THE COMMON PRICKLY SHIELD PERN. 



Britidi *rtr/rtrf*». u appear* from aoiheolie .pceimciw in tin* Hertarium of thr Limimii Sodctj. In Africa it oc^un 

 on %U nortlKTO coatf, at Alg***, and again m the- -oulh, a* vtf tu in the bland of MvSm In Atactic*, it< range 

 oxtemU fan the Eartcm United Stale* <tfi. ff«*rr,and /ifinml) toCdambttOtttttf north*™* coort (M. Utahr, 

 and Jfa/. frfc), Sjmmcna wfeicn are proba% Dot dirtingtriahabfe, have Veen pothered in Mexico (//*. Li*JU$) t in 



HiiftU'ttnU u»l in Cobmtia (J/*. Jto, ifcfl.) ; tod other* frtfo ttruil (J/*, IJ*J!<y t *nd Hooter t JV^ m p.^ 



pAj//«i, KJoUei), teen lo be tvfcnftlc Iwf* ; to « »ho the ArpUt*** nKafsprrinnm, Hooker and Arnott, ftt*n Chili. 

 The-o Sociih American fomw, if nc4 apoci&coily identical with the Earapca.ii J*. *tmU*tu*, are at !ca*t very ibtiautclr 

 Allied to it* In the aamo category mu*t be placed Ihe Atj*Jj*m muitum, tlomhron and Jno-vurwt, froen the 

 UlanJ of AneUsi*!, and New Zealand; the A. fr*Jtf>rvm of Van Dicnxa'a Laud; and tlto ^< attaiam and 

 -*. ri^-Aorfd/»rt of the tint In4i«a. 



Caudex thick, tufted, erect, or decumbent* becoming woody in age, consisting of the bases of decayed 

 fronds closely surrounding a woody axis, slowly elongating, in the upper part scaly. Scales broad 

 ovato-lanccolatc, numerous, dark fuscous. Fibres long, coarse, tortuous, branched, dark brown, 



Stipes short, three to four inches long, densely scaly with broad ovato-lanceolato chafly fuscous 

 scales ; terminal and adherent to the caudcx. 



Rachis stout, rounded behind, rounded and channelled in front, densely scaly, the scales less 

 numerous and hair-like above, more numerous and intermixed with broader ones below, gradually 

 merging in size with those of the stipes. 



Vermttion circinato, the main rachis becoming recurved before the unfolding of the frond is 

 completed ; the pinme convolute towards the main rachis. 



Frond from one to three feet high, and from four to seven inches across, rigid, leathery, smooth ami 

 dark given above, paler beneath, more or less spreading, occasionally .somewhat drooping, lanceolate in 

 the typical form, narrowly-lanceolate in the variety, bipinnate. Pinna: numerous, obliquely-lanceolate, 

 broadest at the base, acuminate, pinnate at the base aud for a part of their length, sometimes nearly to 

 the apex, in other eases the basal pinnules only being distinct; the upper ones alternate, the lower 

 ones nearly opposite and diminishing in size. Pintiules ovato-falcato or elliptic, acute and aristate at the 

 apex; all or the basal ones only auriculato on the anterior side, the auriclo acute and mucronate ; 

 aristate, subsessile, and attached by the wedge-shaped base, or decurrent; the basal portion entire, 

 and when distinct, obliquely incised on the posterior side, truncate on the side next tho rachis ; the 

 rest of the margin toothed with unequal adpressed mucronate serraturcs. The basal anterior pinna 

 on each pinnule is generally larger, often much larger than the rest, aud more strongly auricle*!, and 

 the pinnules are alt more or less convex ; on the under surface arc scattered line hair-like scales. The 

 typical form has the pinnules mostly distinct, the variety has them mostly decurrent; in some plants, 

 apparently resulting iudifiercntly from youth and decrepitude, they are obsolete, tho pinme being merely 

 more or less deeply toothed, somewhat resembling those of P. LoncJtitw ; it is this imperfect condition 

 of the plant which has been named lonchitidioides. 



Venation of the pinnules consisting of a fluxuous midvein, with alternate branches or mW, which are 

 again furcatcly-branchcd alternately, the lower veins producing three or four, the upper two or thrco 

 branches or venules, of which the lowest anterior one is soriferous. In the auriculato portion at the 

 base, the vein is more prominent than in the upper portion, and gives olV a greater number of simple or 

 forked venules, some few of which on both sides may produce sort. 



Fructification on the back, ami usually confined to the Upper half of the frond. Sort, round, indusiato, 

 seated much below the apices of the venules, in a line on each side of the midvein of the pinnules, and 

 also of tho vein of the auricles; often crowded, sometimes becoming confluent; attached to the lowest 

 anterior venule of the fascicle of veins, or, at tho auriculato base, to tho venules on either side the vein ; 

 but there also to tho anterior branch if they are forked, Indusium membranaceous, orbicular, |ieltato, 

 and umbilicato. Spore-cases numerous, dark brown, roundish-obovate, stalked. Spores very slightly 

 muriculate. 



Duration, The caudex is perennial ; the fronds arc persistent through the winter and the following 

 summer, though sometimes damaged by severe frosts. The young fronds grow up in May* 



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