86 
European Ferns. 
plate, and the two plants have been confounded by some authors and collectors. Mr. Kippist, 
however, who thoroughly investigated the history of the species,* describes the type-specimen 
in the Linnean Herbarium (now the property of the Linnean Society of London), which was 
named by Linnaeus himself, as “ clearly an Asplenmm , with long, slender, closely-placed lines of 
fructification, extending nearly to the midrib and indusia, bursting towards the apex of the 
leaf, or of the lobe on which they are placed. The fronds are truly palmate, scarcely longer 
than broad, five-lobed (with the two posterior lobes more or less rounded), and usually shorter 
than their slender glabrous petioles.” Our cut (p. 85) shows the difference in the fructification 
of the two plants. 
This beautiful species has long been in cultivation in England, having been introduced 
from Madeira in 1779, by Francis Masson. It deserves to be more frequently met with 
than is at present the case, inasmuch as it is a plant of very distinct habit, and one which 
will do well upon rock-work, and still better in a cool greenhouse. When found in cultivation, 
it is often under the name of A. palmatum. It is a plant of very limited geographical dis- 
tribution, being a maritime and Atlantic species, touching Europe only on the coast of 
Portugal. Here it abounds in crevices and holes among the loose blocks of granite at Cintra, 
near Lisbon, and this appears to be its only European locality. It has been reported, on 
the authority of Cavanilles, as occurring also in Spain, but this requires confirmation. In 
Madeira it is very plentiful in shady, woody places, along the northern coast, generally under, 
or not much above, a thousand feet of elevation, and descending to a very low level. It is 
also found in Teneriffe, in the Cape Verde Islands, and in several islands of the Azores. 
On the African continent it seems to be limited to the extreme north, having been collected 
in Algeria and at Tangiers, and this terminates its geographical range, so far as we know 
at present. The Cintra locality was known to Linnaeus. A specimen received thence in 
his herbarium at the Linnean Society, already referred to, is localised “ in monte alto 
quo situm est castellum vetustum, prope Cintra Lusitanis.” 
There is a crested variety of this fern in cultivation (A. Hemionitis crist a turn) which 
differs from the type only in having a large tuft or crest, at the 
upper extremity of the frond, similar to that which we have already 
had occasion to notice in so many other ferns. Milde describes 
tw^o wild forms, both occurring in Madeira — the first (var. lobatum), a 
small plant with simple triangular, or cordate-ovate fronds ; the other 
(var. datum), a tall, upright plant with acute lobes, the lateral ones 
being very much elongated. 
We have already referred to the likeness between this 
Asplenium and a Scolopendrium (S. Hemionitis). This strong 
resemblance between two plants, which yet in essential 
characters are decidedly distinct, has excited some attention 
during the last few years, and the term “mimicry” or “mimetic 
analogy ” has been applied to it. The same phenomenon had 
previously attracted notice in the animal creation — the bearing 
which it obviously has upon the Darwinian theory having of course 
contributed to make the subject interesting and prominent Without going into speculations as 
to the why and wherefore of a phenomenon which undoubtedly exists, we may point out one 
* “Botanical Magazine,,” t. 4911. 
