SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGAUE. 263 
I/ SCOLOPE'NDRIUM VULGA'RE. 
THIS is the Asplenium scolopendrium of Linnaeus, and 
the Scolopendrium officinalis, S. phyllitis, Phyliitis vul- 
garis, and P. scolopendrium of some other botanists. 
It is the Common Hart's Tongue Fern of English 
herbalists. 
Root compact, penetrating deeply, tufted, slowly 
spreading by forming offsets round the crown. Fronds 
numerous, usually from six to eighteen inches high; 
but Mr. C. Johnson founds pecimens in the open vault 
near the great hall of Conway Castle four feet long, 
and nearly four inches broad. Stem one-third without 
any leafy development, and this unleafed part is dark 
purple-coloured and shaggy, with narrow, brown, mem- 
branous scales ; but sometimes it is smooth. The 
general outline of the leafy portion is long, narrow, 
heart-shaped, and pointed, smooth, entire at the edge, 
but somewhat wavy, bright grass green. The leafed 
portion of the stem is also covered with scales, but they 
are smaller ; it puts forth on each side a regular series 
of three-branched veins, each branch being two-forked, 
and where the outer forks almost join the outer forks 
from the next veins there is apparently a single line of 
fructification throughout their length, but each of these 
adjoining forks produces fructification, and the masses 
run together. The fructification occurs only about the 
upper part of the frond, and is composed of numerous 
small brown capsules, rising up through a pale brown, 
