THE FORKED SPLEENWORT.
ASPLENIUM SEPTENTRIONALE.
A. fronds linear, simple, or two-throc-cleft with linear divisions
; segments alternate, ascending, elongate and raohiform, with
a few deep narrow distant teeth ; sori few, elongate, often paraUcl ;
indusium entire. [Plate LXXXI.]
A s p l e n i u m s e p t e n t e i o n a l e , Hoffmann, Hentschl. FI. ii. 1 2 (1 7 9 5 ). H u ll,
Brit. PI. 2 4 1 (1 7 9 9 ). SmWi, Eng. Bot. x v . t . 1 0 1 7 ; Id ., Eng. PI. 2 e d . iv .
2 9 5 . Gray, Nat. A r r . Brit. PI. ii. 1 4 . HooUr A Arnott, BHt. FI. 7 e d .
6SS. BaUngton, Man. Brit. Bot. 4 e d . 4 2 6 . BeaUn, Florigr. Brit. iv . 74,
fig . 1 5 9 5 . Newman, Hist. Bx-it. Perns, 2 e d . 2 6 9 . Sowerby, Ferns o f Great
Brit. 5 8 , t . 3 4 . Moore, Handb. Brit. Ferns, 3 e d . 1 9 3 ; Id ., Ferns o f
Great B r ita in Nature Printed, t . 41 0 ; Id ., In d . Fil. 1 6 6 . Hooker, FI.
Land. v . t . 1 6 2 . Lowe, Nat. Hist. Ferns, v . t . 3 A . Bentliaxn, Haxidb. Brit.
FI. 6 3 3 . Sehkuhr, Krypt. Gew. 62. t . 6 5 . WUldsntm, Sp. Plant, v . 3 0 7 .
Svcnxsk Bot. t . 5 3 4 . Sprcxigel, Syst. Teg. iv . 8 1 . Presl, Tent. Pterid. 1 0 6 ,
t . 3, flg . 8. Koeh, Sxjn. 2 e d . 9 8 3 . Sturm, FI. ( F a rm . ) t . 4, Fries, S um
Teg. 82 . Ledebottr, FI. Moss. iv . 5 2 1 . Mettenius, Fil. Hort. Bot. Lips. 76,
t . 1 3 , fig. 21 ; Id ., Asplen. 1 4 1 . Nyma n , Sxjllog. FI. Eur. 4 3 3 .
A.SPLENIUM BIEUEOUM, Opiz, Flora, 1 8 2 3 , 6 6 7 .
A s p l e n iu m f u e c a t u m , Jaequemont MS. Hb. Mus. Par.
A c e o s t i c i i u m SEPTENTEIONALE, Linnmus, Sp. P lant. 1 5 2 4 . Boltoxi. Fil. B r it
1 2 . t . 8. FI. Dan. t . 60.
A c e o s t ic i iu m l a c in ia t u m , GiUbert, Em-c. Phxjtol. ii. 5 5 5 .
A c k o p t e e i s s e p t e n t e i o n a l i s , L in k , Hort. Beg. Berol. ii. 56 ; I d F il Sxi 80
Fée, Gen. Fil. 77 , t . 6 A , fig . 1.
A m e s iu m s e p t e n t e i o n a l e , Neuman, Hist. Brit. Ferns, 2 e d . 10 • 8 e d 2 6 5 •
Id ., Phytol. 1 8 5 1 , App. v ii. ’ ’
B l e o h n u m s e p t e n t e io n a l e , Wallroth, B lu ff A Finger. Comp. FI. Germ, i i i 24
B b l v i s ia s e p t e n t e io n a l i s , Mirbel, Hist. Nat. Veg. i i i. 4 7 3
P t e e is .s e p t e n t e io n a l i s , Smith, Mem. Acad. T u rin , v. 4 1 2 , i n oLs
S o o l o p e n d e iu m SEPI'ENTEIONALE, Both, FI. Germ. i i i. 4 9 .
Caudex short, thick, often tufted, and forming large dense masses
of scaly crowns. Scaks small, narrow, lanceolate, dark brown,
stnate-retieulate. Fibres numerous, wiry, branched.
Vernation circinate.
Stipes terminal, adherent to the caudex, dark brown-purple at the
base, green above, as long as or longer than the frond.
Fronds from two to six inches high, numerous, deep green, coriaceous
; sometimes simple, and then either entire, or with a few
distant marginal subulate teeth appearing as if split away from the
mrn'u portion, or divided into two or three narrow-linear alternate
ascending lohes; sometimes forked, with the two divisions either
simple, toothed, or lobed on the same plan as the simple fronds.
The simple fronds are narrow, linear, tapering towards both ends ;
the forked ones aro indefinite in form, and apparently one-sided, one
of the divisions being smaUer than the other, and looldng like a
lateral branch without a balancing branch from the opposite side of
the raohis. The lobes are sometimes so much separated as to look
like distmot pinnæ.
Venation consisting of two or three series of furcate divisions of
the vein which enters from the base, one of the venuks extending
to each of the teeth, there being no costa or midvein.
Ih'uctifloation on the hack of the frond. Sori Unear, elongate,
on the inner side of two or three of the few venules, and opening
towards the centre : towards the apices they are often opposite and
contiguous almost as in Scolopendrium, in consequence of the narrowness
of the parts ; and being crowded with numerous spore-cases, they
sometimes become confluent, and when old appear to be universal
as in Acrostichum; but these are mere similarities. Indusium
Unear, entire. Spore-cases roundish-obovate, dark-brown. Spores
ronndish-oblong, sUghtly mnriculate.
Buration. The caudex is perennial. The fronds are persistent ;
the plant is, therefore, an evergreen.
This species may be distinguished at first sight by its tufted grassy
aspect. From its ally Aspknium germanicum, wbich some botamsts
would consider a variety of it, the Forked Spleenwort may be known
by its fronds being either simple with mere lobes, or forked with
two distinct branches, each lUro its own smaUer fronds, and never
being regularly pinnate as is Asplenium germanicum. It is also
narrower in its parts, with the texture thicker, and less leafy.
A rare species, bnt widely distributed, being fonnd in Somerset
and Levon, in North Wales, in the Lake Listriot, in Yorkshire
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