Plate 46 . 
OPHIOGLOSSUM vulgatum, L. 
Common Adder s-tongue. 
Gen. Char. Capsules fleshy, 1-celled, 2-valved, opening transversely, 
connate, forming a compact 2-ranked spike. Involucre none.—Fronds 
straight in venation , simple (quite undivided'), or palmate, or repeatedly 
forked , hearing the fertile pedunculated spike below the frond , or from its 
margin. Stipites with sheathing scales at the base. Veins anastomosing. 
Ophioglossum vulgatum; terrestrial, caudex or small rooting rhizome; fronds 
stipitate, undivided, varying from linear-oblong to ovate; fertile spike 
pedunculate, arising from the base of the frond. 
Ophioglossum vulgatum. Linn. Sp. PL p. 1518 . Sw. Syn. Til. p. 169 . Schk. 
Fit. p. 155 . t. 153 . mild. Sp . Til. v. 5 . p. 58 . Bolt. Til. Br. v. 2 . p. 3 . 
Fngl. Bot. v. 2 . p. 108 . Hook. Til. Lond. N.S. a 78 . Hook, and Arn. 
Brit. Tl. ed. 8 . p. 595 . 8m. Fngl. Tl. v. 4 . p. 329 . Moore, Brit. Ferns , 
Nat. Pr. t. 51 B. and 51 C. Pr. Suppl. Tent. Pterid.p. 49 . 
Ophioglossum Lusitanicum ( a small and narrow-fronded form—see our next 
Plate, 47 ). Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1518 . Lam. Illustr. t. 861 . /. 3 . Sw. Syn. 
Til. p. 169 . mild. Sp. PI. v. 5 . p. 59 . Hook, and Grev. Ic. Til. t. 80 , 
and in Bot. Misc. v. 3 . p. 218 . Newm. Brit. Terns, ed. 3 . p. 331 . Presl, 
Suppl. Tent. Pterid.p. 50 . Moore, Brit. Terns, Nat. Pr. t. 51 C. 
Ophioglossum vulgatum, ft. Lusitanicum. Hook, and Arn. Brit. Tl. ed. 8. 
p. 595 . 
Hah. Old moist pastures, and in woods in various parts of England, Scotland, 
and Ireland, extending to the extreme north. 
The synonyms above given may suffice for illustrating the 
species of a Pern in a work confined to those of Great Britain. 
Were it connected with the Perns of all other countries, I should 
have felt it my duty to make a far more extended list. Linnaeus 
adopted five species of the genus, exclusive of his 0 . scandens and 
0. fleccuosum (long since transferred to Lygodium , but including 
the very distant 0 . pendulum and 0 . palmatuni) : the three remain¬ 
ing ones are, 0. vulgatum (fronds ovate), 0. Lusitanicum (fronds 
lanceolate), and 0. reticulatum (fronds cordate). These may 
be said to include the extreme forms of all countries; and these 
Swartz increased to seven, in which he was followed by Willde- 
