,- , . 



48G COINTIUBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



cliffs, in iiiounlniiis near Kl Gnama, rrovineo of Pinar del Rio, Cnba, March 

 10, 1S)00. Two other sheets of no. 242 show the species in less mature states, 

 in which the branching is bipinnate and Iripinnatifid only. 



A. ru^icoU is by no means closely related to any described species, thou^-h 

 it IS perhaps to be compared with A. pcdata and A. paupcrcula. In the former 

 species the prolongation of the lowermost pair of pinnse into lateral branches 

 renders the short frond ternate as to its main vascular parts, and the unusual 

 basiscopic development of the basal pinnules of the lateral branches ajcuiu 

 Kives the frond a broad pentagonal form. In A. rupicola, on the other hand, 

 the frond is elongate and the comparatively slight extension of the inferior 

 pinnules of the three or four lowermost pairs of pinnae indicates no near 

 relationship to A, pcdata. In method of branching A. rupicola is near A, 

 paupcrcula, but the pinnules differ essentially in shape, being of the type of A. 

 radiala and A, pcdata. 



A NEW GENUS ALLIED TO VITTARIA. 



The Jamaican plant described by Swartz as Pteris angustifolia^ 

 X^laced nnder Vittai^ia by Baker and taken up under this name by 

 Diels, has been recognized by several writers as typifying a distinct 

 genus to which the name Pteropsis has been applied. There can be 

 no doubt that the species is a very foreign element under Vittaria; 

 but, equally, it ought not to rest under the name Pteropsis, This last 

 was given by Desvaux in 1827 to an odd assemblage of ten species 

 belonging to no fewer than six genera. The first three species are 

 now placed under Drymoglossum Presl (183G), the fourth is the 

 plant under consideration, the fiftli is Paltouhim lanreolatutu^ the 

 sixth is VHtaria scoIopen<fri7uf^ tlie seventh and eighth (described as 

 new) are regarded by Christensen as problematical, the ninth and 

 tenth are Kschatogrumme fifrcata. Paltonium Presl dates from 

 1849; Vittaria J. E. Smith from iTl>3; Eschatogramme Trev. fi'om 



1851, 

 The original diagnosis of IMeropsis reads as follows: " Sporangia 



in soruni continuum immersuni marginalem disposita. Involucrum 

 nullum. Frondes siniplices.'^ In fixing upon the type for the genus 

 it is not necessary to have recourse to a ^' first species ride '' in any 

 narrow sense; for, notwithstanding the diversity of types included, 

 the preference of the author seems to be fairly indicated. The first 

 three species are of the same tj'pe, l^eing indeed referred by Christen- 

 sen to a stngle sx>ecies {Drymoijlorsstfm heterophyllani)^ and by their 

 very position point out the importance they had assumed to the 

 autlior. Pteropsis thus restricted is, unfoi'tunately, quite synony- 

 mous with Drymoglossum of hder date and must prevail for (he sev- 

 eral species now associated under the latter name, unless MirbeFs 

 »:enus CandoUea (180'J) is to be lixed arbitrarily on the same type,'* 





'' See UnderwiMul, A review <tf tht* ^.^eiicra of ferns ]>ri>p()S(Ml prior to is;i2, Meui. 

 Turr. Bot. Club 6: 217-2S3, Doceniber 1, 1S9U. 



