688 FILICES. 



Fern ; frond 2-pinnate : leaflets adiantiform : veins dichotomons, free ; son in a line, 

 'parallel to the margin. 



230. D. lunulata, Desv.—Plum. Fit. t. 56. Kze. Farnkr. t. 84. Hook. Gen. t. 8.— 

 Adiantum, Houtt. Aspidium truncattdum, Sw. — Leaflets dimidiate-trapezoid, blunt, 10"'- 

 6'" loug ; sori either juxtamarginal or distant from the margin. — Hab. Trinidad !, Cr. ; 

 [Cuba ! to Brazil ! ; Pacific islands ! ; trop. Asia ! and Africa to Natal]. 



40. ASPIDIUM, Sw. 



Sori round (rarely oval), usually dorsal on a slender veinlet : indusium above the sorus, 

 or abortive (-suppressed). — Petiole not jointed at the base. 



There is no other universal character to distinguish Aspidium from Polypodium, but the 

 indusium : but from a series of examples, in which the indusium is present and suppressed 

 in the same species, it is probable, as Metteuius has suggested, that most forms of Polypo- 

 dium, sect. Phegopteris, will eventually prove to possess an indusium (though it may be 

 suppressed in most individuals). Hence I put the names of the West Indian species of Phe- 

 gopteris at the head of those divisions of Aspidium, to which they would belong if an indu- 

 sium was observed : such forms are easily distinguished from Eupolypodium by the dorsal 

 insertion of the sori, the slender veinlets, and the petiole not jointed at the base, though all 

 these characters have no universal, generic value. 



§ 1. Veinlets thickened at the summit, forked-dichotomous, free. 



* Leaf pinnate ; sori terminal on the anterior branch of forked veinlets 

 (Nephrolepis, Schott). 



231. A. pectinatum, W. Leaf pinnate : leaflets shortly oblong, blunt, dimidiate- 

 truncate and upwards auricled at the base ; sori half as much distant from the margin as 

 from the midrib : indusium semilunar, with a broad sinus. — Schk. Crypt. I. 29. b. dextu 

 — Nephrolepis, Schott. A. trapezoides, Schk. (non Sw.). N. tuberosa, Hook, {ex parte, 

 Lechl. 2155.).— 1'-2' high; leaflets 6"'~8"' long.— Hab. Jamaica!, Mac/., Wils., Al.- 

 [Venezuela! to Peru!]. 



232. A. exaltatum, Sw. Leaf pinnate: leaflets oblong-lanceolate, acute, or bluutish, 

 truncate or subcordate and upwards auricled at the base ; sori half as much distant from 

 the margin as from the midrib, or juxtamarginal : indusium cordate-orbicular, or reniform, 

 with a broad, open sinus.— SI. t. 31. Plum. Fil. t. 63. — Polypodium, L. Nephrolepis, 

 Schott. — Trailing : " twice in the year (from the rainy seasons), the stem starts afresh by a 

 prolongation of the rhachis, remaining afterwards in a quiesceut state, at length often attain- 

 ing a height of 15'-20', supporting itself on the bushes and trees " {Al.) ; leaflets l"-2" long. 

 —Hab. Jamaica !, Pd., Harlw., Al. ; S. Vincent '., Guild. ; [Cuba ! to Brazil ! ; Pa clfic ,s " 

 lands ! ; trop. Asia and Africa]. 



233. A. punctulatum, Sw. Leaf pinnate : leaflets oblong -linear, serrulate, acuminate, 

 truncate or shortly cuneate at the base, rarely produced upwards, iuto a short auricle, lowest 

 short, blunt ; sori half as much distant from the margin as from the midrib or juxtamarginal : 

 indusium cordate-orbicular,' with a narrow sinus and usually superincumbent auricles.- 

 Ptum. Fil. t. 11 2. Fee, Polypod. t. 23. C.f. 1.— Nephrolepis acuta, Hook— Variable, com- 

 prisiug e.g. A. acutum, Schk. (Crypt, t. 31) : a form with the rhachis and leaflets hairy be- 

 neath (Syn. A. paraense, W., Kze. !), A. acuminatum, "W. : a glabrous form, A. ensifohum, 

 Sehk. (Crypt, t. 32), Kze. ! : the form with juxtamarginal sori. Leaflets 2"-4" long.— 

 Hab. Jamaica !, Pd. ; Dominica !, Imr. ; [Cuba ! to Brazil !, and all tropical countries]. 



234. A. sesquipedale, W. Leaf pinnate : leaflets oblong-lanceolate, bluntish, cre- 

 nate-serrate above, truncate and upward produced into a deltoid auricle at the base; son 

 half as much distant from the margin as from the midrib, or juxtamarginal : industvt* 

 cordate-orbicular, %cith a narrow sinus and usually accumbent auricles. — Schk. Crypt t- 

 32. b.~ A. exaltatum, Schk., Sieb. Mart. 357. Nephrolepis neglecta, Kze. {ex Schk., no* 

 Hortor.). N. exaltata, Hook, {ex parte, Lechl. 2515). N. vahda, -foe. /; a form with the 

 son distant from the margin.— Several feet high ; leaflets l"-2" long.— Hab. West Indies 

 (Sw.); [Martinique ! ; Guiana! to Peru!]. 



