LADY FERN AND SPLEENWORTS 69 



inches in length. As they are produced in thick 

 tufts, the individual plants will oft en cover a good 

 deal of space, considering the diminutive nature 

 of the plant as a whole. The stipes is con- 

 siderably longer than the leafy portion of the 

 frond ; this latter is of a very simple nature, 

 being composed of two or three blades which 

 fork out something on the lines of a stag's horn. 

 The plant is quite unlike any other British Fern, 

 although its foliage bears a singular resemblance 

 to that of the Buck's Horn Plantain (Plantago 

 coronopus), a common enough weed, especially 

 on waste patches near to the sea. 



On the underside of the narrow blades are 

 produced the son ; these are present in the form 

 of lines on either side of the mid-veins. At 

 first they are covered with scale-like indusia, 

 but as the sporangia ripen the protecting shield 

 is thrown aside. Finally, the capsules spread 

 out so as to cover almost the whole of the under- 

 side of the blade. 



The Forked Spleenwort finds its home in the 

 fissures of rocks and in the crevices of old walls. 

 It is, however, a rarity, less uncommon in the 

 North than in the South of England. Now 

 and again it has been recorded in great abun- 

 dance in a particular spot, and it is difficult to 

 understand why the species is not more wide- 

 spread in its distribution. The Forked Spleen- 

 wort can be grown in gardens if suitable rock 

 crevices are provided. The plant is an ever- 

 green species. 



Asplenium germamcum. It is uncertain what 

 is the derivation of the specific name germani- 

 cum ; in some quarters it has been said that the 

 name was given owing to the fact that the 

 Fern is a very popular one in Germany, though 

 whether this is a true explanation cannot be 



