A SPLENIUM. 



653 



Betsome, in the parish of Southfleet, in Kent. It groweth likewise upon 

 stone walls at Her Majesty's (Queen Elizabeth's) Palace of Richmond, and 

 on most stone walls of the west and north parts of England." 



According to the situation which A. Trichomanes occupies, its fronds, 

 linear (long and narrow) and only once divided to the midrib (Fig. 129), 

 vary from 6in. to 12in. in length ; they are borne on slender, glossy stalks 

 2in. to 4in. long and of a peculiar 



chestnut-brown colour, and are 

 furnished with from fifteen to 

 thirty pairs of dark green leaflets, 

 scarcely stalked and of a some- 

 what leathery texture. These are 

 usually roundish-oblong, obliquely 

 wedge-shaped at the base, and 

 toothed all round, yet variable in 

 form. The fructification is dis- 

 tributed over the frond, and the 



sori (spore masses), disposed in m 12g Asplenium Trichomanes 



linear, oblique lines of three to <t nat - size )- 



six on each side of the midrib, 



become confluent when fully developed and entirely cover the under- side of 

 the leaflets. — Hooker, Species Filicum, hi., p. 136. Beddome, Ferns of Southern 

 India, t. 147. Eaton, Ferns of North America, i„ t. 36. Lowe, Ferns 

 British and Exotic, v., t. 22 ; Our Native Ferns, ii., t. 46. 



The Maidenhair Spleenwort may be propagated either by means of its 

 spores, which are generally ripe in August and germinate freely, or, as is most 

 commonly the case, by the division of its crowns. In the latter case it is 

 best to select, as far as practicable, plants growing on hedge-banks, as it 

 is somewhat difficult to safely remove those which grow amongst bricks and 

 stones, and the operation, to be successful, should be performed during March 

 and April. Hardy as it is, the Maidenhair Spleenwort prefers an exposed 

 situation to a close or very shady one, in which the constant moisture, by 

 collecting on the fronds, soon causes them to blacken and decay. If the 

 plants are grown in pots it is essential that these should be well drained, 

 and frequent watering over the fronds must be avoided. The compost best 



