78 The Fern Lover's Companion 



THE SPLEEXWORTS 



A. The Rock Spleexworts. ^isplhiium 



Small, evergreen ferns. Fruit-dots oblong or linear, 

 obli(|ue, separate when young. Indusiuni straight or 

 rareh' curved, fixed lengthwise on the upper side of a 

 fertile veinlet, opening toward the midrib. Veins free. 

 Scales of rhizome and stipes narrow, of firm texture and 

 with thick-walled cells. 



(1) PiNNATiFiD Spleexwort. Aspleuium pinnatifidum 



Fronds four to six inches long, lanceolate, pinnatifid or 

 pinnate near the base, taj^ering above into a slender pro- 

 longation. Lobes roundish-ovate, or the lower pair acumi- 

 nate. Fruit-dots irregular, numerous. Stijjes tufted, 

 two to four inches long, brownish beneath, green ab^)^•e. 



Although this fern, like all the small spleenworts, is 

 llea^'ily fruited, it is extremely rare. It is found as far 

 north as Sharon, Conn., thence southward to Georgia, to 

 Arkansas and ^lissouri. On cliffs and rocks. Resembles 

 the walking fern, and its tip sometimes takes root. 



(2) Scott's Spleexwort. ,iK])Ienium chcnoidcs 



Fronds four to ten inches long, broadly lanceolate, 

 pinnatifid or pimiate below, tapering to a prolonged and 

 slender apex. Divisions lanceolate from a broad base. 

 Fruit-dots straight or slightly curveii. Stipe and rachis 

 brown. 



