56 



BRITISH FERNS. 



traverse the fronds and by these marks they may be known 

 from all other indigenous Ferns, excepting the Ceterach, 

 which latter is readily distinguished from them by having 

 the back of its fronds coated with brown scales, among which 

 the sori are hidden. They are the types of the tribe Asple- 

 niece, which consists of Ferns having the elongate masses of 

 fructification attached along the side of the veins, and covered 

 by an indusium of the same elongated form as the sori them- 

 selves. There are nine species of 'Asplenium indigenous to 

 Britain, all of them small plants, interesting to the cultivators 

 of Ferns. 

 The word Asplenium comes from the Greek a&plenon ; a 



name applied by old authors to some kind 

 FIQ. 13. O f Fern possessed of supposed virtues in 



curing diseases of the spleen. 



FORKED SPLEENWORT. 



This Fern is named Asplenium, septen- 

 trionale. It has also borne the several 

 names of Acrostichum septentrionale, Scolo- 

 pendrium septentrionale, and Amesium sep- 

 tentrionale. 



A rare and diminutive Fern. The habit 

 is tufted, large masses being sometimes 

 formed; the fronds themselves are very 

 small, from two to four or six inches long, 

 seldom longer, slender, dull green, with a 

 longish stipes, which is dark purple at the 

 base. The leafy part if, indeed, it can 

 here be called leafy is of a narrow elon- 

 gate lance-shaped form, split near the end 

 into two or sometimes three alternate 

 divisions, or in the smaller fronds into 

 the same number of teeth ; each of the 

 divisions of the frond has its margin cut 

 into two or more sharp-pointed teeth, the 

 points of the larger teeth being very fre- 

 quently bifid. The veins are reduced to a 

 minimum ; one vein enters each lobe, or 

 if the frond is not lobed the stipes is 

 continued upwards in the form of a vein ; 

 this becomes forked so as to send up one 

 vein to each of the teeth into which the 

 part is divided ; and three or four long 

 linear sori are produced in a very crowded 



Asplenium tepten- 



