CHAPTER XIV
THE CULTURE OF FERNS

It goes without saying that Ferns of all kinds are interesting plants to grow in the garden and house. A few suggestions as to the culture of the various species described has been appended in each case, but one or two general remarks may not be out of place. First of all, it is desired to correct the popular impression that Ferns are happiest in very wet situations; true, these plants like plenty of moisture, but only one or two of the British species are ever found actually growing with their roots in water. On this account, great care should be taken to provide well-drained positions. The best kind of rockery should not be solid earth all through, and the plants will grow much better if there is a core of heaped stones covered with a deep layer of soil. Of course, shade is very desirable, and hardly any Ferns, even those kinds which grow on walls, are seen at their best in very sunny positions. Happily in most gardens it is possible to find a border with a northern aspect on which it is not easy to grow flowering plants with much success; in such a position Ferns will find a home that will suit them admirably.

Of course it is only the hardiest Ferns which can be expected to grow well in the town garden. Many of the common, and strong-growing species, however, do very well anywhere, the only attention which they require being an occasional watering in dry summers. This will often save the foliage from drying up, a happening which makes the plants rather unsightly. Where the outside conditions are not very favourable, practically all the British species may be grown with ease under glass. In such conditions many kinds which do not flourish very freely in the open garden, grow into handsome specimens. A case in point is the Sea Spleenwort, which is an exceedingly difficult subject to establish out of doors, yet it grows well as a pot plant. Whatever the species, it is well to imitate the natural conditions as much as possible in the way of soil. For instance, the Limestone Polypody is not happy unless there is a certain amount of lime present in the soil. Ferns with upright root-stocks do well in ordinary pots, but those which produce creeping rhizomes are best accommodated in pans or baskets. One wonders why even some of the common British Ferns are not more generally cultivated in rooms. Small plants of the Lady Fern, for instance, make charming specimens, and in the comparatively dense shade of the apartment the fronds are unusually delicate in their form and colouring. In all forms of room culture the great enemy is the dust which settles so freely on the fronds, and the only way in which to combat this is through the agency of frequent syringings.

Fern cases were very much in vogue some years ago, and this is really a very delightful way of cultivating the plants. Of course, the old Wardian cases can often be picked up at second-hand shops, but one of the simplest devices is formed with the aid of a cloche similar to those commonly used in French gardening. It is only necessary to have a zinc, or a galvanized tray on which to stand the glass in an inverted position. Some means or other should be devised for the drawing off of the superfluous water from the tray, and the simplest of all is to arrange a hole which can be stopped with a cork. Broken crocks should be strewn upon the tray, and on to this is heaped peaty soil mixed with sand. A few small rocks of some soft stone may be added, and in between these the Ferns are planted. Of course, the Filmy Ferns (Hymenophyllum) and the Bristle Ferns are good subjects, but many other species may be grown with great success in this way. The two chief dangers are a very rank growth, by means of which the stronger subjects overwhelm the less vigorous plants, and too much moisture. Where the dampness is excessive the fronds take on an unhealthy appearance, and mould may appear. The case should at such times be opened for a few hours each day to admit the drying air. The case may be kept in a light position, and when once under way it will rarely need any additional water.

A very interesting practice is the raising of young Ferns from spores. This is really a very simple undertaking, and almost always meets with success if the precaution is taken to sterilize the soil used by baking it in an oven. Afterwards it is, of course, necessary to moisten the mould, and the spores are then scattered on the surface. Keep closely covered with a bell glass and, in a few weeks, more or less, the baby Ferns will start to put in an appearance.

Those who take up the cultivation of British Ferns will certainly become interested in the immense range of varieties which some species have produced. Not a few of these are extremely beautiful, and are well worth growing on this account, quite apart from their peculiarity.

INDEX

A
Acrosticheæ, 10
Adder’s Tongue, 11
Adiantum capillus-veneris, 9, 41
Algae, 1
Alpine Club Moss, 105
Alpine Polypody, 92
Alpine Woodsia, 61
Alternate-leaved Spleenwort, 69
Alternation of generation, 2
Annual Maidenhair, 10, 100
Annulus, 8, 14
Antheridia, 17
Archegonia, 17
Aspidieæ, 10, 46
Aspidium aculeatum, 59
angulare, 60
filix-mas, 46
lonchitis, 57
Asplenieæ, 10, 66
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, 10, 73
bulbiferum, 3
ceterach, 77
filix-fæmina, 66
germanicum, 69
lanceolatum, 74
marinum, 75
ruta-muraria, 10, 70
septentrionale, 68
trichomanes, 78
viride, 80
Athyrium filix-fæmina, 10, 66
Azolla, 7, 12, 110
B
Beech Fern, 10, 89
Bennittiteæ, 25
Black Maidenhair Spleenwort, 10, 73
Bladder Ferns, 10
Blechnum boreale, 84
spicant, 84
Blunt-topped Horsetail, 116
Botrychium lunaria, 11, 98
Bracken Fern, 3, 9, 29, 38
Bristle Fern, 8, 33, 131
Brittle Bladder Fern, 63
Buck’s Horn Plantain, 69
C
Calamites, 28
Calamus, 28
Caudex, 4
Ceterach officinarum, 77
Classification of Ferns, 7 et seq.
Club Mosses, 6, 12, 26, 101
Classification of, 32
Economic importance of, 32
Life histories of, 30 et seq.
Number of species of, 30
Coal deposits, 25, 31
Common Adder’s Tongue, 96
Common Club Moss, 12, 19, 101
Common Polypody, 26
Common Rue, 71
Conifers, 27
Crested Buckler Fern, 53
Cryptogamme crispus, 9, 44
Cryptogams, 2
Cyatheaceæ, 11
Cycads, 25
Cystopteris, 10
alpina, 65
fragilis, 63
montana, 64
regia, 65
D
Davallia bullata, 9
Davalliaceæ, 9
Druery, Mr. C. T., 91, 123
Dutch Rush, 32, 120
E
Elaters, 21
Elba, 62
Embryo, 18
Endosperm, 27
English Maidenhair (see Maidenhair Spleenwort)
Equisetites, 28
Equisetum, 112 et seq.
arvense, 114
fluvialis, 116
hyemale, 32, 120
limosum, 118
maximum, 114
palustre, 118
pratense, 116
sylvaticum, 117
telmateia, 114
umbrosum, 116
variegatum, 119
F
Female organs (see Archegonia)
Fern cases, 130
Ferns, classification of, 7 et seq.
Collecting and preserving, 122 et seq.
Comparative sizes of, 29
Cultivation of, 129 et seq.
Economic importance of, 31
General characteristics of, 4 et seq.
Grown from spores, 131
Habitats of, 29, 128
In greenhouses, 130
Life histories of, 13 et seq.
Ferns, number of genera and species, 28
Reproduction of, 13 et seq.
Sometimes difficult to identify, 128
Where to find, 127
Fertilization of Ferns, 17 et seq.
Field Horsetail, 112
Filices, 8
Filmy Ferns, 2, 8, 33, 131
Fir Club Moss, 19, 103
Flowering Fern (see Royal Fern)
Flowering Plants, probable origin of, 26
Forked Spleenwort, 68
Fossil botany, 23 et seq.
Fronds, 4 et seq.
G
Gleicheniaceæ, 11
Gold and Silver Ferns, 10
Grammitideæ, 10
Great Horsetail, 114
Green Spleenwort, 80
Gymmogramma leptophylla, 10, 100
Gymnosperm, 27
Gymnospermæ, 27
H
Hard Fern, 84
Hard Prickly Shield Fern, 59
Hartstongue, 82
Hay-scented Buckler Fern, 55
Holly Fern, 57
Horsetails, 6, 27, 31, 112
Life histories of, 21
Hymenophyllaceæ, 8, 33
Hymenophyllum, 131
tunbridgensis, 8, 35
unilaterale, 36
Wilsoni, 8, 37
I
Indusium, 8, 14
Interrupted Club Moss, 106
Isoëtaceæ, 12
Isoëtes, 7
hystrix, 108
Isoëtes lacustris, 12, 107
L
Lady Fern, 10, 66, 130
Lanceolate Spleenwort, 74
Lastria æmula, 55
cristatum, 53
fæniscii, 55
filix-mas, 46
montana, 50
recurva, 55
rigidum, 56
Lepidodendraceæ, 12
Lesser Alpine Club Moss, 106
Life histories of Club Mosses, 18 et seq.
of Ferns, 3, 13 et seq.
of Horsetails, 21
Little Adder’s Tongue, 98
Limestone Polypody, 130
Lomaria spicant, 84
Lycopodiceæ, 12
Lycopodium, 12, 19
alpinum, 105
annotinum, 106
clavatum, 12, 19, 101
inundatum, 19, 30, 104
selago, 19, 103
Lycopodium Powder, 32
M
Maiden Hair, 9, 38, 41
Maidenhair Spleenwort, 78
Male Fern, 2, 10, 13, 46
Male organs (see Antheridia)
Malic acid, 18
Marattiaceæ, 11
Marsh Buckler Fern, 49
Marsh Club Moss, 104
Marsh Horsetail, 118
Marsiliaceæ, 12
Megasporangium, 20
Megaspores, 20
Microsporangium, 20
Microspores, 20
Moonwort, 11, 98
Mosses, 1
Mother cells, 15
Mountain Bladder Fern, 64
Mountain Buckler Fern, 50
Mountain Polypody (see Beech Fern)
N
Nephrodium æmulum, 55
cristatum, 52
dilatatum, 54
filix-mas, 10, 13, 46
montana, 50
oreopteris, 50
propinqua, 49
pseudo-mas, 49
rigidum, 56
spinulosum, 53
thelypteris, 49
uliginosa, 54
O
Oak Fern, 10, 90
Oblong Woodsia, 62
One-sided Filmy Fern, 37
Ophioglosseæ, 11, 96
Ophioglossum lusitanicum, 98
vulgatum, 11, 96
Osmunda regalis, 11, 93
Osmundaceæ, 11, 93,
Ovum, 18
P
Parsley Fern, 9, 44
Pepperworts, 12
Phanerogams, 22
Philotaceæ, 12
Pillwort, 2, 7, 12, 109
Pilularia globulifera, 12, 109
Pinnæ, 5
Pinnules, 5
Placenta, 14
Plantago coronopus, 69
Pollen grains, 27
Polypodiaceæ, 9, 10, 86
Polypodies, 86
Polypodium alpestre, 92
calcareum, 91
dryopteris, 10, 90
phegopteris, 10, 89
vulgare, 10, 86
Polystichum aculeatum, 59
angulare, 60
lonchitis, 57
Prickly Buckler Fern, 54
Prothallus, 17
Pseudathryrium alpestre, 92
Pterideæ, 38
Pteridosperms, 24
Pteris aquilina, 9, 38
Q
Quillwort, 7, 107
R
Rachis, 4
Reproduction, vegetative, 3
Reproduction of Ferns, 13 et seq.
Rhizocarpeæ, 12
Rhizome, 4
Ribbon Ferns, 38
Rigid Buckler Fern, 56
Roots, 5
Rough Horsetail, 120
Royal Fern, 11, 93
Rue-leaved Spleen wort, 71
Ruta graveolens, 71
S
Salvinia, 12
Salviniaceæ, 12
Scaly Spleen wort, 29, 77
Schizœaceæ, 11
Scolopendrium rhizophyllum, 3
vulgare, 81
Sea Spleenwort, 130
Seed, 27
Selaginella grandis, 30
spinosa, 12, 30, 106
Selaginellaceæ, 12, 26
Selaginellas, 30
Life histories of, 29
Sex organs, 17
Shade Horsetail, 116
Sigillariaceæ, 12
Smooth Naked Horsetail, 118
Soft Prickly Shield Fern, 60
Sori, 7, 14
Spermatozoids, 17
Spleenworts, 10, 66 et seq.
Sporangia, 6, 14
Spore cases (see Sporangia)
Spores, 5, 15 et seq.
Stag’s Horn Moss, 101
Stipes, 5
T
Three-branched Polypody (see Oak Fern)
Tree Ferns, 4, 11
Triangular Buckler Fern, 55
Trichomanes, 30
radicans, 8, 33
Tunbridge Filmy Fern, 35
V
Variegated Rough Horsetail, 119
Vascular Cryptogams, 1 et seq.
Economic importance of, 31
Vegetative reproduction, 3
W
Walking Fern, 3
Wall Rue, 10, 70
Wardian cases, 130
Water Club Mosses, 7
Water Fern, 7, 110
Water Horsetail, 118
Wolf’s Claw, 101
Wood Horsetail, 117
Woods, Mr. Joseph, 61
Woodsia hyperborea, 61
ilvensis, 62
Woodsias, 10

Printed by Morrison & Gibb Limited, Edinburgh


Transcriber’s Notes