FOUR CURIOUS FERNS
The three species which must now be described would hardly be recognized
as Ferns at all by most people. It has been indicated in an earlier
chapter that there is really some doubt as to their true position, but
for the sake of convenience they are here included amongst the Ferns. All
the British species of the family Ophioglosseæ are somewhat inconspicuous
plants, owing to their habit of growing mixed up with a lot of herbage.
_Ophioglossum vulgatum._ The generic name is formed of two Greek
words—_ophios_, “a snake,” and _glossa_, “a tongue”; a reference to the
fact that the barren leaf was thought to bear a resemblance to a snake’s
tongue, though it must be confessed that the likeness is not very
apparent. The word “vulgatum” is, of course, Latin for “Common.” The
Common Adder’s Tongue.
In this species the frond is very definitely divided into two parts, a
leafy portion and a spike. These are borne on a stalk about six inches in
length which arises from a fleshy root-stock. The roots of the Common
Adder’s Tongue are quite coarse and entirely unlike the wiry roots of the
majority of ferns. The leafy or barren portion of this curious frond is
not divided in any way and is roughly egg-shaped. The fertile portion is
in the form of a stalked spike, the spore cases being arranged on either
side in double rows. The capsules are rounded in form and have no elastic
ring, but open transversely when the contents are ripe. Attention should
be called to the beautiful veining of the barren leaf of the Common
Adder’s Tongue, which forms a perfect network through the green tissue.
[Illustration: Ophioglossum vulgatum. The Adder’s Tongue.]
The Common Adder’s Tongue is really very abundant in many parts of
England. It should be looked for in damp meadows, and will probably be
difficult to find without a close search. It is not so abundant in
Scotland and Ireland. The only way to secure the plant safely for
cultivation is to cut up a piece of turf, and remove the whole thing into
a position where the soil is moist and rich. The Common Adder’s Tongue is
not very often cultivated, as from the gardener’s point of view its
decorative value is small. The new frond of the Common Adder’s Tongue is
fully developed by June, and it disappears early in the autumn.
_Ophioglossum lusitanicum._ Here the specific name is taken from
Lusitania, the old designation of Portugal—a reference to the fact that
the species is abundant in that country, as indeed it is in other parts
of Southern Europe. The Little Adder’s Tongue.
This plant is really a miniature addition of the former species. There is
no doubt, however, that it is to be regarded as a distinct type, although
at one time it was thought to be merely a variety of _O. vulgatum_.
As far as the United Kingdom is concerned the Little Adder’s Tongue has
only been discovered in one or two localities. Some years ago it was
stated to have been found in Cornwall, and it certainly used to occur in
Guernsey.
_Botrychium lunaria._ The generic name in this case comes from a Greek
word which means “a cluster,” this being a reference to the packed sori
of the fertile pinnæ. The specific name comes from the Latin _luna_, “the
moon,”—an allusion to the curiously-shaped pinnæ on the barren part of
the frond. The Moonwort.
[Illustration: Botrychium lunaria. The Moonwort.]
This is an interesting species which is easily distinguished from the
Adder’s Tongue. The plant has a fleshy root-stock from which arises a
frond divided into two parts, a leafy portion and a fertile branch. The
whole frond is about six or eight inches in height, and the stipes is
usually more than half the entire measurement. The leafy branch is
pinnate, and its divisions are curious crescent-shaped processes which
may be toothed round the edges. These are usually rather crowded together
on the stem. The fertile portion of the frond is very upright, and bears
about the same number of branches to be counted on the leafy portion.
These branches are again divided into sections which bear the clusters of
spore cases. These are of a reddish-brown colour and burst open when the
contents are mature, in the same manner as that to be seen in the Adder’s
Tongue. In the Moonwort, as in the previous species, it is possible to
find the next year’s frond concealed at the apex of the root-stock.
The Moonwort grows in drier situations than that which suits the Adder’s
Tongue. It is abundant in many parts of England, and is a very common
plant in localities in Yorkshire. The species also occurs in other parts
of the United Kingdom, though on account of its habit of growing mixed up
with grass, the Moonwort is often overlooked.
The following is the only indigenous species related to the Gold and
Silver Ferns of our greenhouses:—
_Gymnogramma leptophylla._ The generic name is derived from two Greek
words—_gymnos_, “naked,” and _gramme_, “a line”; an allusion to the
unprotected sporangia. The specific name means “slender leaf.” The Annual
Maidenhair.
This is a pretty little species with barren and fertile fronds of a
bright green colour. In some respects the fronds resemble those of the
true Maidenhair. The Annual Maidenhair only occurs in Jersey, as far as
the United Kingdom is concerned.