ASPIDIUM FILIX MAS. MALE SHIELD-FERN.
ASPIDIUM Filix Mas, fronde bipinnata, pinnis lineari-Ianceolatis, pinnulis oblongis obtuse serratis,
apice rotundatis, stipite rachibusque subtus paleaceis.
ASPIDIUM Filix Mas. Swartz Syn. Filic. p. 55. Smith FI. Brit. p. 1121. Engl. Bot. t. 1458.
et t. 1949 (sub nom. Aspidii cnstati). TVilld. Sp. PI. vol. 5. p. 259. Schkuhr Crypt,
p. 45. t. 44. Wahl. Lapp. p. 282. Alton Hort. Kew. ed. 2. vol. 5. p. 510.
POLYPODIUM Filix Mas. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1551. With. Bot. Arr. ed. 4. vol. 3. p. 759. Iluds.
Angl. p. 458. Bolt. Fil. p. 44. t. 24. Hofm. Germ. vol. 2. p . 6. . Bull. Plantes
Fen. t. 183. Poriet in Encycl. Method, vol. 5. p . 547.
POLYSTICHUM Filix Mas. Roth Germ. vol. 3. p. 82. Decand. Fl. Fr. ed. 3. vol. 2. ». 559.
Fl. Gall. p. 114.
POLYPODIUM pinnis pinnatis obtusis dentatis. Hall. Helv. n. 1701.
FILIX Mas vulgaris. Rail Syn. 120.
Bohem. Kapradj. Dan. Bregne. Hanbrcgnc. Dut. Varensmannctje. Fr. Fougère mâle. Germ.
Das männliche Farrenkraut. D e r männliche Tupf elfarren. It. Felce mascolina. Norw. Molsoor-
blom. Grout mo fo r . Pol. Paproc. Port. Feto macho. Russ. Osokor. Paparotnik. Span. He-
lecho masculino. Swed. Trdjon. Welsh. March-redynen wrryw. Rhedyn y Cadno.
Class and Ord e r . CRYPTOGAMIA FILICES.
[Natural Ord e r . FILICES (Div. 1. G yrataj). Brozon, Decandollc, Jussieu.]
G en . Char. Sori subrotundi sparsi. Indusium umbilicatpm vel uno latere dehiscens. Willd.
**** Frondibus bipinnatis triplicato-pinnatisve, iodusiis dimidiatis reniformibus.
Ge n . Cha r. Sori roundish, scattered. Indusium umbilicate or opening on one side. Willd.
**** Fronds bi-tripinnate, the indusia dimidiate, reniform.
Radix difformis, crassa, camosa, squamosa, fibras ra-
mosas fuscas emittens.
Frondes ex eadem radice plurim®, fasciculat®, bi-tri-
pedales, lanceolate, rigid®, erectiuscul®, pau-
lulum tamen reclinat®.
Stjpes luteo-viridis, semiteres, supra planus, utrinque
marginatus, medio canaliculatus, paleaceus, infeme
praecipue, paleis fuscis membranaceis.
PlNNiE altern®, inferne distantes, superne approximate,
confluentes, omnes sub-horizontaliter patentes,
sed apice sursum direct®, lineari-lanceolatas, supra
leves, subtus rachisque piloso-paleace®, pin-
nulatas; pinnulis numerosis, alternatim dispositis,
patentibus, oblongis, obtusis, nervosis, basi de-
currentibus atque subconfluentibus, margine api-
ceque obtuse serratis, serraturis muticis, sub-
equalibus, pinnulis inferioribus solummodo, hinc
basi majoribus, sub-auriculatis.
Fructificatio dorsalis, pinnis superioribus, et parte
inferiori pnecipue pinnularum, in duas lineas
costa media utrinque disposita, Jig. 1 .5.
Sori quinque ad septem, subrotundi, fusci.
I ndusium pallide fuscum, membranaceum, sub lente
reticulatum, fig . -6'. rotundato-reniforme, con-
vexum, medio depresso, fig. 3. sinu affixum,
marginibus liberis.
Capsul/E exigu®, numeros®, spheric®, pedunculate,
juniores sub-pellucid®, olivace®, limbo pallidiore,
Jig. 4. adult® fuse®, reticulate, fig. 7. annulo
elastico articulato incompleto instruct®, et trans-
versim irregulariter rumpentes.
Semina minuta, fusca, subspherica, maiginata, margine
dentato-tuberculata.
I Root of an irregular form, thick, fleshy, squamosc,
throwing out branched brown fibres.
Fronds many from the same root, fasciculate, two or
three feet long, lanceolate, rigid, nearly erect, a
little, however, reclined.
Stipe s yellow-green, semicylindrical, plane above, on
each side marginate, canaliculate in the middle,
chaffy, below principally, the scales brown, membranaceous.
PlNNiE alternate, below distant, above approximate,
confluent, all somewhat horizontally patent, but
directed upwards at their apex, linear-lanceolate,
smooth abpye^ beneath, as well as the rachis,
between pilose and chaffy, pinnulate; having the
pinn® numerous, alternately placed, patent, oblong,
obtuse, nerved, at the base decurrent and
somewhat confluent, the margin and apex obtusely
serrated, the serratures pointless, nearly
equal, the inferior pinnul® alone, on one side,
larger at the base, somewhat auriculate.
Fructification dorsal, on the superior pinn®, and
principally on the lower part of the pinnul®, disposed
in two lines on each side the central nerve,
fig • 4. 5.
Sori from five to seven, roundish, brown.
Indusium pale brown, membranaceous, reticulated
when seen under a microscope, fig. 6. roundish-
reniform, convex, depressed in the middle, Jig. 3.
affixed at the sinus, the margins free.
Capsules small, numerous, spherical, pedunculated,
the younger ones somewhat pellucid* olivaceous,
with the border paler, fig. 4. the adult ones
brown, reticulated, fig. 7. furnished with an
elastic, jointed, incomplete ring, and transversely
and irregularly bursting open.
Seeds minute, brown, nearly spherical, marginate, the
margin dentato-tuberculate.
1’a ^i)?nule of fructification with young indusia. fig. 2. A single indusium. fig . 3. Under side of the indusium.
.Jig. 4. Young capsule, fig. 5. Pinnules of more advanced fructification, fig . 6. Indusium with ripe capsules
some o f which have burst, fig . 7. Empty capsules. Jig. 8. Seeds.— All more or less magnified.
„ j tv . «uuoc iiuuuucuuon is uesiuuie or an mvoiucrum (or indusium as Swartz li
cauea it) being distinguished by the old name of Polypodium; those of which the indusia are fixed on one sid
opening a t the opposite extremity, by that of Athyrium; and those which have a sub-orbicular or kidney-shap<
dusium, their margin nearly free all round, by that o f Polystichum. Michaux about the same time gave to tl
L aT Yi i charf ctersLw®re the same with the former of the two last mentioned, the appellation of Nephrodim
Hypopettis: and our countryman Mr. Brown has adopted the same generic division
caning me Hypopettis by the name of Aspidium, under which term Swartz had previously united the two gener
r isr r ent l® .has been fol!l0wed by WiUdenow as well as by Mr. Brown himself, in the HortuZ Kei
ensis the characters being now employed for the sections of the genus.
nKi n?on® d e Ferns there are few that are of more common occurrence than the present one, growing i
hi™ a® 1-a lW0ods a?d coPPices, on almost every hedgebank, and on every variety of soil, fructifying in the ai
t ? ,S di'Vlnter mo,nths: 11 bears the nearest affinity, among our own individuals, with the Aspidium Oreopteri
A ti1-e ,pi.nnse are nearly>entire; and the fructification is marginal. It is still further removed froi
firstsi ht i • 01 Wh,,ch, lt was mistaken in one of the numbers of EnglishBotany), and may be known from it i
rni'Hoifo / 1 ir!ucb larger size, more chaffy stipes, narrow and regularly pinnulated pinn®, instead of almo.
coiaate and scarcely at all pinnulate pinn®.
.th.£-rOI?tis “aU5e,ou*> “ e x a m a r o i u k i s , " Haller.—We are told by Poiret in the Encyclopcd
, j tbat t,ns Plant bas obtained a great celebrity for its supposed property of destroying intestinal worm
Hip For, je secret was bought at a great price by the French Government in the reign of Lewis the Fifteenth. 1
eioe Isles the ashes made by burning this plant yield a good salt, which ig used in Hie process of soap-boilin«
* Landt's Ftrot Islands, p. 192.