ASPLENIUM. 



597 



A. 1. crispatum — cris-pa'-tum (curled), Moore. 



A very pretty and very distinct form, found in Guernsey. Its broadly- 

 spear-shaped and distinctly bipinnate fronds, 4in. to Bin. long, differ from 

 all others by their curly appearance ; this is produced by the margins of the 

 lobes of the pinnules (leafits) being curled under so as to have a crispy 

 character, the thickened teeth thus becoming very conspicuous. — Nicholson, 

 Dictionary of Gardening, i., p. 131. Lowe, Our Native Ferns, ii., p. 158. 



A. 1. excisum — ex-ci'-sum (bitten-off), Lowe. 



In this dwarf form, originally found at Shawbridge, South Devon, the 

 extremity of the fronds appears as if bitten off, and the pinnules hi their 

 upper half are variable in form and much contracted. — Lowe, Our Native 

 Ferns, ii., p. 157, fig. 501. 



A. 1. incisum — in-ei'-sum (cut), Lowe. 



This is a robust form, with fronds 1ft. or more in length, found in 

 Jersey. The pinnse (leaflets) are alternate (not opposite) and the pinnules 

 (leafits), which are deeply cut and show conspicuous sharp-pointed teeth, 

 are occasionally depauperated (impoverished) or even wanting. — Lowe, Our 

 Native Ferns, ii., p. 157, fig. 500. 



A. 1. Kitsonise — Kit-so'-ni-se (Kitson's), Lowe. 



This large-growing, lax form, originally found in Devonshire, is probably 

 the strongest one known, for its fronds usually measure about 14in. in length. 

 The pinna? (leaflets), everywhere lax, are very remote, the distance between 

 the basal pair and the next one being 2jin. ; the others are about Jin. apart 

 throughout the fronds, which are widest in the centre, very gradually tapering 

 towards the extremity. The pinnules (leafits), also lax, are toothed, the basal 

 ones being larger and more divided, the others wedge-shaped at their base 

 and flattened and toothed at their upper margins. — Lowe, Our Native Ferns, 

 ii., p. 156, fig. 499. 



A. 1. mierodon — mi'-crod-on (small-toothed), Moore. 



This variety, which was originally found in Guernsey and subsequently 

 near Penzance, is undoubtedly the most striking of all the known forms of 

 the Spear-shaped Spleen wort ; in fact, it is so distinct that when first 



