PEENS OP GREAT BRITAIN. 89 



thick, tough, and leathery, the upper surface of a dark 

 green hue, sHghtly downy, and having a brown edge, in 

 consequence of the projection beyond the margin of the 

 scales which are beneath. The outline is long, narrow, 

 very deeply divided into rounded lobes, which are often 

 again notched or cut into segments, and they stand in 

 an oblique position towards the midrib. The whole of 

 the under side is of rich brown colour from the dense 

 mass of scales, and the short stalk is also scaly. 



The thick texture of the fern renders the veining 

 indistinct," and it can only be seen in the young fronds 

 which appear in May. A vein enters from the lower 

 corner of the lobe, winding towards the top ; the lateral 

 veins branch in an alternate direction ; and these are 

 again forked towards their summits, crossing each other 

 somewhere near the margin. The sori lie along the 

 sides of these forked veins in a very regular manner, 

 being at first quite hidden by the scales, but afterwards 

 standing up distinctly from them, though, being brown 

 and chaflFy like the scales, the two are easily confounded 

 except by a close observer. 



The short tough roots of this fern insinuate them- 

 selves effectually into the crevices of waUs, and the tufts 

 of Scaly Spleenwort are not uncommon on ruins and 

 ancient castles and churches, as well as on rocky places, 

 especially in limestone districts, in England and Ireland; 

 but the plant is rare in Scotland, though found in the 

 neighbourhoods of Perth, Paisley, and Glasgow, as well 

 as in some other localities of that country. The old 

 Arabian writers said much in praise of its worth in 

 complaints of the liver and spleen, and our herbahsts 



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