THE COMMON PRICKLY SHIELD FERN 
Cander thick, tufted, егесі or decumbent, becoming woody in 
fronds closely surrounding a woody axis, slowly elongating, in the upper part seal 
ovato-lanceolate, numerous, dark fuscous. Fibres long, coarse, tortuous, branched, dark brown. 
‘Stipes short, throe to four inches long, densely scaly with broad ovato-lanccolato chafly fuscous 
scales ; terminal and adherent to the caudex. 
Rachis stout, rounded behind, rounded and channelled in front y scaly, the 
numerous and hair-like above, more numerous and intermixed with ones below, gradually 
merging in size with those of the stipes 
Vernation reinate, the main rachis becoming recurved before the unfolding of the frond i 
completed; the pinna» convoluto towards the main rach 
Frond from one to three feet high, and from four to seven inches across, rigid, leathery, sn 
dark green above, paler beneath, more or less spreading, occasionally hat drooping 
tho typical form, narrowly-lanceolate in the variety, bipinnate. inne numerous, obliquely-la 
broadest at the base, acuminate, pinnate at the base and for a part of their length, sometimes nearly to 
the apes, in other cases the basal pinnules only being distinet ; the upper ones alternate, the lower 
‘ones nearly opposite and diminishing in size. Pinnules ovato-faleate or elliptic, acute and aristate at the 
apex; ай or the basal ones only auriculato on the anterior side, the auri mu 
aristate, subsessile, and attached by the wedge-shaped base, or decurrent ; the basal portion entire 
and when distinet, obliquely incised on the posterior side, truncate on the side next the rachis ; the 
rest of the margin toothed with unequal adpressed mucronate serratures, The basal anterior pinna 
оп each pinnule is generally larger, often much larger than the rest, and more strongly auricled, and 
the pinnules are all more or less convex ; on the under surface aro scattered fine hair-like s 
typical form has the pinnules mostly distinct, the variety has them mostly decurrent 
apparently resulting indifferently from youth and decrepitude, they ріш rely 
more or less deeply toothed, somewhat resembling those of P. Lonchitis ; it is this imperfect condition 
of the plant which has been named Ionchitidioides 
прав ы ne See ы ЖОШО Ос ныл. 
сатар ње а ames rian O ыра 
м à 
bass ê i êshe a U E AE E TE E 
TT 
о, 
а, a ta 
E шынан; ча ode лана оа на 
er veni f o ilo vel o, at he dl le ta фе ышы coke ca 
ми tharo aol ho женет branch Ұ (hy ше йі. ылы wenn ео 
and umbilicate. Spore-cases numerous, dark brown, roundish-obovate, stalked. Saum ver, њи, 
тешме 
Duration. "Pho caudex is perennial 
the fronds are persistent through the winter and th 
loving 
oer, though sometimes damaged by severe frosts. The young fronds grow up in M, 
