l'’r,)i!lUAT;Y 12. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
oOO 
CE'TERA CH OEEICINA'R UM. 
This bears the various English names of Scaly Spleen- 
icort, Iloiiijh Spleemvort, Scale Fern, Scaly Hart's 
Tony lie, and Miltwaste. 
'The root is fibrous, black, tufted, and scaly at tlie 
crown, penetrating deeply into the old mortar of tlic 
walls, and into the clefts of the limestone rocks, on 
which it delights to grow. 'The fronds arc evergreen, 
numerous, tufted, and spreading; varying in height 
from three to eight inches; oblong, bluntish, deeply 
and bluntly indented at the edges, the indentations 
being alternate; the margin of the leaf smooth. Wlicn 
growing in sheltered, shady situations, tlie indentations 
often arc so deep as almost to render the fronds pinnated. 
Their upper surface is smooth ; in colour deep green, 
but slightly milky, or glaucous; the upper surface of 
the mid-rib is scaly. 'Tlie under side of the fronds is 
entirely covered thickly with pointed, saw-edged, brown 
scales, lapping over one another. Before the fronds are 
expanded these scales are white and silvery. 'The stalk 
of each frond is about one-fifth of its length, dark- 
coloured, and covered with pointed, brown scales. If 
the scales are removed from the under surface of the 
fronds, the fronds will bo found to have alternate 
lateral veins uniting at their points near the edge of 
the frond. 'The seed, or sori, are in oblong narrow 
masses attached, except the lowest mass, to the upper 
side of the principal branches of the veins. 'The covers 
(indiishm) of the sori are one on each side of each 
mass, membranous, continuous, quite distinct from the 
scales. 
In Enyland' it has been found near liancaster; 
abundantly about Settle, in Yorkshire; on limestone 
rocks, in Lath-hill-dale, and in Dovedale, Derbyshire; 
on walls about the quarries at Ludlow, Shropshire ; on 
an old wall near Cowley, in 0.xfordshire; on a wall at | 
'Tccknells, near Paiuswick, in Gloucestershire; at 
Martock, in Somerset; at Stapleton Quarries, near 
Bristol; at Cheddar, IMalvern Abbey, and Bath ; on the 
tower of Old Alresfoi’d Church, Hants; on walls on the 
east and north-east side of Wincliester; at 'Topsham, 
and other places, in Devon ; at Bury, in Suffolk; 
Ileydon, in Norfolk ; and Asheridge, in Hertfordshire. 
In Wales, in Denbighshire ; on the walls of a ruin at 
'Treborth, near Bangor- In Ireland, on the ruins of 
Saggard Chm-ch ; on walls near Cork, and Kilkenny ; 
on Cave-hill; and at Headford, in Galway. It seems 
incapable of bearing the colder climate of Scotland. 
We have never attempted to cultivate this Fern, and 
must borrow from Air. Charles Johnson the following 
rem.arks upon the subject:— 
“ It is not at all ens}'to cnllivate this fern successfully: 
it is too impatient of coufineiuent to live long in a green- 
house; and the cold frame, so useful for the protection of 
other half-hardy species, is almost certain death to this. 
I'lie metropolitan cultivator is told that London air disagrees 
with it, and yet the only plant of it T possessed in my early 
career, lived in a nook of an old wall, in a hack area in 
Tlatton Garden, for several yi'ars, and may be there still, 
unless eradicated by re])air; sun never reached it, and 
ancient mortar, whicli, constantly moist, had somewhat the 
consistence of paste, probably agreed with its constitution ; 
a very necessaiy point to bo studied in planting, as when 
left to its own selection, or in the wild state, it seems 
universally to prefer a calcareous habitat. "Whether planted 
in the open fernery, or grown in pots, great care must be 
exercised as to drainage, and in the latter case especially to 
avoid wetting the fronds in watering.” 
'The first w'riter who describes it as an English plant 
is 'Turner. lu the first part of his “ Herbal,” published 
in 1551 , he stiys, ‘‘ it groiveth muche in Gcrmanye, in 
old moiste wallcs, and in rockes; it groweth also in 
England about Bristowe (Bristol).” Ho adds, “ I have 
heard no English name of this hcvbe, but it mayo well 
bo called in English Cotcrackc, or Aliltwaste, cr Finger 
Feme, because it is no longer than a manue’s finger, 
or Scale Feme, because it is all full of scales on the 
