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.
CHAPTER VI THE MALE FERN AND ITS RELATIVES
Apart from the Bracken Fern which, as we have seen, is abundant almost everywhere, there are few ferns more common than certain of the leading members of the sub-order Aspidieæ. The British representatives of this sub-order include the important genus _Nephrodium_, of which the Male Fern is the leading example. In addition we have the Shield Ferns (_Aspidium_), and also some interesting species gathered together under the genera _Woodsia_ and _Cystopteris_.