GENERA AND SPECIES. 61 
PLATE XVI. 
ASPLENIUM TRICHOMANES. Linnzus. 
COMMON MAIDEN-HAIR SPLEENWORT. 
The Maiden-hair Spleenwort, the common name gener- 
ally given to it by the British botanists, has a very wide 
distribution, being found in all the temperate regions of the 
globe. Its habitat is generally on sandstone rocks, often 
associated with the A. pinnatifidum. Dr. Short found it 
in Kentucky on shady rocks; and Prof. Hussey says that 
“it grows in dense, green tufts, in moist situations, in the 
region which has the Mammoth Cave in its eastern part, 
and extends south, west, and north twenty or thirty miles— 
a region abounding in steep and often overhanging cliffs— 
in all, it may be a hundred miles in extent. Where the 
water drips from the rocks and constantly bedews the 
fronds it makes dense, roseate clusters, refreshingly green, 
and very attractive to the eye.” 
The fronds are simple, pinnate; the pinnules wedge- 
shaped, and crenate at the margin. The fibrous roots are 
so firmly imbedded in the soil of the crevices and inter- 
stices of the rocks that it is difficult to secure good speci- 
mens. 
Mr. Redfield refers this plant to his Cosmopolitan divi- 
sion. It is a little beauty, and a great favorite among fern 
fanciers. It dries well, and its delicate fronds are very 
suitable for decorative purposes. It is easily cultivated, 
especially in the Wardian case. 
The Plate represents the plant of the natural size, but 
specimens six inches in length have often been found. 
