How to Know the Ferns

by S. Leonard Bastin

Adiantum capillus-veneris. The Maidenhair Fern.

This is one of the most beautiful of our native ferns, and it would probably have been exterminated long ago in this country were it not that it so often grows in inaccessible positions. The True Maidenhair loves a position which is shady and where moisture is abundant. From a slender, creeping rhizome, which is black in colour, the fronds arise. These vary greatly in length, and may measure anything from six inches up to a foot, or even more, according to the conditions in which the plant is living. The stipes, which is usually about the same length as the leafy portion, is jet-black, and like the rachis and all its branchings, is of a very wiry nature. In a moderate-sized specimen the arrangement of the frond would be on the following lines. On either side of the rachis the pinnæ are produced; these usually branch alternately from the central stalk. The pinnæ bear fan-shaped pinnules, which are attached to the stalk of the leaf-division by very fine stalks. The margin of the pinnules is much notched and veined. Where the frond is of a very large size they may be divided three times.

Adiantum capillus-veneris. Enlarged view of back of frond.

In the case of a fertile frond the edges of the pinnules are turned back in a very striking way. If we turn up the fold, it is possible to see the sporangia arranged on the underside. Before the fertile leaf has reached maturity the upper part of the fold has a whitish appearance; finally it turns black.

The True Maidenhair Fern is more widely distributed than is generally supposed in the South of England and in Ireland. It is a delicate species, and, generally speaking, is restricted to those parts of the kingdom where the winter is mild. It may be seen growing abundantly on old quarries in Cornwall, as a rule quite out of reach. The Maidenhair Fern is a fairly easy plant to grow in pots, though it likes a moist atmosphere. Curiously enough, it is not so simple a plant to cultivate as some of the exotic species. The True Maidenhair is an evergreen plant.

Cryptogramme crispus. The generic name of this fern is derived from two Greek words, kruptos, “hidden,” and gramme, “a line,” having reference to the fact that when mature the sori are arranged in lines round the margins of the fronds. The specific name, crispus, is an apt one, when the crisped or curled appearance of the barren fronds is considered. In some books this species is called Allosorus crispus. The Parsley Fern.

A very attractive species bearing both barren and fertile fronds. The former in their general appearance certainly bear a resemblance to Parsley. The Parsley Fern has a thick root-stock from which the fronds grow up in tufts. The barren fronds, which will be considered first, grow to the height of about six to nine inches. The stipes is somewhat longer than the rachis, and it is of a whity-green colour. The outline of the barren frond is roughly triangular, the apex of the leaf being rather blunt. The pinnæ are placed alternately on either side of the main stem, and these bear pinnules which have their margins deeply cut. In very large specimens the fronds may be divided three times. The barren fronds grow on the outside of the tuft. The fertile frond is somewhat taller than the barren leaf, to which it bears a resemblance in its general form. The pinnæ, of course, are very much restricted. At first the sori are rounded, but as they mature they spread so as to form almost unbroken lines round the margins of the pinnules. The sori have indusia, but this is hidden by the margin of the pinnules, which are recurved.

There are few more local species than the Parsley Fern. The plant loves to grow amongst rocks which are often scattered about on the slopes of mountains. Its two chief strongholds seem to be the Snowdon district in Wales and the mountainous parts of Cumberland. In some localities of these districts the plant grows in the greatest abundance, happily often out of the reach of the tourist. The Parsley Fern has also been recorded in the West of England, and it occurs in Scotland. It is easily cultivated, if the fact is borne in mind that it is a rock species needing good drainage. It loses its bright, pretty colouring in a sunny position. The Parsley Fern sends up its green fronds in the month of May, and the fertile leaves follow soon after. The foliage disappears in the winter.