FILICES. 651 



5. SCHIZ^A, Sm. 



Sporangia sessile, ovate, 2-4-serial oa the concave back of revolute, contracted leaf-seg- 

 ments : the latter forming terminal appendages of the nerves of the sterile leaf. — Leaf 1-pal- 

 matinerved, rigid : fertile segments short, usually pilose beneath. 



13. S. elegans, Sio. Leaf long-petioled, dichotomously palmatisect : segments cuneate, 

 unequally palmatifid : lobes oblong, inciso-dentate at the summit : nerves flabellate-dicho-- 

 tomous : fertile appendages pinnatipartite : segments recurved, 6-10-jugal; sporangia 2- 

 serial.— Vahl, Symb. 2. t. 50.— Acrostichum, V.— 1'-2' high ; leaf-segments 3"-5" long, 

 lobes 8"'-2'" broad, fertile appendages 4"'-6"long. — Hab. Jamaica!, Pd., very rare, in 

 dry woods, Westmoreland, Bluefield Mountains at 2000' alt. ; Trinidad !, Pd., Cr. ; [Mexico 

 to Brazil], 



14. S. pennula, Sw. Leaf simple, filiform, unicostate-3-gonal, shortly tapering at the 

 summit : fertile appendage subpalmatisect (contracted pinnatisect) : segments 6-2-jugal, 

 incurved, pilose beneath; sporangia 4(-2)-serial.— Schk. Crypt, t. 136./. dext. Hook. 

 Gen. t. 111. A. Hook. Grev. Ic. t. 54. — S. trilateralis, Schk. S. subtrijuga, Mart. {Kze. 

 Farnkr. t. 98. f. 1) : our Trinidad form, not to be distinguished but by lower growth and 

 shorter appendages. — H"-j" high; appendages 8"'-12'" long. — Hab. Trinidad!, Cr. ; 

 [Guiana!, Brazil!]. 



6. LYGODIUM, Sw. 



Sporangia shortly^pedicellate at the summit (hemianatropous), oval, 2-serial on the back 

 of appendages of the leaf-margin, each supported by an epiphyllous scale. — Stem twining ; 

 leaves divided, or compound ; fertile appendages oblong -linear, blunt, crenate. 



15. Ii. volubile, Sw. Stem cylindrical; leaves pinnate: leaflets 3-5-jugal, oblong- 

 lanceolate, undivided, jointed at the base : veins forked : fertile appendages short, termina- 

 ting numerous, small serratures. — SI. t. 46./. 1. Schk. Crypt, t. 13». — L. scandens, Schk. 

 -—Leaflets (the appendages excluded) 3"-5" long, 5"'-6'" broad, truncate or rounded at the 

 hase, appendages l"'-2'" Ion" — Hab. Jamaica !, Wils. ; Trinidad !, Lockh., Pd. ,- [Cuba !, 

 to Brazil !]. 



16. It. venustum, Sw. Stem cylindrical, jointed ; leaves 1-Z-pinnate : leaflets 2-6- 

 jugal, hastate-S-parlite at the base, pinnatifid-serrate above it : petiole pilose : fertile appen- 

 dages as long as the transverse diameter of the blade, terminating chiefly the lower lobes. — 

 Snhk. Crypt, t. ~139./ig.sup.—L. polymorphum, Kth.— Leaflets (the appendages excluded) 

 1 -2" long, 6"'-4'" broad at the base ; appendages 3'" long.— Hab. Trididad !, Sch. ; [Mexico ! 

 to Brazil!]. 



Tribe III. GLEICHENIEJE, R. Br. — Sporangia with a transverse, or oblique, complete 

 ring about the middle, longitudinally dehiscent, superficial or sunk into the leaf. 



7. MERTENSIA, W. 

 ' Son round, naked, superficial, serial, dorsally inserted into special reinlets .- sporangia sab- 

 sessile, usually few in each sorus : ring transverse (or oblique).— Leaf rigid, forked, or di- 

 choiomously divided : segments pinnatipartite, or pinnatisect. 



* Feins bifid. 



17. M. Bancroftii, Kz. Petiole simply forked: primary segments 2-pinnalisect, 

 tertiary ones numerous, horizontal, linear, bluntish, entire, revolute at the margin, adnate- 

 decurrent at the base, hence somewhat distant, glabrous, glaucous beneath uppermost de- 

 crescent ; sori of 3-4 sporangia at the simple forking of the veins.— Plum. Fil. t. io. Hook. 

 Spec. 1. t. 4. A.— Gleichenia, Hook. M. glauca jamaicensis, Sw.— 3-4 high; secondary 

 leaf-segments 10"-6", tertiary 9"'-6' ; ' long.— Hab. Jamaica!, Bancr., Pd., Al., rare, near 

 the summit of the Blue Mountains ; [French islands ! ; Mexico ! to Brazil .]. 



18. M. furcata, W. Petiole 2-3-chotomous : leafy portions repeatedly dichotomous 

 Pinnatipartite, oblong-linear, shortly tapering at the summit, ultimate and penultimate fork- 

 ™gs of nearly equal length : segments linear, blunt, equally dilated at the base, glabrous or 

 whitish-villous beneath ; sori of 3-5 sporangia near the simple forking of the veins.— Plum. 



