The Lanceolate Spleenwort 



The botanical name of the Scale Fern is As-plenium 

 Ceterach. The latter word is supposed to be a corruption 

 of the Arabic, " Cheterak," applied to this plant by 

 Eastern physicians because of its alleged effectiveness in 

 curing diseases of the spleen. This explanation, how- 

 ever, is not to be relied on. 



Leaving our old wall, we now reach a part of the road 

 where the rock formation has been laid bare. The road- 

 maker has cut his way through a rising part of the 

 ground and left exposed the underlying rocks. The 

 drainage from the ground on the top dripping over the 

 exposed section of rock keeps it in a wet or moist con- 

 dition. 



On this exposed rock we find the Lanceolate Spleen- 

 wort. As its name implies, this fern is roughly 

 lanceolate in outline, lanceolate being a term applied to 

 a leaf, longer than broad, broadest about the middle, 

 and tapering to both ends. The fronds are rather 

 delicate in texture. Having at hand an ample supply 

 of water this fern does not require leathery fronds to 

 act as a check on transpiration. Each frond is twice 

 pinnate, the pinnae being cut into ovate (egg-shaped) 

 or obovate (inversely egg-shaped) segments, all sharply 

 toothed. The leafstalks are glossy and of a reddish- 

 brown colour, while the short rootstock is covered 

 with awl-shaped scales. On the back of the pinnules 

 are the sori which must be examined in the young and 

 immature state, as when older they swell out and 

 become more or less circular. 

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