lengthing

The large fern, rise to the hight of 3 or 4 feet, the Stem is a Common footstalk or rib which proceeds imediately from the radix which is Somewhat flat on two Sides about the Size of a man's arm and covered with innumerable black coarse capillary radicles which issue from every part of its surface; one of those roots or a collected bead of them will Send forth from 20 to 40 of those Common footstalks all of which decline or bend outwards from the Common center. those ribs are cylindric and marked longitudinally their whole length with a groove or channel on their upper Side. on either Side of this groove a little below it's edge, the leafets are inserted, being partly petiolate for about 2/3ds of the length of the middle rib, commenceing at the bottom and from thence to the extremity Sessile. the rib is termonated by a Single undevided lanceolate gagged leafet. the leafets are lanceolate, from 2 to 4 inches in length gagged and have a Small accute angular projection and obliquely cut at the base on either Side of the rib of the leafet. upper Surface is Smooth and of a deep Green, the under disk of a pale Green and covered with a brown Substance of a woolly appearance particalarly near the center fiber or rib these leafets are alternately pointed they are in number from 110 to 140; shortest at the two extremities of the common footstalk and longest in the center, gradually lengthing and diminishing as they Suckceed each other

William Clark - The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806