266 
THE FERN PARADISE. 
Lanceolatum are perhaps not so broad and not 
quite so much divided as the widest branches of 
the fronds of Adiantum nigrum , which are, as 
already stated, the lowest branches in the frond. 
Another mark of recognition in Lanceolatum is the 
peculiar arrangement of the ripened spores. In 
Adiantum nigrum these are at first arranged in 
lines at the backs of the fronds ; then they become 
confluent, and often densely crowd the entire 
under surface of the leaflets. In Lanceolatum they 
are ordinarily arranged in little round bulged 
clusters, which are distinct from each other. 
The Black Maidenhair Spleenwort is widely 
distributed throughout the United Kingdom. 
But Lanceolatum is much rarer, and is confined 
in its range to the south and west of England, to 
South Wales, to the south of Ireland, and to the 
Channel Islands. In the Channel Islands it grows 
very luxuriantly. It varies in size, from tiny 
plants of some six inches long, to luxuriant speci- 
mens of a foot and eighteen inches long. Another 
peculiarity of Lanceolatum is that it prefers the 
sea-coast, and is often found on rocks in company 
