CHAPTER VII 



THE LADY FERN AND THE SPLEEN- 

 WORTS 



r I ^HE sub - family Asplenieae has a large 

 J_ number of representatives in the United 

 Kingdom. There is much division of opinion 

 as to the real place of the Lady Fern. Many 

 botanists consider that the species is a true 

 Asplenium. Others regard it as the solitary 

 British representative of the genus Athyrium. 

 All Fern growers support the latter view. Some 

 of the small Spleenworts are quite common. 



Athyrium or Asplenium Filix-fcemina. The 

 generic name of the Spleenworts is derived from 

 the Greek word splene, " the spleen," this having 

 reference to the fact that in the old days a 

 medicine derived from the leaves was held to 

 be a remedy for diseases of the spleen. The 

 specific name is simply a. combination of two 

 Latin words Filix, "a fern," and fcemina, "a 

 woman," that is, " Lady Fern," a name no 

 doubt given on account of the elegant appear- 

 ance of this species, particularly when it is 

 compared with the Male Fern (N. Filix-mas). 

 The Lady Fern. 



Although it is altogether more fragile in 

 appearance, the growth of the Lady Fern bears 

 a resemblance to that of the Male Fern. We 

 notice the same tall fronds rising from a stout 



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