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GROUP II
FERTILE FRONDS PARTIALLY LEAF-LIKE, THE FERTILE PORTION UNLIKE THE REST OF THE FROND
5. ROYAL FERN. FLOWERING FERN
Osmunda regalis
New Brunswick to Florida, in swampy places. Two to five feet high, occasionally taller.
Sterile fronds.—Twice-pinnate, pinnæ cut into oblong pinnules.
Fertile fronds.—Leaf-like below, sporangia forming bright-brown clusters at their summits.
Perhaps this Royal or Flowering Fern is the most beautiful member of a singularly beautiful group. When its smooth, pale-green sterile fronds, grown to their full height, form a graceful crown which encircles the fertile fronds, it is truly a regal-looking plant. These fertile fronds
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