THE MALE F 
RN. 
Fronds averaging two or three foot in height, but varying from a foot to four or six feet, according 
to ago, variety, and locality ; they grow ereetish, and when the crown is vertical are arranged in а 
circlet around it; they are herbaceous, smooth, of a lively 
ther deep green, somewhat paler beneath 
in outline broadly lanceolate with a gradually taper 
apex, or sometimes oblon 
sudden acumination at the apex; bipinnate. Pinne numerous, alternate or nearly opposite, linear 
gradually 
iarroving towards the apex, which is acute ; the lower ones deer 
asing in length from about 
ich or rather more in 
the middle of the frond, the lowermost measuring an th in fronds of a foot 
those about the middle being three or four inches I 
and a half long the lower pinte are also more 
distant than those higher up. Pinnules at the base of the pinnæ di 
inet or slightly connected by a 
narrow wing to the rachis, notched on both sides at the base, but with а broad attachment, the first 
pair somewhat larger than the rest, which are generally attached by the entire width of their base with 
a very narrow sinus, and more or less combined ; oblong obtuse, £e, of equal width throughout, with 
the apex rounded, slightly crenato or erenato-lobed at the margin, se 
rated principally around the blunt 
apes, the teeth acute but not spinulose 
of a floxuous midvein bearin 
Venation of the pinnules consisti Iternate branches or reins, which 
are again branched once or twice, these secondary branches or renales extending nearly to the margin, 
each venule (or vein) itself if simple or the anterior branch if 
unified, proceeding towards the point of 
one of the marginal serratures, just within which it terminates, The manner of ramifying, is, by what 
led forking, which consists in the production of two branches both slightly a 
nd about equally 
diverging from the straight line. In the larger varieties there are more of these forkings than in the 
smaller. 
Fructifcation on the back of the frond, rarely extending more than half-way down, and most 
copi 
us on the upper third. Sor; numerous distinct, roundish-reniform, in the normal form confined to 
the lower half of the pinnules, attached to the anterior venule at a short distance above its source, and 
much below its te 
mination, thus being medial on the vein, and forming two short lines extending 
upwards from the base of the pinnæ, rather nearer the midvein than the margin. Zadusium firm, 
convex, per 
istent, reniform, 4. e, roundish with a posterior notch, affixed by the notch or sinus, with 
an entire margin, бе, without ma 
rginal glands, (except in pumila, and abbreviata, which are probably 
cquiring a grayish or leaden hue as the fructification becomes matured. Spore-cases 
slate. 
obovate. Spores oblong, mu 
Duration, Тһе rhizome is perennial, Young fronds are produced about May, which endure 
throughout the summer and autumn and until destroyed by severe frost 
‘This plant is the type of the modern genus Lastrea—consisting of indusiate free-veined dot-fruited 
F 
ns, having the indu 
rm, © e. round with a no 
tch in the margin, forming a sinus by which it 
is affixed. The name Lastræa was first and long ago used by Bory for a sub-generie group, which, 
е; the name had 
neither according to ancient or modern views could be held to have any val 
consequently lapsed, but was revived by Presl for the group above indicated. There is no ground 
whatever for the arbitrary selection, which Mr. Newman has made, of Z. Oreopteris, as the plant to bear 
Bory's name, to the exclusion о 
all the other species now usually associated with it: as he himself has 
deed shown by quoting Bory's subgeneric character, the application of which to this plant was an 
original error of observation, or at 
-ast the result of imperfect observations. Lastrea Oreopteris does, 
net, much less accord with Bory’s character than do th 
three Polypodies he associated with it. 
Presl was the 
fore quite justified when in 1836 he revived Bory's name (altering it to Lastrea) for a 
proposed group which included two of Bory's five species —Thelypteris and Oreopteris,—the others being 
Polypodium. Presl's genus, as we have already remarked, is rather typified by the subject 
of our present plate, although it fairly includes the two species just mentioned. We must here protest 
against the freak in which Mr, Newman has indulged, of scattering among the British Lastreas three 
