. Cassell's popular gardening. Gardening. FERNS. 49 the oosphere, and the new plant is formed. This draws its nourishment in the first instance from the prothalUum; hut the latter presently disappears, and the young fern hegins to put out independent roots. Geographical Distribution. â Ferns require shade and a damp atmosphere. They are most ahundant in tropical America, where they reach their maximum concentration " amongst the dripping rooks of the higher level of the Andes, the forests of their slopes and xavines, and the dense humid flats that horder the innumerable branches of the Am
. Cassell's popular gardening. Gardening. FERNS. 49 the oosphere, and the new plant is formed. This draws its nourishment in the first instance from the prothalUum; hut the latter presently disappears, and the young fern hegins to put out independent roots. Geographical Distribution. â Ferns require shade and a damp atmosphere. They are most ahundant in tropical America, where they reach their maximum concentration " amongst the dripping rooks of the higher level of the Andes, the forests of their slopes and xavines, and the dense humid flats that horder the innumerable branches of the Amazon, where the sun's rays and the wind never penetrate the recesses of the primeval jungles, and climbers and parasites contest with the leaves of bright flowering trees for the posses- sion of the ; Mr, Baker, from whose paper on the subject we â quote the foregoing passage, sum- marised the distribution of ferns thus: âTropical America, 950 species (42 per â cent, of all known ferns, three out of four not being found elsewhere); sally admired for the graceful lightness of their delicate green fronds, which the dark stalks throw into greater prominence; and so invaluable to the gardener from the profusion with which these fronds are produced. Perhaps no ferns are so much used with out flowers as the Maidenhairs. Extending widely, as they do, over the tropical and tempe- rate regions of both hemispheres, they find their headquarters in tropical Ainerica. About a hundred species of are known, and a. large number are in cultivation. Of the species requiring stove treatment, one of the most peculiar, although perhaps not of the most beautiful, is A. reni- forme, a native of Madeira and Tene- ri£Ee. This is distinguished at a glance by its simple roundly kidney-shaped Ironds, about two inches across, having the sori situated all round the edge; Pig. 1.âProtliaUium of Maiden- ., , j. jj. j jl_ js j. ⢠hair, seeo from below, witli the stems are tuf
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectgardening, bookyear1884
