(1) Common Polypody. Polypodium Vulgare
Fronds somewhat leathery in texture, evergreen, four to ten inches tall, smooth, oblong, and nearly pinnate. The large fruit-dots nearly midway between the midrib and the margin, but nearer the margin.
Common everywhere on cliffs, usually in half shade, and may at times spring out of decaying logs or the trunks of trees. As the jointed stipes, harking back to some ancient mode of fern growth, fall away from the rootstocks after their year of greenness, they leave behind a scar as in Solomon’s seal. The polypody is a gregarious plant. By intertwining its roots the fronds cling together in “cheerful community,” and a friendly eye discovers their beauty a long way off. August. Abounds in every clime, including Europe and Japan.
In transplanting, sections should be cut, not pulled from the matted mass.
Var. cambricum has segments broader and more or less strongly toothed.
Var. cristatum has the segments forked at the ends.
Several other forms are also found.
Fruited Frond
The Common Polypody. Polypodium vulgare (Photographed by Miles Greenwood, Melrose, Mass.)