146 BRITISH FERNS. 
clothes a hedge-bank for more than a hundred yards, 
with scarcely any admixture of other plants. In the 
West of England, and especially in Wales, it is a 
common fern: I once saw it in such profusion on 
a little bridge at Bualt, in the Valley of the Wye, 
that it formed a continuous covering of green, and 
presented a very beautiful appearance. There is 
scarcely anything in the vegetable world more lovely 
than such a scene as this; and it is only known by 
those who have tried the experiment, how readily and 
exactly it may be realized in any of our gardens. 
Being a hardy plant, and very patient of cold or heat, 
drought or moisture, it is readily cultivated, especially 
on an artificial wall built with a northern aspect. ; 
38. PETRARCH’S FERN. Asprentum Perrarce. 
Asplenium Petrarce, Bory. 
Caudex small, tufted, the crown covered with dark- 
