Aspidium spinulosum, y. HooJc. and Am. Brit. FI. ed. 7 . p. 586. 
Hab. This, which I have never had the good fortune to recognize in its native 
locality, is described by Mr. Hewett Watson, in his valuable ‘ Cybele Britan- 
nica,’ as “rupestral and sylvestral,” and was first detected in Cornwall, 
where it is said to be abundant, by the Rev. IF. T. Bree. The Rev. TF. 
S. Hove has found it in Devon; the Rev. W. H. Coleman in Somerset; Sir 
IF. C. Trevelyan at Tunbridge Wells; Mr. Anderson on Ploy Hill, Orkney. 
Other, but less certain, localities are Hastings, Sussex; in Yorkshire and 
Durham; Cumberland ; Northumberland ; in Arran; in Forfarshire ; and 
even in the outer Hebrides, in North Uist. 
It was the Rev. W. T. Bree that first called public attention 
to this Fern by its discovery in Cornwall, and respecting which 
Mr. Watson justly observes, “ much ink has been shed and much 
paper has been printed over, and considerable diversity and col¬ 
lision of opinion have been shown, on its specific distinctions, 
correct nomenclature, and localization.” It is equally true, too, 
as that gentleman further remarks, that it “ is now generally ” 
(but not universally) “ admitted for a true species by British 
botanists;” and not by British botanists only, but by botanists 
who have treated of exotic plants. It is undoubtedly the Ne- 
plirodium Fcenisecii of Lowe, and acknowledged as such by him 
and appears to be equally certainly the Poly podium cemulum of 
Dr. Solander, as above stated; but, till very recently, no figure 
has appeared of it, and it is the misfortune of this plant, that 
the descriptions which have been published do not give any tan¬ 
gible characters by which the specimens can be readily recog¬ 
nized. If we look at what must be considered the most accu¬ 
rate figures of it (because nature-printed), those of Mr. Moore, ^ 
I candidly confess I can see nothing to distinguish it from our 
Nephr odium spinulosum , var. dilatatum , and there is but little in 
the same author’s specific character which I have quoted above. 
The chief mark is the upward curvature of the lobes of the pinnules, 
which indeed is not observable in a dry state; yet no such cha¬ 
racter is noticed by the authors of N. Fcenisecii or of Folypo¬ 
dium cemulum , though we know that the former studied the plant 
attentively from living specimens. It is remarkable, too, that 
though so widely dispersed over England and Scotland, it is 
nowhere recorded as a native of the continent of Europe. Ma¬ 
deira and the Azores, and the Cape de Yerd Islands (according 
to Newman), are the only other countries known to afford the 
plant. From the two former countries I possess specimens ; and 
it is further singular that its near ally, Nephrodium dilatatum , is 
* Singularly enough, Mr. Newman denies that these figures belong to the 
species. He quotes the description, “ excluding the figures.” 
