ASPLENIUM. 
157 
It grows in the fissures of rocks, and in cracks in old 
walls in the mountainous districts of Devon, Somerset, 
Westmoreland, Cumberland, Wales, and Roxburghshire. 
It used to grow about Edinburgh, but it is no longer 
found, except in one unattainable situation. It is no- 
where abundant. 
Gerarde speaks of it as a dweller in the mining dis- 
tricts, and calls it Muscus corniculatus. He says, “ It 
riseth from the ground with many bare and naked 
branches, dividing themselves at the top into sundry 
knags, like the forked homes of a deere.” 
The fronds appear in March and April ; in August 
they attain maturity, and continue green through the 
winter. 
This fern is found widely dispersed through Europe, 
and also in India; it is most frequently found in Hun- 
gary, Germany, and the South of France, but even in 
these countries it is far from plentiful. 
In cultivation it must be planted in sandy peat ; it 
should have a very sheltered nook in the fernery, with- 
out being overshadowed by the large fronds of its com- 
peers ; or it should be placed in a cold frame, or under 
a bell-glass. 
27. Asplenmm Germanicmn, Weiss. Alternate™ 
leaved Spleen wort. 
Caudex short, creeping. Stems tufted. Fronds narrow, pin- 
nate. Pinnae oval, alternate, toothed at the point. Sori long 
and narrow. 
Called from its prevalence in Germany. 
The Alternate-leaved Spleenwort has a large supply 
