FERN FAMILY. 



8. Asplenium Ruta-muraria L. Wall Rue 

 Spleemvort. (Fig. 53.) 



Aspleiiiinn Rnta-ttnti \iri,i I,. Sp. PI. 1081. 1753. 



Rootstock short, ascending. Stipes tufted, naked, 

 slender, green, 2 '-3' long ; leaves ovate or deltoid- 

 ovate in outline, 2'-5' long, glabrous, evergreen, 2-3- 

 pinnate or pinnatifid above ; pinnae and pinnules 

 stalked; pinnules rhombic or obovate, mostly obtdse, 

 dentate or incised, cuneate at the base ; veins flabel- 

 late ; sori few, linear-oblong, confluent when mature 

 and covering nearly the whole pinnule, the indusium 

 membranaceous and delicate. 



On limestone, Vermont to Michigan, south to Alabama 

 and Missouri. Ascends to 2100 ft. in Virginia. Also in 

 Europe, Asia and northern Africa. July-Sept. 



9. Asplenium montanum \Villd. Mountain 

 Spleemvort. (Fig. 54. 



Asplenium nionlamiiii \Villd. Sp. I'! . : MO. 



Rootstock short, chaffy at the summit. Stipe* 

 tufted, naked, slender, blackish at the hue, green 

 above, 2'-^' long ; leaves ovate-lanceolate in outline, 

 acuminate at the apex, rather firm, i-2-pinnate ; lower 

 pinnae longest, pinnate or pinnatifid, the lobe* or seg- 

 ments ovate or oblong ; upper pinnae less divided. 

 merely toothed or incised ; veins obscure ; ori linear- 

 oblong, short, the lower ones sometimes double, usu- 

 ally abundant, often confluent at maturity and con- 

 cealing the narrow membranous indusia. 



On dry and moist nn ticut ami N 



Georgia," west to Ohio :ml V 

 in North Carolina. June-Aug. 



10. Asplenium fontanum (L,.) Bernh. 

 Rock Spleemvort. (Fig. 55.) 



Polypodium fonlanum L,. Sp. PI. 1089. 1753. 

 Asplenium fontannm Bernh. Schrad. Joum. Bot. i: 

 3U- 1799- 



Rootstock short, ascending, clothed with narrow 

 dark scales at the apex. Stipes tufted, i'-3' long, 

 somewhat blackish at the base especially on the 

 inner side, usually glabrous ; leaves lanceolate, 

 broadest above the middle, thin, 2-3-pinnate, 3'-6' 

 , f>"-\y z ' wide, acuminate at the apex, nar- 

 red to the base ; pinnae 10-15 pairs, the seg- 

 snts deeply dentate with spinulose teeth ; sori 

 ily i to 4 on each segment, covered with a mem- 

 ranous subentire indusium, rarely confluent. 



On rocks. Lycoming Co., Pa., and Springfield, Ohio. 

 Hie rarest North American fern ; common in Europe, 

 summer. 



