ASPLENIUM. 



487 



sori (spore masses) appear first in whitish lines varying in number from 

 three to seven on the under-surface of the pinnules (Fig. 76). The white- 

 ness is due to the presence of the thin indusium (covering), which bursts 

 with a smooth edge on the side next the midvein of the pinnule. The 

 covering finally peels off, and then the sori, which are brown, become 

 confluent ; that is to say, they spread until they cover the entire back 

 of the pinnule with the exception of the extreme edge all round. — 

 Hooker, Species Filicum, iii., p. 187. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, 



i. , p. 128. Beddome, Ferns of British India, t. 62. Lowe, Our Native Ferns, 



ii. , p. 171, t. 43. 



The Aspleniums, or, as they are popularly called, Spleenworts, form 

 a most interesting genus among the Ferns of British origin, and are par- 

 ticularly useful on account of the evergreen nature of their fronds, which 

 characteristic they all possess. The coriaceous (leathery) texture of their 

 foliage also greatly adds to their value as decorative plants ; while the ease 

 with which the strongest-growing kinds may be cultivated also tends to 

 make these species particularly popular. Some of the very dwarf-growing 

 sorts are somewhat difficult to preserve, especially in smoky localities, but 

 these, besides succeeding fairly well in Fern -cases, are rendered specially 

 attractive through their constitution and mode of growth, and they may 

 safely be termed the gems among our native Ferns. 



On account of the lasting qualities of its foliage, the Black Maidenhair 

 Spleenwort has, within these last few years, taken a prominent position, 

 which it most likely will retain for a long time to come, as its dark, shining 

 fronds, when cut and mixed with flowers, retain their freshness for an almost 

 unlimited time ; they are of elegant outline and are produced in great 

 abundance. For some years past, fronds of this plant have been extensively 

 sold and used under the popular denomination of "French Fern," which name 

 has no doubt been erroneously given to it on account of the enormous 

 quantities brought weekly to our markets from the western parts of France, 

 principally from Brittany, where it grows abundantly. It is also found very 

 plentifully in Cornwall, Devonshire, Somerset, Hampshire, and in some other 

 counties, in shady places at the foot of trees and shrubs, as also along the 

 hed ges, in meadows, on old walls, and in disused quarries. These are the 

 positions in which the fronds of the Black Maidenhair Spleenwort attain 



