(1) THE CHRISTMAS FERN
Polýstichum acrostichòides. Aspídium acrostichòides
Stipes clothed with pale, brown scales. Frond rigid and evergreen, one to two feet long, lanceolate, pinnate. Pinnæ linear-lanceolate, scythe-shaped, auricled on the upper side, and with bristly teeth; fertile pinnæ contracted 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. incìsum is a form in which the pinnæ are much incised.
F. críspum has the edges of its pinnæ crisped and ruffled. 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 contrast." In transplanting, a generous mass of earth should be included and its roots should not be disturbed.
[Illustration: Christmas Fern. Polystichum acrostichoides]
[Illustration: Christmas Fern. Polystichum acrostichoides]
[Illustration: Christmas Fern. Polystichum acrostichoides Top, Forked Form; Bottom, Incised Form (Maine)]