630 CLXIV. FILICES. ASPLENIUM. 
decurrent leaflets; stipe chafty at base——A delicate fern, on moist rocks, fre- 
quent. Fronds 6—12’ high, dark green, its divisions rather remote, and with 
the subdivisions, considerably variable in form. Sori large and numerous, 
near the margins of the segments. June, July. 
8, A. acuLEAtuM. Sw. Prickly Shield-Fern. . 
Segments of the leaflets ovate, subfalcate, acute, aculeate-serrate, upper 
ones truncate at base, lower cuneate at base; only the upper leaflets fertile ; 
stipe and rachis chafty.—Mansfield Mt., Vt., and Mts. in Essex Co., N. Y., 
Macrae. Fronds dark green, in tufts 1—2f high. Segments of the leaflets on 
very short petioles, somewhat dilated at base on the upper side, deeply serrate, 
each serrature tipped with a short spinose bristle. Sori brown, in single rows, 
distinct. Indusium reniform. Aug. 
9. A. pinatatum. Sw. (A. spinulosum. Willd.?) Broad Shield-Fern. 
Leaflets oblong-lanceolate, distinct; segments distinct, oblong, obtuse, 
incisely pinnatifid ; ultimate segments mucronate-serrate ; stipe chaffy ; indusiwm 
umbilicate—Woods and shady pastures. Fronds 1—2f high, nearly tripin- 
nate, the foliage about twice as long as wide, acuminate at apex, abrupt at 
base. Leaflets also acuminate, but the segments rather obtuse, all distinct at 
base, except those near the summit, serratures with short, soft bristles. Stipe 
with large, tawny scales. Sori rather large, somewhat in 2 rows. Jl. 
10. A. BULBIFERUM. Sw. (Cistopteris. Bernh.) Bulbiferous Shield-Fern. 
Frond bipinnate, oblong-lanceolate, segments opposite, oblong, serrate, the 
lower one pinnatifid ; rachis bulbiferous ; sori roundish, the indusium attached 
to one side.—In damp woods, frequent. Frond 12—18’ high, remarkable for 
the little bulbs produced in the axils of the rachis, which, falling to the ground, 
take root. Foliage narrow, tapering to an acuminate summit. Stipesmooth. Jl. 
: 3. ASPLENIUM. 
Gr. a, privation, ony, the spleen; from its supposed medicinal virtues. 
Sori linear, oblique, or somewhat transverse, scattered; indusium 
arising from the lateral veins and opening longitudinally, usually 
towards the midvein. 
1. A. RHIZOPHYLLUM. Willd. Walking Fern. ‘ 
. Frond mostly undivided, lanceolate, stipitate, subcrenate, cordate-auricu- 
late at base, the apex attenuated into a long, slender acumination, rooting at 
the point.—This singular fern grows in rocky woods, not very common. The 
frond is 4—8’ long; the long, slender, linear point bending over backwards, 
reaches the earth, and there strikes root, giving rise to a new plant. Though 
usually with slightly crenate margins, the plant varies by imperceptible degrees, 
becoming sometimes so deeply crenate as to form a well-marked variety with 
pinnatifid fronds. July. 
2. EBENEUM. Willd. Ebony Spleenwort. 
Frond pinnate ; /fts. lanceolate, subfalcate, serrate, auriculate at base on 
the upper side; stiye smooth and polished.—A beautiful fern, in dry woods, 
hills, &c. Fronds 8—14’ high, on a slender stipe of a shining brown or black 
color. Foliage 5—9’ long, 1—1’ wide, linear-lanceolate in outline. Leaflets 
near an inch in length, rather acuminate and curved at apex, dilated at base on 
the upper side, and sometimes on the lower. Fruit arranged in short lines on 
each side the midrib. July. 
3. A. ancustiroLium. Michx. Swamp Spleenwort. . 
Frond pinnate; /fts. alternate, upper ones subopposite, linear-lanceolate, 
serrate towards the apex, somewhat repand, the base truncate on the upper side 
and rounded on the lower.—In low woods, frequent. Fronds 1—2f high, in tufts, 
the outer ones barren, inner fertile. Sori large, diverging from the midrib, 
parallel with the veins, at length confluent. July. 
4. A. Trichomines. (A. melanocaulon. MuAl.) Dwarf Spleenwort. — 
Frond pinnate ; /fts. roundish, subsessile, small, roundish-oboyvate, res 
cuneate and entire at base, crenate above; stipe black and polished—A small 
and delicate fern. forming tufts on shady rocks. Frond 3— 6’ high, lance-linear 
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