76 FERNS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



near Petersfield, in Hampshire. It has been regarded 

 as a doubtful native, or as probably extinct, but is very- 

 likely to be found in other places now that so much 

 attention is given to ferns by our ablest botanists. It 

 is not unfrequent in continental countries, in rocky places. 

 This Spleenwort is a very distinct and handsome httle 

 fern, its thick rigid fronds growing in small tufts to the 

 height of three or four inches. The upper surface of 

 the frond is deep green, but the under part is of a pale 

 whitish green, and it retains its colour throughout the 

 winter. The outline of the frond is narrow lanceolate, 

 the stalk very short, and scaly at the base. It is twice 

 pinnate, the pinnae being cblong egg-shaped, and the 

 pinnules inversely egg-shaped, somewhat wedge-shaped, 

 tapering towards the base, and toothed at the margin. 

 Both the principal stalk of the frond, and the partial stalk 

 of each branch, have a narrow leafy wing throughout 

 their length. This forms a distinctive feature of the fern. 



The texture of the fern is too substantial to allow the 

 veining to be very apparent. The chief vein of each 

 pinnule sends out a vein towards each lobe or serrature, 

 and in the larger pinnules some of these lateral veins 

 become forked, a vein running into each lobe or notch. 

 An oblong cluster of capsules is seated on two or more 

 of these veins, and covered with an indusium of a similar 

 form, waved and indented at the edge. The clusters 

 are rarely distinct, but generally form a brown mass on 

 the under-surface of the pinnules. 



This fern is described by various botanists as Aspidium, 

 Athyrium, or Polypddium ; retaining, however, in each 

 case its specific name of fontdnum. 



