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MAXON — STUDIES OF TROPICAL AMERICAN FERNS. 19 



Polypodium ghiesbreghtii Linden, Cat. 18. 1858. 

 Polypodium crenatum /? ghiesbreghtii Hook. Sp. Fil. 5: 3. 1864. 

 Dryopteris ghiesbreghtii C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 267. 1905. 

 II. 876. Cubilquitz, altitude 350 meters, July, 1907. 



The Goniopteris mollis of Fee was founded upon Linden's no. 1499, from Tabasco, 

 southern Mexico, and was figured by Fee several years later, at which time Fee 

 mentioned having received a living plant, from Amsterdam as "Goniopteris ghics- 

 brcchtii " which he regarded as true mollis. Linden's plant also reached Hooker, who 

 figured it in his Exotic Ferns, plate 84, 1859, merely as Polypodium crenatum. In 

 1864, however, Hooker recognized the Mexican plant as entitled to varietal rank, 

 as noted above, citing Linden's no. 1499; and since then it has usually been regarded 

 as a distinct species, mostly under the name ghiesbreghtii. Thus Baker recognized 

 it in the Synopsis Filicum as distinct and later « referred here Captain Smith's no. 

 1407 from Alta Verapaz. 



The species is subject to considerable variation in nearly all characters, depending 

 mainly upon age and maturity. The sori are commonly rather small, perhaps only 

 so with age, and slightly nearer to the midvein than to the vein excurrent from the 

 point of union of the connivent veins. In this particular Fee's figure is better than 

 Hooker's; but the margins are shown better by Hooker, and the lobes are not infre- 

 quently even more pronounced and irregular. The rachis and the under surface, 

 even including the leaf tissue between the veins, are very densely villous, and the 

 upper surface is somewhat scabrous with similar but stiffer hairs, these few and 

 mostly confined to the veins. The pinnse are subject to rather more variation in 

 shape than in D. poiteana (Bory) Urban (the Polypodium crenatum of Swartz, Baker, 

 and Jenman) and sometimes attain a considerable size, as in the present specimens 

 of Baron von Turckheim's (30 cm. long, 6.5 cm. broad). They seem never to be 

 bulbiferous at the base, as is usuaily the case in West Indian specimens of 1). poiteana. 

 The following specimens have been examined: 

 Mkxico: Tabasco, Linden 1499 (a fragment). 



Guatemala: Department of Alta Verapaz: Near the Finca Sepacuite, Cook & 

 Griggs 281; 664. Near Secanquim, altitude 550 meters, Maxon & Hay 3132. 

 Cubilquitz, altitude 350 meters, von Turckheim (J. D. S. 8648). Socolal, 

 altitude 900 meters, von Turckheim (./. I). S. 1407). Chamiquin, altitude 

 360 meters, von Tilrckheim 550. 

 Costa Rica: Without locality, Werckle (ex herb. Christ). Port Limon, at sea 

 level, Cook <fr Doyle 419. Rio Hondo, Plains of Santa Clara, altitude 100 

 meters, Cook dc Doyle 496. 



Dryopteris paucipinnata (Bonn. Km.) Maxon. 



Nephrodiumfendlcriv&r. paucipinnatum Donn. Rm. Bot. Gaz. 12: 134. 1887. 



Dryopteris donnell-smithii Maxon, in sched. 



Rhizome horizontally creeping or ascending, woody, about 1.5 cm. in diameter, 

 bearing at the apex a thick tuft of lanceolate to ovate attenuate concolorous dark- 

 brown scales 7 to 9 mm. in length; fronds 2 or 3, approximate, glabrous, long-stipitate, 

 100 to 115 cm. in length; stipes about 65 cm. long, irregularly sulcate, greenish stra- 

 mineous, naked except for a few deciduous scales at the base; lamina 40 to 50 cm. 

 long, about 25 cm. broad, comprising 5 or 6 pairs of falcate elongate ascending lateral 

 pinna? and a conform terminal pinna, all nearly equal in dimensions, the upper ones 

 slightly smaller; pinna? 20 to 25 cm. long, broadest (about 3 cm.) in the middle, nar- 

 rowly lanceolate, falcate, obliquely pinnatifid about one-third (or slightly more) the 

 distance to the costa, tapering gradually to a narrow entire long-caudate apex, at the 

 base acutely, narrowly, and subequally long-cuneate, short-petiolate; main lobes of 



a Ann. Bot. 5: 460. 1891. 



