Isabella Bird

Can anything be more grotesque and barbarous than our 'florists' bouquets,' a series of concentric rings of flowers of divers colours, bordered by maidenhair and a piece of stiff lace paper, in which stems, leaves, and even petals are brutally crushed, and the grace and individuality of each flower systematically destroyed?

English Explorer

Used to describe ferns in gardens, forests, or as houseplants, reflecting a calm, natural environment.

Natural Settings

Often used in botanical or gardening contexts to talk about plants' characteristics and care.

Botanical Context

Maidenhair denotes a delicate and ornamental quality, suitable for decorating spaces.

Decorative Use

 subtropical forests that stretch right across the middle of China in those forests of China we have surviving species like gingko the maidenhair tree which has been in cultivation in Europe and North America six the 17th century a