_Nephrodium oreopteris._ The specific name is connected with the Greek word _oros_, "a mountain." In some books this fern is also called _N. montana_ and _Lastrea montana_. In certain districts, varieties of the species are common. The Mountain Buckler Fern.
In certain respects this species bears a resemblance to the Male Fern. The fronds spring from a tufted root-stock and their outline is lanceolate; they are from one to four feet in length. The foliage of the Mountain Buckler Fern is of a pale green colour. A distinctive feature is the manner in which the frond of this Fern tapers to a point at both ends; this is even more pronounced at the base than at the apex. In the Male Fern any tapering at the base is of a very slight description. The Mountain Buckler Fern is once pinnate, the pinnæ being continued almost through the entire length of the stalk; this makes the stipes very short. The pinnæ, which are generally placed opposite to one another, are cut very deeply.
[Illustration: Nephrodium oreopteris. The Mountain Buckler Fern.]
The sori are much more abundant on the upper portion of the frond; we shall find them on the back of the leaf along the margins of the lobes. They are covered by a very slight indusium, which soon falls off. In the Mountain Buckler Fern there are to be detected a number of tiny glands on the back of the frond; these are responsible for rather a pleasant odour when the foliage is passed through the hand.
[Illustration: Back of frond of a typical Nephrodium. Enlarged.]
The Mountain Buckler Fern grows on heaths, and it has been found in almost all parts of the United Kingdom. In certain parts of Scotland it is said to clothe the mountain sides with a wonderfully vigorous growth. It is not, however, as its name seems to imply, strictly a mountain species; for it often grows in lowland districts. In cultivation, the species should be given a moist situation. The Mountain Buckler Fern dies down in the winter and the new fronds appear in the spring.
_Nephrodium cristatum._ The specific name of this Fern simply means "crested," and has reference to the fringed border of the frond. It may be pointed out, however, that there are not a few Ferns on which the name _cristatum_ could with more reason have been bestowed. This species is also called _Lastrea cristatum_. There are a number of forms of this Fern.