▁discovered ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 3 , ▁further ▁confused ▁the ▁issue .) ▁In ▁ 1 9 0 2 , ▁Margaret ▁S los son ▁hy brid ized ▁A .   rh iz oph yll um ▁and ▁A .   pl aty neur on ▁in ▁pure ▁culture ▁to ▁produce ▁spec im ens ▁effectively ▁identical ▁to ▁A .   ×   eben o ides , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁uses ▁of ▁this ▁technique ▁to ▁demonstrate ▁the ▁parent age ▁of ▁a ▁natural ▁hy brid ▁f ern . ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 7 , ▁Her b ▁Wagner ▁and ▁Robert ▁S . ▁Whit m ire ▁experiment ally ▁converted ▁ster ile ▁dip lo id ▁A .   ×   eben o ides ▁to ▁the ▁fert ile ▁t et rap lo id ▁form , ▁the ▁first ▁creation ▁of ▁an ▁allo pol yp lo id ▁f ern ▁in ▁the ▁labor atory . ▁ ▁Description ▁As pl enium ▁×   eben o ides ▁is ▁a ▁small , ▁ever green , ▁rock - in hab iting ▁f ern ▁that ▁grows ▁in ▁discrete ▁cl umps . ▁The ▁leaf ▁bl ades ▁rise ▁from ▁a ▁dark - color ed , ▁sh iny ▁stem , ▁and ▁show ▁a ▁variable ▁and ▁irregular ▁pattern ▁of ▁cutting . ▁The ▁lower ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁bla de ▁may ▁be ▁cut ▁into ▁pin na e ▁or ▁merely ▁to ▁lo bes , ▁of ▁varying ▁length , ▁while ▁the ▁upper ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁bla de ▁is ▁lo bed ▁and ▁comes ▁to ▁a ▁pointed ▁tip , ▁which , ▁on ▁rare ▁occasions , ▁forms ▁a ▁bud