in the cinnamon fern. The bladder fern is propagated in part from its bulblets, while the walking leaf bends over to the earth and roots at the tip. Ferns are also reproduced by spores, a process mys- terious and marvellous as a fairy tale. Instead of seeds the fern produces spores, which are little one-celled bodies without an embryo and may he likened to buds. A spore falls upon damp soil and germinates, producing a small, green, shield-shaped patch much smaller than a dime, which is called a prothallium (or prothallus). On its under surface delicate root hairs grow to give it stability and nutriment; also two sorts of reproductive organs known as antheridia and archegonia, the male and female growths analogous to the stamens and pistils in flowers. From the former spring small, active, spiral bodies called anther- ozoids, which lash about in the moisture of the prothaéllium until they find the archegonia, the cells of which are so Tue Fern Lover’s CoMPANION 21 MALE SHIELD FERN. Archegoniuw in sectional elevation and plan. Sectional elevation. fra hy’ Development of Spore ey Young Frond. § Prothallium,under surface Prothalliuw< Archegonia. : Antheridiun. AOU es goer Mother cells of yA ant herozoi.as Wother cell with antherozoid. 2D Tue FerN Lover’s Companion arranged in each case as to form a tube around the central cell, which is called the Odsphere, or ege-cell, the point to be fertilized. When one of the entering Aantherozoids reaches this point the desired change is effected, and the canal of the archegdnium closes. The empty odsphere becomes the quickened ddéspore, whose newly begotten plant germ unfolds normally by the multiplication of cells that become, in turn, root, stem, first leaf, etc., while the prothallium no longer needed to sustain its offspring withers away.* Fern plants have been known to spring directly from the prothallus by a budding process apart from the organs of fertilization, showing that Nature “‘fulfills herself in many ways.’’T VERNATION All true ferns come out of the ground head foremost, coiled up like a watch-spring, and are designated as “‘fiddle- heads,” or crosiers. (A real crosier is a bishop’s staff.) Some of these odd young growths are covered with “fern wool,” which birds often use in lining their nests. This wool usually disappears later as the crosier unfolds into the broad green blade. The development of plant shoots from the bud is called vernation (Latin, ver, meaning spring), and this unique uncoiling of ferns, “‘circinnate vernation.”” * In the accompanying illustration, it should be remembered that the reproductive parts of a fern are microscopic and cannot be seen by the naked eye. 7 The scientific term for this method of reproduction is apogamy (apart from marriage). Sometimes the prothallus itself buds directly from the frond without spores, for which process the term apéspory is used. (Meaning, literally, without spores.) THe Fern Lover’s Companion 23 VEINS The veins of a fern are free, when, branching from the mid-vein, they do not connect with each other, and simple when they do not fork. When the veins intersect they are said to anastomose (Greek, an opening, or network), and their meshes are called aréole or areoles (Latin, areola, a little open space). EXPLANATION OF TERMS A frond is said to be pinnate (Latin, pinna, a feather), when its primary divisions extend to the rachis, as in the Christmas fern (Fig. 1). A frond is bipinnate (Latin, bis, twice) when the lobes of the pinne extend to the midvein as in the royal fern (Fig. 2). These divisions of the pinne are called pinnules. When a frond is tripinnate the last complete divisions are called ultimate pinnules or seg- ments. A frond is pinnatifid whenits lobes extend halfway or more to the rachis or midvein as in the middle lobes of the pinnatifid spleenwort (Fig. 3). The pinne of a frond are often pinnatifid when the frond itself is pinnate; and a frond may be pinnate in its lower part and become pinnatifid higher up as in the pinnatifid spleenwort just mentioned (Fig. 3). The divisions of a pinnatifid leaf are called segments; of a bipinnatifid or tripinnatifid leaf, ultimate segments. 24 Ture Fern Lover’s COMPANION Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 25 SporAncia AND Fruit Dots Fern spores are formed in little sacs known as spore- cases or sporangia (Fig. +). They are usually clustered in dots or lines on the back or margin of a frond, either on or at the end of a small vein, or in spike-like racemes on separate stalks. Sori (singular sorus, a heap), or fruit dots may be naked as in the polypody, but are usually covered with a thin, delicate membrane, known as the indusium (Greek, a dress, or mantle). The family or genus of a fern is often determined by the shape of its indusium; e.g., the indusium of the woodsias is star- shaped; of the Dicksonias, cup-shaped; of the aspleniums, linear; of the wood ferns, kidney-shaped, ete. In many ferns the sporangia are surrounded in whole or in part by a vertical, elastic ring (annulus) reminding one of a small, brown worm closely coiled (Fig. 4). As the spores mature, the ring contracts and bursts with consider- able force, scattering the spores. The spores of the differ- ent genera mature at different times from May to Septem- ber. . Fruit in a club-shaped, brown or cinnamon-colored spike loaded with sporangia; fruit in early spring. Cinnamon Fern. Osminnda cinnamomea. Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 31 DD 3. Fruit in berry-like, ae greenish struc- a tures in a twice “ ‘7 ) pinnate spike, which comes up much later than the broad and coarse pinnatifid sterile fronds. Wet ground. Sensitive Fern. Onoclea. 4. Fruit in pod-like or necklace-like pinne; fertile frond pinnate; sterile frond tall, pinnatifid; fruit late. Ostrich Fern. Onoclea_ struthiop- teris. B. Fruitine Fronps Partiy STERILE 1. Fruiting portion in the middle of the frond; two to four pairs of fertile pinne. ome : Interrupted Fern. Osmunda Clay- ‘e toniana. 32 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 2. Fruiting portion at the apex of the frond. Sterile pinne palmate; rachis twining. Climbing Fern. Lygodiwm. Sterile pinne pinnate; fronds large, fertile portion green, turning brown, forming a panicle at the top. Royal Fern. Osmunda regalis. Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 3: ° 3. Fruiting portion seemingly on a separate stock a few inches above the sterile. Sterile part an entire, ovate, green Jeaf near the middle; fertile part a spike. Adder’s Tongue. O phioglossum. NA Winer Ca te a A I On Sterile portion more or less divided; fruit in racemes or panicles, rarely in spikes. Grape Ferns. Moonwort. Botrychium. 34 Tue Fern Lover’s CoMPAaNION Il Tuose Wuicu Have THE Fruiting PorTION ON THE Back orn Marcin or Fronps A. Inpusium WANTING 1. Fruit-dots large, roundish; fronds ever- green. Rock species. Polypody. Polypodium. 2. Fruit-dots small, roundish; fronds triangular. Beech Ferns. Phe- gopteris. Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 35 3. Fruit in lines on the mar- gin of the pinnules; under surface of the fronds covered with whitish powder. Cloak Ferns. Notholena. B. Inpusium Present 1. Sori on the edge of a pin- nule terminating a vein; sporangia at the base of a long, bristle-like recep- tacle surrounded by a cup-shaped indusium. ar Filmy Fern. Tricho- manes. 2. Indusium formed by the _ reflexed margin of the pinnules. (1) Sporangia on a continuous line; fronds large, ternate; indusium nar- row. Bracken. Brake. Pteris. 36 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion (2) Sporangia in oblong sori under a reflexed tooth of a pinnule; indusium broad; rachis dark and shin- ing. Maidenhair. eldiantum. (3) Sori in roundish or elon- gated masses. Indusium broad, nearly con- tinuous, fronds mostly smooth, somewhat leathery, pinnate. Rock species. — Cliff brakes. Pellea. Indusium narrow, seldom _ continuous, formed by the margin of separate lohes or of the whole pinnules; often inconspicuous, fronds usually hairy. Lip Ferns. Cheitlanthes. = oO YD Tune Fern Lover’s Companion Tndusium of the reflexed edges, at first reaching to the midrib, or nearly so; later opening out nearly flat; fruiting pinnules pod-like; sterile fronds broad. Rock brakes. Cryptogramma. 3. Indusium never formed of the mar- ein of the frond. Sori various. (1) Fruit-dots oblong, parallel with the midrib, somewhat sunken in the tissues of the frond. Water-loving species. Chain Ferns. Woodiwardia. (2) Fruit-dots and indusium roundish. Indusium shield-s ha ped, fixed by the center. Ever- ereen glossy ferns in rocky woods. Shield Ferns. Polystichum. 38 THe Fern Lover’s ComMPANION Indusium cor- date, fixed by the sinus. Wood Ferns. Aspi- dium. Indusium hood-shaped, fixed centrally behind the sorus and arching over it, soon wither- ing, often illusive. Fronds two to three pinnate, very grace- ful. Moisture-loving species. Bladder Ferns. ('ystopteris. Indusium star-shaped, of a few irregular segments fixed beneath the sorus, often obscure. Mostly small, rock-loving plants, usually rather chaffy, at least at the base, and growing in tufts. Woodsia, Tue Fern Lover's Companion 39 Indusium cup-shaped, fixed beneath the sorus, supported by the tooth of a leaf; sporangia borne in an elevated, globular receptacle open at the top. Fronds finely cut. Hayscented Fern. Dennstedtia. (3) Fruit-dots and indu- sium linear. (But see Athyrium.) Very long, nearly at right angles to the mid- rib, double; blade thick oblong-lanceolate, entire; heart- shaped at the base. Hart’s Tongue. Scolopendrium. Shorter and irregularly scattered on the under side of the frond, some parallel to the midrib, others oblique to it, and often in pairs or joined at the ends; blade tapering to a slender tip. Walking Fern. Camptosorus. 40 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion Short, straight, mostly oblique to the midrib. Indusium rather narrow, opening toward the midrib, fronds lobed or variously divided. Spleenworts. Asplentwm. Short, indusium usually more or less curved and frequently crossing a vein. The large spleenworts including Lady Fern. Athyrtim. DESCRIPTIVE TEXT OF THE FERNS In this manual our native ferns are grouped scienti- fically under five distinct families. By far the largest of these groups, and the first to he treated, is that of the real ferns (Polypodiacer) with sixty species and several chief varieties. Then follow the flowering ferns (Osmundacee) with three species; the curly grass and climbing ferns (Schizwacee) with two species; the adder's tongue and grape ferns (Ophioglossacee) with seven species; and the filmy ferns (Hymenophyllacea) with one species. Corresponding with these five families, the sporangia or spore cases of ferns have five quite distinct forms on which the families are founded. 1. The Fern Family proper (Polypodidcee) has the spore cases stalked and bound by a vertical, elastic ring (Fig. 1). The clusters of fruit-dots containing the spore cases may be open and naked as in polypody (Fig. 2), or covered by an indusium, as in the shield ferns (Fig. 3). 41 42 Tue Fern Lover’s ComMpsNion 2. The Royal Fern Family (Osmunda) has the spore cases stalked with only a rudimentary ring on one side, which opens lgngitudinally (Fig. 4). 3. The Climbing Fern Family (Lygodium, Schizea) has the spore cases sessile in rows; they are small, nut- like bodies with the elastic ring around the upper portion (Fig. 5):.* 4. The Adder’s Tongue Family (Ophiogléssum, Botry'- chium) has simple spore cases without a ring, and dis- charges its spores through a transverse slit (Fig. 6). 5. The Filmy Fern Family (Trichémanes) has the spore cases along a bristle-like receptacle and surrounded by an urn-shaped, slightly two-lipped involucre; ring transverse and opening vertically (Fig. 7). *These figures are enlarged. ee Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 43 THE FERN FAMILY PROPER OR REAL FERNS POLY PODIACE.E Green, leafy plants whose spores are borne in spore- cases (sporangia), which are collected in dots or clusters (fruit-dots or sori) on the back of the frond or form lines along the edge of its divisions. Sporangia surrounded by vertical, elastic rings bursting transversely and scattering the spores. Fruit-dots (sori) often covered, at least when young, by a membrane called the indusium. Spores brown. THE POLYPODIES 1. Porypopy. Polypodium From the Greek meaning many-footed, alluding to the branching rootstocks.) Simple ferns with stipes articulated to the creeping rootstocks, which are covered with brown, chaffy scales. Fruit-dots round, naked, arranged on the back of the frond in one or more rows each side of the midrib. Sporangia pedicelled, provided with a vertical ring which bursts transversely. A large genus with about 350. species, widely distributed, mostly in tropical regions. (1) Conmmon Potypopy. Polypodium vulgare Fronds somewhat leathery in texture, evergreen, four to ten inches tall, smooth, oblong, and nearly pinnate. The large fruit-dots nearly midway between the midrib and the margin, but nearer the margin. Common everywhere on cliffs, usually in half shade, and may at times spring out of decaying logs or the trunks of trees. As the jointed stipes, harking back to some ancient mode of fern growth, fall away from the rootstocks 44 THE Fern Lover’s Companion \ \ \ Common Polypody. Polypodin m vulgare after their year of greenness, they leave behind a scar as in Solomon's. seal. The polypody is a gregarious plant. By intertwining its roots the fronds cling together in “cheerful community,” and a friendly eve discovers their beauty a long way off. August. Abounds in every clime, including Europe and Japan. In transplanting, sections should be cut, not pulled from the matted mass. Var. cambricum has segments broader and more or less strongly toothed. Var. cristatum has the segments forked at the ends. Several other forms are also found. Tue Fern Lover's Companion 45 The Common Polypody. Polypodium vulgare (Photographed by Miles Greenwood, Melrose, Mass.) 46 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion (2) Gray or Hoary Potypopy Polypodium incanum. P. polypodidides Fronds oblong, two to seven inches long, deeply pin- natifid, gray and scurfy underneath with peltate scales having a dark center. Fruit-dots rather small, near the margin and obscured by the chaff. oC to. \) - — nr ‘i a ‘ i. oe pS per \ .) Gray or Hoary Polypody. Polypodium incanum In appearance the gray polypody is much like the common species, as the Greek ending oides (like) implies. In Florida and neighboring states it often grows on trees; farther north mostly on rocks. Reported as far north as Staten Island. It is one of the “resurrection” ferns, reviv- ing quickly by moisture after seeming to be dead from long drouth. July toSeptember. Widely distributed in tropi- cal America. Often called Tree-Polypody. THE BRACKEN GROUP Sporangia near or on the margin of the segments, the reflexed portions of which serve as indusia. 1. Bracken or BRAKE Pteris aquilina. PreRiptuM LaTivscuLuM* Fronds broadly triangular, ternate, one to three feet high or more, the widely spreading branches twice pinnate, the lower pinnules more or less pinnatifid. Sporangia borne in a continuous line along the lower margin of the ultimate divisions whose reflexed edges form the indusium. (Greek, pteron, a wing, the feathery fronds suggesting the wings of a bird.) “The heath this night must be my bed, The bracken curtain for my head.” Scorr. The outlines of the young bracken resemble the little oak fern. It flourishes in thickets and open pastures, often with poor soil and scant shade. It is found in all parts of the world, and is said to be the most common of * The use of small capitals in the scientific names indicates in part the newer nomenclature which many botanists are inclined to adopt. 47 oe n Bracken or Brake, a Sterile Frond. Pteris aquilina (Providence County, R. 1.) Commo Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 49 A Fertile Frond of Common Bracken. Pteris aquilina (Suffolk County, Mass.) 50 THE Fern Lover’s CompaNion all our North American ferns. In a cross section of the mature stipe superstition sees ‘‘the devil’s hoof” and “King Charles in the oak,” and any one may see or think he sees the outlines of an oak tree. It was the bracken, or eagle fern, as some call it, which was supposed to bear the mysterious ‘fern seed,’’ but only on midsummer eve (St. John’s eve). “But on St. John’s mysterious night, Contest the mystic fern seed fell.” This enabled its possessor to walk invisible. “We have the receipt for fern-seed, We walk invisible.” SHAKESPEARE. The word brake or bracken is one of the many plant names from which some of our English surnames are derived, as Brack, Breck, Brackenridge, etc., and fern (meaning the bracken) is seen in Fern, Fearns, Fernham, Fernel, Fernside, Farnsworth, etc. Also, in names of places as Ferney, Ferndale, Fernwood, and_ others. Although the bracken is coarse and common, it makes a desirable background for rockeries, or other fern masses. The young ferns should be transplanted in early spring with as much of the long, running rootstock as possible. Var. pseudocaudata has longer, narrower and more dis- tant pinnules, and is a common southern form. Ture Fern Lover's Companion Var. pseudocaudata ol 52 Tue Fern Lover's Companion 2. Maipennarr. Adiantum Ferns with much divided leaves and short, marginal sori borne at the ends of free-forking veins, on the under side of the reflexed and altered portion of the pinnules, which serves as an indusium. Stipes and branches of the leaves very slender and polished. (Greek, unwetted, because drops of water roll off without wetting the leaves.) (1) Common Matpennatr. -ldiantum pedatum A graceful fern of shady glen and rocky woodland, nine to eighteen inches high, the black, shining stalks forked at the top into two equal, recurved branches, the pinne all springing from the upper side. Pinnules triangular- oblong, bearing short sori on their inwardly reflexed margins which form the indusium. A Spray of Maidenhair Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 53 Fruiting Pinne of Maidenhair The maidenhair has a superficial resemblance to the meadow rue, which also sheds water, but it may be known at once by its black, shining stalks with their divisions all borne on one side. It is indeed a most delicate fern, known and admired by every one. The term maidenhair may have been suggested by the black, wiry roots growing from the slender rootstock, or by the dark, polished stems, or, as Clute explains it, “because the black roots, like hair, were supposed, according to the ‘doctrine of signatures’ to be good for falling hair, and the plant was actually used in the ‘syrup of capillaire’* (tim. Botanist, November, 1921). While the maidenhair is not very common, it is widely dis- *Tt may be stated that capillaire syrup besides the use here indicated was highly esteemed as a pectoral for the relief of difficult breathing. Common Maidenhair. Adiantum pedatum (Reading, Mass., Kingman) \ a r AS. A aH = Alpine Maidenhair. Adiantum pedatum, Var. aleuticum (Fernald and Collins, Gaspé County, Quebec, 1906) (From the Gray Herbarium) 56 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion tributed, being found throughout our section, westward to California, and northward to the British Provinces. “Though the maidenhair has a wide range, and grows abundantly in many localities, it possesses a quality of aloofness which adds to its charm. Its chosen haunts are dim, moist hollows in the woods, or shaded hillsides sloping to the river. In such retreats you find the feathery fronds tremulous on their glistening stalks, and in their neigh- borhood you find, also, the very spirit of the woods.” Mrs. Parsons. The fern is not hard to cultivate if allowed sufficient moisture and shade. Along with the ostrich fern it makes a most excellent combination in a fern border. Var, ALeuticum, or Alpine Maidenhair. A beautiful northern form especially abundant on the high tableland of the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec, where it is said to cover hundreds of acres. In the east it is often dwarfed — six to ten inches high, growing in tufts with stout rootstocks, having the pinnules finely toothed instead of rounded and the indusia often lunate, rarely twice as long as broad. (Fernald in Rhodora, November, 1905.) Also found in northern Vermont, and to the northwestward. (2) Tue Venus-nair Fern. cfdiantum Capillus-Venerts Fronds with a continuous main rachis, ovate-lanceolate, twice pinnate below. Pinnules fan-shaped on slender, black stalks, long, deeply and irregewlarly incised. Veins extending from the base of the pinnules like the ribs of a fan. While our common maidenhair is a northern fern, the Venus-hair Fern is confined to the southern states. It is Ture Fern Lover's Companion eldiantum Capillus-Venerts Venus Hair Fern. 58 Tue Fern Lover’s CoMpaNnion rarely found as far north as Virginia, where it meets, but scarcely overlaps its sister fern. The medicinal properties of Adiantum pedatum were earlier ascribed to the more southern species, which is common in Great Britain, but, like many another old remedy, “the syrup of capillaire”’ is long since defunct. 3. Curr Brakes. Pelldea Sporangia borne on the upper part of the free veins inside the margins, in dot-like masses, but may run together, as in the continuous fruiting line of the bracken. Indusium formed of the reflexed margins of the fertile segments which are more or less membranous. (Pella, from the Greek pellos, meaning dusky, in allusion to the dark stipes.) (1) Purete Curr Brake. Pellewa atropurpurea Stipes dark purple or reddish-brown, polished and decidedly hairy and harsh to the touch, at least on one side. Fronds coriaceous, pale, simply pinnate, or bipinnate below; the divisions broadly linear or oblong, or the sterile sometimes oval, chiefly entire, somewhat heart-shaped, or else truncate at the stalked base. Veins about twice forked. Basal scales extending into long, slender tips, colorless or yellow. Another name is “the winter brake,” as its fronds remain green throughout the winter, especially in its more southern ranges. It grows on rocky ledges with a prefer- ence for limestone, and often in full sun. In large and mature fronds its pinne are apt to be extremely irregular. Tue Fern Lover’s Companion Me ff Purple Cliff Brake. Pellea atropurpurea 59 60 Tue Fern Lover's Companion While its stipes are purplish, its leaves are bluish-green, and its seales light-brown or vellow. Strange to say, this brake of the cliffs thrives in cultivation. Woolson says of it, “This fern is interesting and valuable. It is not only beautiful in design, but unique in color, a dark blue-green emphasizing all the varying tints about it — a first-class fern for indoor winter cultivation. It is a rapid grower, flourishing but a few feet from coal fire or radiator, in a north or south window. It quickly forgives neglect, and if allowed to dry up out of doors or indoors, recovers in due time when put in a moist atmosphere. It makes but one imperative demand, and that is the privilege of standing still. Overzealous culturists usually like to turn things around, but revolving cliffs are not in the natural order of things. The slender black stipes are very susceptible to changes of light and warped and twisted fronds result.” Dry, calcareous rocks, southern New England and westward. Rare. Var. cristata has forked pinnae some- what crowded toward the summit of the frond. Missouri. (2) Smooru Ciirre BRAKE Pellaea glabella, Pelldea atropurpurea, var. Bushii Naked with a few, scattered, spreading hairs, smooth surface and dark polished stipes. Rhizome short with membranous, orange or brown scales having a few bluntish teeth on each edge. Pinne sub-opposite, divergent, narrowly oblong, obtuse; base truncate, cordate or clasp- ing, occasionally auricled; lower pinne often with orbicu- lar or cordate pinnules. Sterile pinne broader, bluish or greenish glaucous ahove, often crowded to overlapping. THe Fern Lover’s Companion 61 The smooth cliff brake has a decidedly northern range, growing from northern Vermont to Missouri, and north- westward, but found rarely, if at all, in southern New Eneland. Dense Cliff Brake. Cryptogramma densa (3) Dense Curr BRAKE Cryptogrdmma densa. Pellaca densa Modern hotanists are inclined to place the dense cliff brake and the slender cliff brake under the genus Cryp- togrdmma, which is so nearly like Pellaea that one hesitates to choose between them. The word Cryptogramma means 62 Tue Fern Lover's Companion in Greek a hidden line, alluding to the line of sporangia hidden beneath the reflexed margin. The dense cliff brake may be described as follows: Stipes three to nine inches tall, blades one to three inches, triangular-ovate, pinnate at the summit, and tripinnate below. Segments linear, sharp-pointed, mostly fertile, having the margins entire and recurved, giving the sori the appearance of half-open pods. Sterile fronds sharply serrate. Stipes in dense tufts (‘densa’) slender, wiry, light-brown. This rare little fern is a northern species and springs from tiny crevices in rocks, preferring limestone. Like many other rock-loving species, it produces spores in abundance, having no other effective means of spreading, and its fertile fronds are much more numerous than the sterile ones, and begin to fruit when very small. Gaspé and Mt. Albert in the Province of Quebec, Grey County, Ontario, and in the far west. (4) SLENDER CLIFF BRAKE Cryptogrdmma Stellért. Pellaéa gracilis Yplog { Fronds (including stipes) three to six inches long, thin and slender with few pinne. The lower pinne pinnately parted into three to five divisions, those of the fertile fronds oblong or linear-oblong; those of the sterile, obovate or ovate, crenulate, decurrent at the base. Confined to limestone rocks. Quebec and New Brunswick, to Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and to the northwest. Tue Fern Lover’s COMPANION 63 Le Slender Cliff Brake. Cryptogramma Stellert We have collected this dainty and attractive little fern on the limestone cliffs of Mt. Horr, near Willoughby Lake, Vt. It grew in a rocky grotto whose sides were kept moist by dripping water. How we liked to linger near its charm- ing abode high on the cliff! And we liked also to speak of it by its pleasing, simple name, “Pellwa gracilis,’ now changed for scientific reasons, but we still like the old name better. (5) Tue Rock Brake. Parstey FERN Cryptogrdmma acrostichoides Sterile and fertile fronds very dissimilar; segments of the fertile, linear and pod-like; of the sterile, ovate-oblong, obtuse, and toothed. The plants spring from crevices of 64 Tue Fern Lover’s CoMpaNnion Parsley Fern or Rock Brake. Cryptogramma acrostichoides (California and Oregon) (Herbarium of Geo. E. Davenport) Tue Fern Lover's CoMPaNnion 65 rocks and are from six to eight inches high. Stipes of the fertile fronds are about twice as long as the sterile, making two tiers of fronds. The parsley fern is the typical species of the genus Cryptogramma. The indusium is formed of the altered margin of the pinnule, at first reflexed to the midrib, giving it a pod-like appearance, but at length opening out flat and exposing the sporangia. Clute, speaking of this fern as ‘the rock brake,”’ calls it a border species, as its home is in the far north — Arctic America to Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Colorado and California. 4. Liv Ferns. Cheildnthes Mostly small southern ferns growing on rocks, pubes- cent or tomentose with much divided leaves. Sori at the end of the veins at first small and roundish, but afterwards more or less confluent. The indusium whitish and some- times herbaceous, formed of the reflexed margin of the lobes or of the whole pinnule. Veins free, but often obscure. Most of the ferns of this genus grow in dry, exposed situations, where rain is sometimes absent for weeks and months. For this reason they protect them- selves by a covering of hairs, scales or wool, which hinders the evaporation of water from the plant by holding a layer of more or less saturated air near the surface of the frond. (In Greek the word means lip flower, alluding to the lip-like indusia.) (1) Avapama Lip Fern. Cheildnthes alabaménsis Fronds smooth, two to ten inches long, lanceolate, bipinnate. Pinne numerous, oblong-lanceolate, the lower Tur Fern Lover's ComMPANION 66 7 Cheilanthes alaba menstis > Henry Holt & Co.) Alabama Lip Fern. (From W aters’s ‘Ferns,’ Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 67 usually smaller than those above. Pinnules triangular- oblong, mostly acute, often auricular or lobed at the base. Indusia pale, membranous and continuous except between the lobes. Stipes black, slender and tomentose at the hase. This species of lip fern may be distinguished from all the others within our limits by its smooth pinne. On rocks — mountains of Virginia to Kentucky, and Alabama, and westward to Arizona. (2) Harry Lire Fern. Cheildnthes lanosa, C. véstita 2 Hairy Lip Fern 68 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion Fronds twice pinnate, lanceolate with oblong, pinnatifid pinnules; seven to fifteen inches tall, slender and rough with rusty, jointed hairs. Pinne triangular-ovate, usually distant, the ends of the rounded lobes reflexed and forming separate involucres which are pushed back by the ripening sporangia. This species like the other lip ferns is fond of rocks, springing from clefts and ledges. While hairy it is much less tomentose than the two following species. Unlike most of the rock-loving ferns this species is not partial to limestone, but grows on other rocks as well. It has been found as far north as New Haven, Conn., also near New York, and in New Jersey, Georgia, and westward to Wyoming and southward. (3) Wootty Lip Fern. Cheildnthes tomentosa Fronds eight to eighteen inches long, lanceolate-oblong, tripinnate. Pinnz and pinnules ovate-oblong, densely woolly especially beneath, with slender, whitish, obscurely jointed hairs. Of the ultimate segments the terminal one is twice as long as the others. Pinnules distant, the reflexed, narrow margin forming a continuous. membra- nous indusium. Stipe stout, dark brown, densely woolly. By donning its thick coat of wool this species is pre- pared to grow in the most exposed situations of the arid southwest. It is said to be the “rarest, tallest and hand- somest of the lip ferns.” Mountains of Virginia and Kentucky to Georgia, and west to Missouri, Texas and Arizona. Tue Fern Lover's Companion 69 (4) SLENDER Lip Fern Cheildnthes Féei, C. lanuginosa Stipes densely tufted, slender, at first hairy, dark brown, shining. Fronds three to eight inches long, ovate- lanceolate, with thickish, distinctly articulated hairs, twice or thrice pinnate. Pinnz ovate, the lowest deltoid. Pinnules divided into minute, densely crowded segments, the herbaceous margin recurved and forming an almost continuous indusium. \ Slender Lip Fern The slender lip fern, known also as Fée’s fern, is much the smallest of the lip ferns, averaging, Clute tells us, ‘but two inches high.” This is only one-third as tall as the woolly lip fern and need not be mistaken for it. The fronds form tangled mats difficult to unravel. It grows on dry rocks and cliffs — Hlinois and Minnesota to British Columbia, and south to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. 70 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion Pinna of Slender Lip Fern. Cheilanthes Féea (From Waters’s ‘Ferns,’ Henry Holt & Co.) x = Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 5. Cuoak Fern. Notholaena Small ferns with fruit-dots borne beneath the revolute margin of the pinnules, at first roundish, but soon confluent into a narrow band without indusium. Veins free. Fronds one to several times pinnate, the lower surface hairy, or tomentose or powdery. Includes about forty species, mostly American, but only one within our limits. (Greek name means spurious cloak, alluding to the rudi- mentary or counterfeit indusium.) (1) Powperry Cioak Fern. Notholaena dealbata Fronds two to six inches long, triangular-ovate, acute, broadest at the base, tripinnate. Stalks tufted, wiry, shining, dark brown. Upper surface of the very small seg- ments green, smooth, the lower densely coated with a pure, white powder; hence, the specific name dealbata, which means whitened. Sori brown at length; veins free. There are several species of cloak ferns, but only one within our limits. The dry, white powder which covers them doubtless is designed to protect them from too rapid evaporation of moisture, as they all inhabit dry and sunny places. This delicate rock-loving fern is found in the clefts of dry limestone rocks in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and southwestward. Tue Cuain Ferns. Woodwardia Large and somewhat coarse ferns of swampy woods with pinnate or nearly two-pinnate fronds, and oblong or linear fruit-dots, arranged in one or more chain-like rows, =~} lo Tuer Fern Lover's Companion Powdery Cloak Fern. Notholaena dealbata (Kansas) (G. E. Davenport) The Common Chain Fern. Woodwardia virginica 74 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion parallel to and near the midribs. Indusium fixed by its outer margin to a veinlet and opening on the inner side. In our section there are two species. (Named for Thomas J. Woodward, an English botanist.) (1) THe Common Cuatn Fern. Woodwardia virginica Sterile and fertile fronds similar in outline, two to four feet high, once pinnate, the pinne deeply incised with oblong segments. Fruit-dots oblong in chain-like rows along the midrib both of the pinne and the lobes, con- fluent when ripe. Veins forming narrow rows of net-like spaces (areoles) beneath the fruit-dots, thence free to the margin. The spores ripen in July. The sterile fronds resemble those of the cinnamon fern, but the latter grow in crowns, with a single frond in the center, while the fronds of the chain fern rise singly from the creeping rootstock, which sends them up at intervals all summer. The sori are borne on the backs of fertile fronds. There are usually more sterile than fertile blades, especially in dense shade. We have waded repeatedly through a miry swamp in Melrose, Mass., where the wild calla flourishes along with the blueberry and other swamp bushes, and have found the chain fern in several shaded spots, but every frond was sterile. It is said that when exposed to the sun it always faces the south. Swamps, Maine to Florida, especially along the Atlantic Coast, and often in company with the narrow-leaved species. Tur Fern Lover’s Companion Net-Veined Chain Fern. Woodwardia areolata (Stratford, Conn.) 76 Tue Fern Lover’s ComMpanion (2) NET-VEINED CHAIN FERN NARROW-LEAVED CHAIN FERN Woodwardia areolata. W. angustifolia Rootstocks creeping and chaffy. Sterile and fertile fronds unlike; sterile ones nine to twelve inches tall, deltoid-ovate. Broadest at the base, with lanceolate, serrulate divisions united by a broad wing. Veins areo- late; fertile fronds taller, twelve to twenty inches high with narrowly linear divisions, the areoles and fruit-dots in a single row each side of the secondary midrib, the latter sunk in the tissues. This species is less common than the Virginia fern, but they often grow near each other. We have collected both in the Blue Hill reservation near Boston, and both have been found in Hingham, Medford, and Reading, and doubtless in other towns along the coast. Mrs. Parsons speaks of finding them in the flat, sandy country near Buzzard’s Bay. The net-veined species has some resem- blance to the sensitive fern, but in the latter the spore cases are shut up in small pods formed by the contracting and rolling up of the lobes, whereas the chain fern bears its sori on the under side of long, narrow pinne. Besides, the sterile fronds of the latter have serrulate segments. As in the sensitive fern there are many curious gradations between the fertile and sterile fronds, both in shape and fruitfulness. Waters calls them the “obtustlobata form.” fr shiomemey if 2 3 % Tue Fern Lover’s Companion ~~ wD THE SPLEENWORTS A. Tue Rock SpteENworts. >SUESSP > : ee a» Pinne and Sori of Athyrium angustifolium Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 103 HART'S TONGUE Scolopéndrium. PHyiiitis Sori linear, a row on either side of the midvein, and at right angles to it, the indusium appearing to be double. (Scolopendrium is the Greek for centipede, whose feet the sori were thought to resemble. Phyilitis is the ancient Greek name for a fern.) Only one species in the United States. (1) Scolopendrium vulgare PHYLLITIS SCOLOPENDRIUM Fronds thick and leathery, oblong-lanceolate from an auricled, heart-shaped hase, ten to twenty inches long and one to two inches wide. Margin entire, bright green. ‘ 4 us Fe Sori of Scolopendrium vulgare In shaded ravines under limestone cliffs. Chittenango Falls, and Scolopendrium Lake, central New York, and Tennessee. Also, locally in Ontario and New Brunswick. One of the rarest of our native ferns, although very com- mon in Great Britain. This plant is said to be easily cultivated, and to produce numerous varieties. Accord- ing to Woolson, “No rockery is complete without the Hart’s Tongue, the long, glossy, undulating fronds of which are sufficiently unique to distinguish any collec- tion.” In cultivation it ‘needs light protection through the winter in northern New England.” 104 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion Hart’s Tongue. Scolopendrium vulgare (Base of calcareous rocks, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada) Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 105 WALKING Fern. Waking Lear Cam ptosorus Fruit-dots oblong or linear as in Asplenium, but irregu- larly scattered on either side of the reticulated veins of the simple frond, the outer ones sometimes confluent at their ends, forming crooked lines (hence, the name from the Greek meaning crooked sori). Only one species within our limits. Camptosorus rhizophillus Fronds evergreen, leathery, four to eighteen inches long, heart-shaped at the base, but tapering towards the apex, which often roots and forms a new plant. Veins reticu- lated. The auricles of this species are sometimes elongated and may even take root. This curious and interesting fern is one of the finest for rockeries, the tips taking root in rock-fissures. Shaded limestone, or sometimes other rocks. Shapleigh and Winthrop, Me., rarely in New Hampshire (Lebanon), and Connecticut, Mt. Toby, Mass., and western New England; also Canada to Georgia and westward. 106 Tue Fern Lover’s Companion eo; Walking Fern. Camptosorus rhizophyllus - Tue Fern Lover’s CoMpanion 107 THE SHIELD FERNS Tue Curistuas AND Hotiy FERNS Polystichum These have been grouped with the wood ferns, but are now usually placed under the genus Polistichum, which has the sori round and covered with a circular indusium fixed to the frond by its depressed center. The wood ferns, on the other hand, have a kidney-shaped indusium attached to the fronds by the sinus. (Poljjstichum is the Greek for many rows, the sori of some species being in many ranks.) (1) Tur Crristuas Fern Polistichum acrostichoides. Aspidium acrostichoides Stipes clothed with pale, brown scales. Frond rigid and evergreen, one to two feet long, lanceolate, pinnate. Pinne linear-lanceolate, seythe-shaped, auricled on the upper side, and with bristly teeth; fertile pinne con- tracted toward the top, bearing two rows of sori, which soon become confluent and cover the entire surface. Indusium orbicular, fixed by its depressed center. F. incisum is a form in which the pinne are much incised. F. crispum has the edges of its pinne crisped and ruffled. 108 THE Fern Lover’s CoMPaNIoNn The name Christmas fern, due to John Robinson, of Salem, Mass., suggests its fitness for winter decoration. Its deep green and glossy fronds insure it a welcome at Christmas time. “Its mission is to cheer the winter months and enhance the beauty of the other ferns by con- trast.’ In transplanting, a generous mass of earth should be included and its roots should not be disturbed. Christmas Fern. Polystichum acrostichoides 109 Tue Fern Lover’s CoMpANION Ss hum acrostichoide ystic Pol Fern. Christmas Christmas Fern. Polystichium acrostichoides Top, Forked Form: Bottom, {ncised Form (Maine) Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 111 (2) Braun’s Houry Fern Polystichum Braunii. Aspidium aculedtum Braanti Fronds thick, rigid, one to two feet long, spreading, lanceolate, tapering both ways, bipinnate. Pinnules ovate or oblong, truncate, nearly rectangular at the base, sharply toothed and covered beneath with chaff and hairs. Fruit-dots small and near the midveins. Indusium orbicu- lar, entire. Stipes chaffy with brown scales. This handsome fern is rather common in northern New Eneland. We have collected it in the Willoughby Lake region, Vt., and it is found at Mt. Mansfield, Randolph, and elsewhere in that state; also at Gorham, N. H., and Fernald reports it as common in northern Maine. It also grows in the mountains of New York and Penn- sylvania, and westward. It was formerly thought to be a variety of the prickly shield fern (P. aculeatian), which has a very wide range and numerous varieties. The fronds remain green through the winter but the stipes weaken and fall over. (3) Hotiy Fern. Polystichum Lonchitis Fronds linear-lanceolate, short-stalked and rigid, eight to fifteen inches long. Pinne broadly lanceolate-faleate or the lowest triangular, strongly auricled on the upper side, densely spinulose-toothed. Sori midway between the margin and midrib. The name holly fern suggests its resemblance to holly leaves with their bristle-tipped teeth. The specific name lonchitis (like a spear) refers to its sharp teeth. A northern species growing in rocky woods from Labrador to Alaska, Polystichum Braunit (Herbarium of G.H. T.) Braun’s Holly Fern. (Willoughby Mountain, Vt.) Tue Fern Lover’s Companion 113 Holly Fern. Polystichum Lonchitis (Nottawasaga, Canada, West, Right, Alaska, Left) (Herbarium of G. E. Davenport) 114 THE Fern Lover’s COMPANION and south to Niagara Falls, Lake Superior and westward. Its southern limits nearly coincide with the northern limits of the Christmas fern. THE MARSH FERN TRIBE Under this designation Clute has grouped three of the shield ferns, which have a close family resemblance, and has thus distinguished them from the wood ferns, which also belong to the shield fern family. (1) Tue Marsu Fern Lspidium theljpteris. THELYPTERIS PALUSTRIS Dryépteris thelipteris. Nephrodium thelypteris These are all good names and each one is worthy to be chosen. Aspidium, Greek for shield, in use for a century, adopted in all the seven editions of Gray’s Manual, is stall the most familiar and pleasing term to its friends. Drydp- teris, Greek for oak fern, has been chosen by Underwood The Marsh Fern Tue Fern Lover’s CompaNnton 115 and Britton and Brown and has grown in favor. Nephro- dium, meaning kidney-like, favored by Davenport, Waters and, of late, Clute, is a most fitting name. THELYPTERIS, meaning lady fern, is found to be the earliest name in use and according to rule the correct one. The Marsh Fern. Aspidium Thelypteris Fronds pinnate, lanceolate, slightly or not at all nar- rowed at the base. Pinne horizontal or shghtly recurved, linear-lanceolate and deeply pinnatifid. Lobes obtuse, but appear acute when their margins are reflexed over the sori. Veins once forked. Indusium minute. Stipes tall, 116 Tue Fern Lover’s CoMpaNnion lifting the blades ten to fifteen inches above the mud, whence they spring. The fronds of the marsh fern are apt to be sterile in deep shade. It may be readily distinguished from the New York fern by its broad base, instead of tapering to very small pinne; by its long stalk, lifting the blade up into the sunlight, and by the revolute margins of the fertile fronds, which have suggested for it the name of “‘snuff-box”’ fern. It is separated from the Massachusetts fern by its forked veins. Common in marshes and damp woodlands; Canada to Florida and westward. While the marsh fern loves moisture and shade it is sometimes found in dry, open fields. Miss Lilian A. Cole, of Union, Me., reports a colony as growing on land above the swale in which Tway- blade and Adder’s Tongue are found, “‘around rock heaps in open sunlight on clay soil, but homely and twisted,” as if a former woodsy environment had been long since cleared away while the deserted ferns persisted. (2) MassacHusEetts FERN Aspidium simulatum. THELYPTERIS SIMULATA Dry6dpteris simulata. Nephrodium simulatum Fronds pinnate, one to three feet long, oblong-lanceo- late, somewhat narrowed at the base. Pinne lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid, the lower most often turned inward. Veins simple. Indusium glandular. Sori rather large. Resembles the marsh fern, of which it was once thought to be a variety. In some respects it is also like the New York fern, and is in fact intermediate between the two. Tue Fern Lover’s CoMPANION 117 Massachusetts Fern.