I n t h e iS u c t i o n T r i c h o m .a n e s o f A u t h o r s .
T h e Common Alaiden-hair Spleenwort is a lovely dwarf
British Fern, and so generally is it distributed throughout Great
Britain, that it would be needless to enumerate localities. Its
usual habitats are ruins, rocks, old walls, churches, and sometimes
on banks; extending from the sea-level to a height of
two thousand feet. In Ireland it i.s sometimes of larger size,
specimens having been found above a foot in length, having
thirty pairs of pinnæ.
Its geographical distribution is great, extending throughout
Europe—to Greece on the east side, and Spain on the west;
Madeira, Cape of Good Hope, Persia, India, Siberia, Au stralia,
Van Diemen’s Land, United States, Mexico, Jloutreal,
Venezuela, Sandwich Islands, England, Wales, Scotland, and
Ireland.
A hardy British Fern.
r iie frond is narrow, linear, pinnate, with numerous pinnæ,
which are irregularly ovate, crenate on the edges, truncate-
cuueate at the base, obtuse at the apex, terminai, adherent to
a tufted rhizoma. The length of the stipes is about a third of
that of the whole frond, glabrous, polished, and of a blackish
purple colour; in young fronds the rachis is green, but it soon
changes to a dark purple, the pinnæ when past maturity
are apt to fall off, and to leave the rachis without pinnæ;
this is more especially the case with the variety incisa, indeed
it seems very difficult to prevent their falling off the dried
specimens.
Veins forked from the midvein.
Sori a single row on each side the midrib of the pinnule,
arranged obliquely, linear in form, and eventually becoming
confluent. The seed-vessels are inclosed in a white membranous
indusium.
Length of frond from three to fourteen inches; colour of frond
deep green.
On Plate X X X IX . of the “Nature-printed Ferns” are figured
a pretty series of varieties of Asplenium trichomanes, amongst
which are the varieties incisum, cristatum, depauperatum,
ramosum, and multifidum.
The caudex is short, tufted, and covered with brown lanceolate
shaped scales.
Mr. AIoore enumerates the following varieties:—D/c/ioiomMW,
AVollaston; hifurcatum, AVollaston; ramosum, AVollaston; multifidum,
AIoore; cWstofera, Willdenow; Wollaston ;
suboequale, AIoore; lolatum, AIoore; and incisum, AIoore. Of
these ramosum is a handsome branched variety, found in Devonshire,
Ireland, and Westmoreland; multifidum, found by Air.
Dick, at St. Alary’s Isle, Kircudbright, is also an interesting
variety; suhcequale found near Alomnouth by Air. Enys; lolatum,
in Devonshire by the Rev. J. AI. Chanter; but the three most
interesting m-e—incisum (of which a figure is given at the head
of this chapter.)
This splendid Fern has the pinnæ deeply pinnatifid, with
narrow inciso-scrrate segments; it is exceedingly rm'e, being
difficult to propagate, the fronds being all barren. Found near
Burnley, in Lancashire, by Air. Gibson; in Devonshire by the
Rev. AW S. Hore; Clare, Ireland, by Dr. Kinahan; Settle,
Yorkshire, by Air. Clapham, of Scarbro’ ; and m Borrowdale,
Cumberland, by Aliss Wright. There is a splendid plant of
this Fern at AVentworth.
The variety cristatum, having a tessellated apex, was raised
from seed by Airs. Delves, of Tunbridge Wells, the seed having
come in another Fern from the Glasgow Botanic Gardens;
yet, as nothing was known of the Fern at Glasgow, its history
is obscure. A figure of this is given at the end.
The variety depauperatum is exceedingly rare; it was found
in Clare, Ireland, by Dr. Allchin, and at Rydal, AVcstmorcland,
by Air. AAfollaston; the pinnæ are very narrow and depauperated:
it is fertile. A good description of these varieties appears in
Aloore’s “Nature-printed Ferns.”
For fronds of A . trichomanes-incisum I am indebted to Air.
AVollaston, of Chisselhurst; Air. Henderson, of AVentworth; and
to Air. Norman, of Hull. For plants and fronds of the variety
cristatum to Air. Sim, of Foot’s Cray.
This species can he procured of any Nurseryman who cultivates
Ferns, but is so common as to be procurable wild in
almost every locality. The variety cristatum may be procured
of Air. Sim, of Foot’s Cray; the variety incisum of Air. Sim, of
Foot’s Cray, and Air. Parker, of Holloway; the variety dcpau-
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