i
YI
II
The veins proceed directly from the rachis, and each has four
or live branches : to the outside branches of each vein, or set of
veins, is attached an elongate linear mass of thecæ, and this mass
is covered by a white membranous indusium of the same form.
Owing to this disposition of the thecæ on the outer branch, the
masses are invariably in pairs ; the two indusia at first touch and
appear as one, a day or two later a line appears between them
shewing that they are divided ; the line gradually becomes
more apparent as the thecæ increase in size ; at last, the two
indusia are pushed back from each other, and finally disappear.
The veins and attachment of thecæ are shewn on the tipper
side of the figure at page 82 ; the indusia and masses on the
lower side : the earliest stage of the double mass and its indusia
is shewn to the right hand, and each successive figure towards the
left shews a gradual advance towards maturity. The length of
the mass is very inconstant.
Gerard mentions a plant under the name Hemionitis sterilis,
“ which is a very small and base herb, not above a finger high,
having four or five small leaves, and of the same substance and
colour, spotted on the hack part, and like unto H art’s-Tongue,
found in a gravelly lane in the way leading to Oxey Park, near
Watford, fifteen miles from London, also on the wall at Hampton
Court.” This plant must, I think, be referred to the present
species.
SCALY H A R T ’S-TONGUE.
C e t e r a c h o f f ic in a r u m .—Willdenow.
Grammitis Ceterach.—Hooker, Mackay, Francis.
Asplenium Ceterach. — Linneus, Hudson, Lightfoot, Bolton,
Berkenhout.
Scolopendrium Ceterach.—Smith, Galpine.
E ngla n d
Wa l e s
Sco tland .
I r e l a n d . .
LOCALITIES.
. Yorkshire; Lancashire, very rare, a few fronds so labelled are in Herbaria; Derbyshire,
Dovedale, on rocks; Shropshire, on walls at Ludlow; Worcestershire, the
Abbey Church at Malvern ; Herefordshire, walls in Hereford and Leominster;
Gloucestershire, wall at Tocknells, near Painswick; Monmouthshire, on Ragland
Castle and Tintern Abbey; Somersetshire, Bath, Bristol, Wells, Langport, Cheddar;
Devonshire and Cornwall, in various localities; Berkshire, at Pusey, near Pairing-
don; Hampshire,on the walls of the city of Winchester; Sussex; Kent, Tunbridge
Wells, Maidstone church, Swanscombe church, Shorn church.
Caernarvonshire, walls and rock near Bagnor, on the Caernarvon road ; Glamorganshire,
Swansea.
. At Dundonald and the Carse of Gowrie, according to Hooker.
. County Dublin, on Tullow ch u rch ; county Wicklow, at the seven churches of Glendalough;
county Kilkenny, near Kilkenny; county Tipperary, Cashel and Clonmel;
county Cork, at Kilworth, Gian worth, Fermoy, Rathcormack, Watergrass
Hill, Cork, Bandon, Clonakilty; county Kerry, near Tralee, near Killarney
county Limerick, Castle Connel, and Limerick; county Clare, Limerick, and near
Ennis; county Galway, Loughrea, Galway, Moycullen, andOughteraxd.
T h i s little fern is distributed over the south-western counties
of England and Ireland; it is of rare occurrence in the midland
and northern counties, and in Scotland, as far as my own information
goes, it is entirely unknown ; hut Sir W. J. Hooker