44: COMMON WALL SPLEEN WORT. 



the attenuation of a wedge-shaped base. When old, the 

 pinnae fall off, leaving the black glossy hair-like stalks 

 naked, mingling with the green fronds. 



Both this pretty little fern and its variety Asple- 

 nium viride are abundant on shaded rocks, in old 

 walls and buildings throughout Great Britain, Europe, 

 Central and Russian Asia (except the extreme north), 

 in North and South America, and in Australia. In 

 the west of England, and especially in Wales, it is a 

 common fern. In the valley of the Wye it grows in 

 profusion, covering whole masses of ground, and pre- 

 senting a lovely appearance. In Germany there is a 

 legend attached to a well near which this fern grows 

 most luxuriantly. A lady keeping tryst with her 

 lover, he was suddenly, by some evil spell, changed 

 into a wolf. In her terror, she fled before him, and 

 in her haste fell over a precipice, her beautiful hair 

 becoming entangled in the bushes. Immediately, on 

 the spot, a clear spring welled up, and her hair took 

 root and grew into the lovely fern now called 

 "Maiden's Hair Spleenwort." The well is called 

 Wolf's Spring ; and after hearing the legend the 

 traveller is expected to take with him as a relic a 

 bunch of " Maiden's Hair." 



A tea or syrup made of the fronds has long been 

 recommended as a remedy in pulmonary affections. 



The Common Spleenwort is easily cultivated, and is 

 one of the prettiest of our smaller ferns. It is well 

 adapted for rock-work or for insertion in the crevices 

 of walls or buildings, where the mortar and brick- 

 work insures perfect drainage, while it absorbs mois- 



