AMGUEDDFAGENEDLAETHOL CYMRU NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WALES WELSH FERNS A DESCRIPTIVE HANDBOOK By H. A. HYDE and A. E. WADE THIRD EDITION CARDIFF PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WALES 1954 REPRODUCED LITHOGRAPHICALLY IN GREA'l' DRITAIN Photo: D. G. H. Tttiton Frontispiece. COMl\ION FOLVPODV (Polypodium vulgare) GrOlving on the hunk of an oak tree PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION For this edition the authors have made only a few changes, prompted in the main by the writings of Professor Irene Manton, to whom their thaliks are due for permission to draw on her work. The greater part of the text has been lithographed from the Second Edition almost without alteration. In view of this, and to avoid unnecessary expense, capitals have been reta,ined for certain specific epithets, as the International Code allows. D. DILWYN JOHN, January 1954. Director. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION The text has been revised throughout 'for this edition, and . the opportunity has been taken to make v~rious minor alterations and improvements; no important change has been made, but a short section entitled' Hints to Collectors' has been added. D. DILWYN JOHN, ,October, 1948. Director. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION This the third of the series of Museum publications dealing with the botany of Wales has been written jointly by the Keeper of Botany and the Assistant in the Department. The former has written the Introduction and the various short notes on the interrelationships of the families and is responsible for the general plan of the work; the latter has compiled the notes relating to the distribution of the species in Wales and to 'first records'; and the descriptions which form the main feature of the work have been written jointly. The need for a simply written and inexpensive descriptive handbook to the Welsh Ferns is evident. Several such guides to British ferns in general were available to an earlier genera­ tion, and although these are all now in various ways out of date' in their outlook;s,everal of them are indispensable to the serious student; but nothing of the kind has been published for many years. Ferns, it is true, are treated, along with flowering plants, in the standard floras but only very briefly. In short, no comprehensive fern flora on the lines here attempted is now in print. The aim of the present work, therefore, is fIrst to enable the beginner, by means of the keys and the full descriptions which are given, and by tbe help also of the illustrations, to identify hi 1V PREFACE all the' ferns he sees growing wild in Wales; second, to present the Welsh ferns in an evolutionary setting and thus to display the interrelationships of the various families and subfamilies, and finally to suggest the relationships of the Welsh fern flora to that of the world in general. It should be added that brief accounts of British ferns which do not occur in Wales have been inserted, though in smailer type: it is hoped, therefore, that possessors of Welsh Ferns will find that its usefulness is not confined to the Principality. In the pursuance of their aims the authors have laid many investigators under contribution. Their descriptions, though written entirely anew from the plants themselves, owe much to the older authors whose works are listed in the Bibliography on p. 125. The brief account of fern evolution and the notes on family relationships are all inspired by the writings of Professor F. O. Bower, and thanks are due to him for his generous permission to draw on his work and especially on The Ferns (Filicales). A scheme of classification founded on Bower's researches was drawn up tentatively and in outline, but.was abandoned on the appearance of Dr. Carl Christensen's Filicinae which, thanks to the kihd permission of its author, now forms the taxonomic basis of the main text. It should be added that Professor Bower's conclusions are here presented in very summary form and that the wording of Dr. Christensen's diagnoses has been modified in many places ·(though their substance· remains unaltered): the present· authors must therefore accept full responsibility for what they themselves have written. The authors' thanks are tendered to Mr. A. H. G. Alston, B.A., F.L.s., of the British Musenm (Natural History), for his valuable advice and assistance in regard to nomenclature. They wish also to thank Mr. D. G. H. Tutton for the photograph of Polypodi·um vulgare which forms the Frontispiece, and Dr. R. W. Butcher and Miss Strudwick for permission to use Figute 67. The ·line drawings, which form the great bulk of the text figures and most of which are designed to illustrate features emphasised in the text, have been made from nature by Miss E. A. Jenkins, B.Sc., working nnder the direction of the authors. Figures I to 3 and 5 to 9 are reproduced by arrangement with Messrs. Macmillan and Co., Ltd., Figures 4 and 11 by arrangement with the Cambridge University Press. CYRIL FOX, August, 1940. Director. CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix INTRODUCTION: The life history of the male fern Homosporous and heterosporous ferns 9 The description of ferns 10 The stem or axis (p. 11) ';' hairs (p. 13), the leaf (p. 13) ; leaf-blade (p. 14). shape (p. 16). apex (p. 16). base (p 16). mr.rgin (p. 16), venation (p. 16); fertile leaves (p. 19), sorus (p. 20), indusium (p. 20), spomngium (p. 21) Classification of the ferns 21 Classification and evolution (p. 21), Bower's criteria (p. 22), Christcl1sen's scheme (p. 26) Geographical distribution of Welsh ferns. 27 The British fern collection 1n the National Museum 30 Plan of the main text 31 Hints to collectors 32 Artificial key to the genera of Welsh fems 33 CONSPECTUS OF CLASSIFICATION. CLASS FILICINAE 37 Subclass 1. Filices Eusporangiatae 37 Order Ophioglossales 37 Family Ophioglossaceac 37 Genus 1. Botrychium Moonworis 38 Botrychium Lunaria Moonwori 38 Genus 2. Ophioglossum Adder's Tongues 40 1. Ophioglossum vulgatum Adder's Tongue 40 2. O. lusi"tanicum .. 42 Subclass 2.· Filices Leptosporangiatae 42 Order 1. Filicales 42 Family 1. Osmundaceae 42 Genus 3. Osmunda 43 Osmunda regalis Royal Fern 44 Family 2. Marsileaceae 45 Genus 4. Pilularia Pillworts 46 Pilularia globulifera Pillwori 46 Family 3. Hymenophyllaceae 48 Gemls 5. Hymenophyllum Filmy Ferns 49 1. Hymenophyllmll tunbrig­ ense Tunhridge Filmy Fern 50 2. H. peltatum Wilson's Filmy Fern 52 Genus 6. Trichomanes Bristle Ferns 53 Trichomanes spcciosum ]{illarney Fern 53 v vi CONTENTS Page Family 4, Polypodiaceae 54 Subfamily L Pteridoideae 55 Genus 7. pteridium 55 Pteridium aquilinum Bracken Fern 55 Subfamily 2. Gymnog'rammeoideae 57 Tribe 1. Cryptogrammeae 57 Genus S. Cryptogramme 57 Cryptogramme crispa Parsley Fern 58 Tribe 2. Gymnogrammeae Genus Ba. Anogramma 59 Anogramma leptophy Ha 59 Tribe 3. Adianteae 59 Genus 9. Adiantum Maidenhair Ferns 59 Adiantum Capillus-Veneris Maiden,hair Fern 60 Subfamily 3. ·Blechnoideae 61 Gt<;llUS 10. Blechnum 62 Blechnum Spicant Hard Fern 62 Subfamily 4. Asplenioideae 63 Tribe 1. Asplenieae 64 Genus 11. Phyllitis 64 Phyllitis Scolopendrium Hart's-tongue Fern 64 Genus 12. Asplenium .. Spleenworts 66 1. Asplenium rnarinum $,ea Spleenwort 67 2. A. Trichomancs lVlaidenhair Spleenwort 68 3. A. viride Green Spleenwort 69 4. A. obovatum Lanceolate Splcenwort 70 5, A, Adiantum-nigrum Black Spleenwort 72 6, A, Ruta-muraria Wall-rue 73 7, X A, Breynii A lternate leaved Spleen- 75 wort 8. A, septentrionale Forked Spleenwort 76 Genus 13. Ceterach 77 Ceterach officinarum Rusty-back Fern 78 Tribe 2. Athyrieac 79 Genus 14. Athyrium 79 1. Athyrium Filix-femina Lady Fern 80 2. A. alpestre 82 3. A, fiexile 82 CONTENTS vii Page Genus 15. Cystopteris Bladder Ferns " 82 1. Cystopteris fragilis Brittle Bladder Fern, . 82 2. C. regia 84 3. C. Dickieana 84 4. C, montana 84 Subfamily S. Woodsioideae 85 Genus 16. Woodsia 85 1. Woodsia ilvensis .. Oblong Woodsia 85 2. W. alpina ',' Alpine Woodsla 87 Subfamily 6. Dryopteridoideae 89 Tribe 1. Dryopterideae .. 90 Genus 17. Dryopteris Buckler Ferns 90 1. Dryopteris Filix-roas .Male Fern 91 2. D. abbreviata . Dwarf M ale Fern 92 3. D. Borred .. Golden-scaled Male 92 Fern 4. D. Villarsii .. Rigid Buckler Fern ,. 93 5. D. cristata .. Crested Buckler Fern" 94 6. D. dilatata .. Broad Buckler Fel'n " 94 7. D. ,spinulosa Narrow Bu'ckler Fern 97 8. D. aemula .. Hay-scented Huckler 99 Fern Genus 18 .. Polystichum Shield Ferns 100 1, Polystichum setiferum Soft Shield Fern 101 2. p, aculeatum Hard Shield Fern 103 3, P.- Lonchitis Holly Fern 105 Tribe 2. Thelypterideae 106 Genus 19. Thelypteris 107 1. Thelypteris palustris Marsh Fern 107 2. T. Oreopteris Mountain Fern 109 3. T. Phegopteris Beech Fern 111 Genus 20. Gymnocarpinm 113 1, Gymnocarpium Dryopteris Oak Fern 113 2. G. Robertianum Limestone Polypody 115 Subfamily 7. Polypodioideae 116 Genus 21. Polypodium 117 Polypodium vulgare .. Polypody Fern 117 Order 2. Salviniales 119 Family Azollaceae 119 Genus 22, Azolla 119 Azolla filiculoides Azolla 120 ApPENDl~ 122 LIST OF COLLECTORS 123 BIBLIOGRAPHY " 125 INDEX AND GLOSSARY 127 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT Page Fig. 1. r.Iale fern (Dryopteris Filix-mas) stock 2 2. J\'1ale fern: frond' .. 3 3, Male fern: sorus ,. 4 4. Male fern: sporangium 5 5. Male fern: germinating spores 6 6, l\'fale fern: prothallus 7 7. J\Iale fern: antheridia 7 8, Polypody (Polypodhmt vNlgare): arcbegonia .. 8 9, l\Iaidenhair fern (Adiantum Capillus- Veneris).; young sporophyte 8 10. Life history of a homosporous fern 9 11. Thin-walled and latticed scales .. 12 ~~; } Diagrams illustrating descriptive terms 15 14'. Some types of ve'nation 17 ", 15.