THE FERN PARADISE. 
3 . 
THE RUE-LEAVED SPLEEN WORT. 
Asjplenium ruta-muraria. 
Plate 7, Fig. 3. 
all our native Ferns tlie Rue-leaved 
Spleenwort or Wall Rue is, perhaps, the 
most unpretending in appearance. Yet 
itis amost interesting little Fern, and will well repay 
study and care. Tt is very diminutive, sometimes 
only growing to a height of about one inch, but when 
under very favourable conditions, in a wild state, 
it will reach a length of several inches. It is 
widely distributed, loving to fasten itself on old 
walls, rocks, or the sides of bridges of all kinds, 
spanning water. Often it is found growing on 
church walls and the walls of dwelling-houses. It 
is, indeed, a familiar little Fern, and is frequently 
seen flourishing in the midst of towns, seeming, 
indeed, to love the society of man. But the secret 
of its preference for buildings of various kinds 
is its fondness for old mortar. When growing on 
370 
