S04 CRYPTOGAMIA—FILICES. Asplenlum. 



greatly in size and appearance, but always distinct from tlie 

 fragilis." The cocer, as that gentleman remarks, *' is in both 

 species, connected with the frond by its base only, at the lower 

 side of the mass of capsules, that is, on the side next the base 

 of the segment of the leaflet;'" which agrees with my obser- 

 vations. This Fern is well compared by Bobart, in Morison, 

 to the Cicutaria of old authors, our Chcerophyllum sylvestre, see 

 V. 2. 48, so common on banks in the spring. It is unquestion- 

 ably distinct from every other British Fern, though the proper 

 name and synonyms were not discovered till after its appearance 

 in Engl, Bot., where I fell into the same error with some foreign 

 botanists. Linnaeus once thought it a Swedish plant, but erro- 

 neously, nor had he an original or authentic specimen. 



The remarks of Dr. Richardson, inserted between brackets, by 

 Dillenius, in the third edition of Ray's Synopsis^ 126. k.8, cer- 

 tainly do not answer to the present species ; as my late friend 

 the Rev. Hugh Davies, an excellent observer, first pointed out 

 to me. 



John Bauhin'.s synonym, which Ray quoted with doubt, appears, 

 by the really excellent figure, to be unquestionably our plant. 

 It must be either this or AspUl'mm alpinum, fi'illd. n. 139, 

 which is likewise a Cystea, figured in Jacq. Ic. Rar. t. 642, and 

 in Segu. Veron. suppl. t. 1./. 3. But neither the plant itself, 

 nor either of these representations, suits the wooden cut of Bau- 

 hin, which agrees far better with C regia, particularly in the 

 shape of the leaflets. Haller, very unsuitably I think, refers it 

 to Pteris crispa; which circumstance, and the singular jumble 

 of synonyms under his n. 1 7(^7 , Cystea fragilis, induces a sus- 

 picion that he had not accurately observed these alpine ferns, 

 and especially that he had never seen Vaillant's Filicula regia 

 at all. 



466. ASPLENIUM. Spleenwort. 



Linn. Gen. 560. Juss. 15. Fl. Br. 1 126. Sm, in Act. Taitrin. v. 5. 



409. Tracts 233. Swartz Syn. Fd.74. Lam. t.S67 .f. \, 3. 



Spreng. Crypt, f 23. 

 Trichomanes. Tourn. /. 3 i 5. 

 Ruta muraria. Tourn. /. 3 1 7. 

 Hemionitis. Tourn. t. 322. f B. 



Nat. Ord. see n. 463. 



Masses of capsules linear or oblong, straight, parallel, 



scattered obliquely over the back of the frond, more or 



less numerously, between the midrib of each leaflet, or 



lobe, and the next rib or vein. 

 Cover membranous, continuous, straight, flat, linear, or 



oblong, broadest at the base, proceeding from a vein. 



