THE BLADDER FERNS. _Cystópteris_

"Mark ye the ferns that clothe these dripping rocks,
Their hair-like stalks, though trembling 'neath the shock
Of falling spraydrops, rooted firmly there."


The bladder ferns are a dainty, rock-loving family partial to a limestone
soil. (The Greek name _cystópteris_ means bladder fern, so called in
allusion to the hood-shaped indusium.)

(1) THE BULBLET BLADDER FERN

_Cystópteris bulbífera. Fìlix bulbífera_

Fronds lanceolate, elongated, one to three feet long, twice pinnate. Pinnæ
lanceolate-oblong, pointed, horizontal, the lowest pair longest. Rachis and
pinnæ often bearing bulblets beneath. Pinnules toothed or deeply lobed.
Indusium short, truncate on the free side. Stipe short.

[Illustration: Bulblet Bladder Fern. _Cystopteris bulbifera_ (Willoughby,
Vt., 1904, G.H.T.)]

[Illustration: Bulblet Bladder Fern. _Cystopteris bulbifera_]

One of the most graceful and attractive of our native ferns; an object of
beauty, whether standing alone or massed with other growths. It is very
easily cultivated and one of the best for draping. "We may drape our homes