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New Zealand Ferns 
XVIII. ASPLENIUM 
ASPLENIUM (splen, the spleen — used as a 
remedy for diseases thereof). A large genus of about 
350 species, with 12 species and 8 varieties in New Zea- 
land ; very variable in size and shape. Seeds linear or 
oblong, placed obliquely to the midrib, protected by a 
blade-like covering springing from the under surface of 
the leaf. 
A. LUCIDUM 
(86) A. flabelli folium (fan-leaved) . “Necklace fern.'’ 
A charming little fern, quite different from any other 
New Zealand species of Asplenium. The small, fan- 
shaped leaflets, set on each side of a long slender stalk, 
adapt themselves to the uneven surface of the rocks and 
stones, among which they love to grow. 
Description . — Roots short, stout, clothed at the top with 
blackish scales. Stalks 1 to 4 inches long, rarely more, slender, 
