A SPLENIUM. 
109 
of Down,” and which is well described as “ valde spcciosa.” This is the identification of 
most authors, including those of the “ Cybele Hibernica”; but Mr. Moore would rather look 
upon the Mourne Mountain plant as a form of the 
Lady Fern ( Atliyrium Filix-fcemina). This form is 
extremely abundant and very luxuriant in the Azores 
FORMS OF ASPLENIUM ADIANTUM-N IGRUM. 
and the Canary Islands, and also occurs in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, France, the Tyrol, 
and Greece. When an extreme example is seen, the appearance would almost justify the 
retaining of acutum as a species ; but however distinct 
the extreme forms may be, it is in many cases easy 
to trace the plant through a series of gradations 
until we are landed at typical Adiantum-nigrum. Out- 
figure is drawn from a specimen in the Herbarium 
of the British Museum. A Mediterranean form, which 
seems to be about half-way between acutum and 
AdianUim-nigrum , has been described under the name 
of A. Virgil ii. 
The other variety to which 'we have alluded is known 
as obtusum or Serpent ini, although Milde considers that 
these names represent separate forms. This is the 
opposite of acutum, having comparatively straight spread- 
ing pinnae, which are usually more or less obtuse at the 
apex. It is of a dull opaque green, very different 
from the bright shining hue of acutum. This is a 
plant of somewhat restricted range, being, so far as is 
known, mainly confined to Central Europe, but perhaps 
extending to South Africa and Abyssinia. There is only 
one locality for this in Britain: it was found in 1862, 
in the parish of Cabrach, on the serpentine range of 
mountains which divides the counties of Aberdeen and 
Banff. The name Serpentini refers to the fact that it seedling frond of asplenium adiantum- 
is only known to occur upon serpentine rocks. It is 
neither as distinct nor as striking a plant as acutum; and Milde says that, having observed 
