48 
find to his cost nothing but a dark mass of fruit behind the 
leafiet, and the cover, which is linear (a straight line*) the 
characteristic of a Spleenwort, vanished out of sight. Herein 
this plant is different from the preceding, in which one line 
of fruit never crowds upon its neighbour. 
This is not only a common plant in England, but is widely 
distributed throughout all Europe, and temperate Asia. It 
has also been found in certain parts of JN’orth America, in 
North and South Africa, and Northern India. In the West 
of England it grows far more abundantly than in the East. 
Wall rue,” says Q-erarde, “is good for them that have a 
cough, that be short winded, and that be troubled with 
stitches and pain in their sides.” “ It is commended against 
ruptures in young children, and some affirm it to be excel- 
lent good, if the powder thereof be taken continually for 
forty days together.” Some modern writers have stated 
that it is demulcent and diuretic. 
There is little difference as to the classical name given to 
this plant. Newman, as stated above, places it under a 
different genus, and designates it Amesium ruta muraria. 
Parkinson states, that it is the white Maidenhair of Theo- 
phrastus, and names it Euta muraria or Salvia vitae. In his 
explanation of the word salvia, he remarks that that word 
was given to a plant, “because it makes men safe (salvos) 
and sound in health, and the Latin versifier from hence took 
his occasion to say, 
“ Cur moritur komo, cum salvia crescit in korto ?” 
Wky does a man die, wken tke salvia grows in tke garden ? 
Whosoever wishes to have a perfect collection of the 
‘‘Perns of the Axe,” and therefore desires to cultivate this 
plant, must be careful, as has been so often suggested in 
the case of others, when he transplants it, not to hreah the 
roots. Let him imitate nature, make an artificial coping at 
one part of the rockery, put old mortar and brick close to 
the coping, and there place the Wall rue Spleenwort. 
Genus 3. 
Scaly Spleenworts. Ceterach, Clusters linear, straight. 
Covers upright, generally on the uppermost branch of side- 
* This is true in all but the Lady Ferns, where it is a curved line. 
