Exceedingly common in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Found also in the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the Channel
Islands, throughout Europe, Greece, Italy, Spain, Algiers,
in the Azores, Aladeira, Persia, Asia Minor, and the United
States.
Known iu England as the Common lla r t ’s-tongue Fern.
Fronds simple, glabrous, and broadly linear, with an attenuated
apex and a cordate base; margin entire. Stipes and rachis
scaly. Terminal; adherent to a somewhat creeping rhizoma.
Veins forked; venules free, terminating in club-shaped apices.
Caudex short and stout. Stipes covered with membranous
scales.
Sori linear and indusiate.
Length from six to twenty-four inches; colour bright green.
Some of the varieties are exceedingly handsome. To Air.
AIoore we are greatly indebted for giving to the public so
interesting a Catalogue of the forms of Scolopendrium vulgare.
From his account the following are extracted:—
1.—Polyschides. Fronds narrower, margin deeply crenately-
lobed, and sori short: found in the AVest of England.
2.— Gornutum. The apex in the form of a hook: found in
Yorkshire.
3.—Marginatum. Having a lobed margin below the frond
as well as above: Found in the ftVest of England. Very
distinct.
4.— Crispum. A frilled form. A’ery distinct, and mostly
barren.
5.—Multifidum. Alultifid near the apex.
6.—-liamosum. Alultifid, dwarf, and the stem below the
leafy portion of the frond branched.
7.—Laceratum. Very variable, profoundly irregularly-lohed,
apex dilated, multifid, and crisped. Found at Taunton, by
Air. Young.
8.—Macrosorum.
9.— Fissum.
10.— Ohtusidentatum.
11.—• Crenato-lohatum.
12.—liesectum.
13.—Sinuatum.
14.—Incecpiale.
1-5.—liimosum.
IG.— Inops.
17.—Irreguläre.
18.—Spirale.
19.— Compositum.
20.—Nudicaule.
21.—Ahruptum.
22.— Variahilc. 44.— Supralineatum.
23.—Striatum. 45.—Supralineato-resectum.
2 4 .—Sub variegatum. 4(i.—Multiforme.
25.—-Apicilohum. 47.— Chelcefrons.
20.—Lanceolum. 48.— Crista-galli.
27.—Sigittifolium. 49.—Figitatum.
TS.—Sagittato-cristatum. 50.— Glomeratum.
29.—Ilctinervium. 51.—Flahellatum.
30.— P aclujplnyllum. 52.—Depauperatum.
31.'—■ Coriaceum. 53 — Cristatum.
32.—Pocilliferum. 54.—Laccrato-marginatum.
33.— Peraferum. 55.—llamo-marg inatum.
34.—Muricalum. 56.—liamosum-majus.
35.—Jugosum. 57.— Constrictum.
36.—Papillosum. 58.—Itugosum.
37—Scalpturatum. 69.—Bireniforme.
38.—Impcrfectum. 60.—Salehrosum.
39.—Siciforme. 61.—-Laciniatum.
40.—Suhmarginatum. 62.—Suhcornutum.
41.—Proliferum. 63.— Undulatum.
42.—Fimhriatum. 64.— Dndidato-lohatum.
4 3 .—B hnargina turn. 65.—Acrocladon. Found near
Ambleside, in 1857, by the author.
To Air. Aloore’s “Hand-book of British Ferns” we must
refer for descriptions of all these varieties.
S. vulgare is very readily raised from spores, and when the
spores are from the multifid varieties there is a great diversity
of form in the seedling plants.
This plant can be gathered in almost every part of Great
Britain. A few of the varieties may be procured of Alessrs.
Sim, of Foot’s Cray; Veitch, of Chelsea; and A. Henderson,
of Pine-apple Place.
The illustrations are from plants iu ray own collection.