164 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM, 
with a diagnosis until 1850, when Kunze described the species briefly but accurately, 
basing his diagnosis wholly upon the Martinique plant (Sieber, Fl. Martin. Suppl. 
no. 23) cited by Presl, as represented in the Berlin herbarium. Kunze refers here 
also two specimens fronr Santo Domingo: (1) A plant communicated by Mertens as 
Davallia dumosa, and (2) a specimen mentioned and figured by Sprengel in 1804 ! as 
Adiantum aculeatum, The former specimen has not been seen by the writer, but pre- 
sumably it is like the latter, which, as figured by Sprengel, is certainly a form of true 
Odontosoria aculeata having the spines somewhat curved, 
In addition to the peculiar shape of the segments, Odontosoria fleruosa is well dis- 
tinguished by the unusual character of its rachises. The primary rachis, which is of 
a rich purplish castaneous color, is flattish above, with a strong and rather sharp 
marginal ridge at either side. On the lower side it is more or less acutely angled, the 
rachis thus in cross section rather strongly trigonous, as shown in Fée’s illustration 
cited above. Strangely enough the secondary and tertiary rachises are not at all 
flexuose, as in other species of the genus, and usually the primary rachis also is straight. 
In the lower (older) parts, however, the primary rachis is sometimes sinuously flexuose, 
though not in the sense of ‘‘zigzag,’’ as the term flexuose is commonly employed. 
Sprengel’s name flexuosa, therefore, is not only relatively inappropriate but actually 
so, and we can only conjecture that besides Sieber’s Martinique plant there were other 
elements (specifically different and from other regions, with zigzag rachises) included 
by Sprengel under that name. The actual type of fleruosa, nevertheless, is clearly 
Sieber’s no, 23, since Kunze expressly states that this served for his diagnosis.” 
Hooker’s treatment of this group is very largely incorrect. The species figured by 
him as Davailia aculeata is certainly O. flecuosa, the illustration presumably being 
drawn from a Dominica plant collected by Imray (no. 7), cited by Hooker. 
The material of O. flecuosa in the U. 8. National Herbarium, cited below, is very 
complete and admits of no doubt as to the specific distinctness of the Lesser Antilles 
plant. 
MARTINIQUE: Route du Morne-Rouge & Calabasse, alt. 580 meters, Duss 1682. 
GUADELOUPE: Without definite locality, Duss 4238 (4 sheets). 
Dominica: Laudat, Lloyd 115 (2 sheets). Without definite locality, Eggers. 
5. Odontosoria wrightiana Maxon, sp. nov. ° PLATE 3. 
Plants of comparatively small size in all parts, the fronds ascending, scandent, 0.6 
to 2 meters long. Rhizome slender (2 to 2.5 mm. in diameter), woody, creeping, 
branched, tortuous, densely invested with acicular golden brown scales; lamina 
quadripinnate, in young specimens deltoid, in mature ones greatly elongate, oblong 
to linear-oblong; primary rachis slender (1.5 to 2 mm. in diameter), dark reddish, 
subterete, only the upper surface flattish (with a slender marginal ridge at each side), 
the sides and under part beset with numerous acicular straight spreading spines 2 to 
3.5 mm. long; primary pinne of mature specimens opposite, 8 to 11 em. apart, deltoid 
to ovate, 15 to 20 cm. long, 8 to 13 em. broad, spreading, the secondary rachis strongly 
flexuous, reddish to stramineous, bearing numerous straight spreading acicular spines 
up to 4 mm. long; secondary pinne subopposite to alternate, deltoid to deltoid-oblong, 
the larger ones (5 or 6 pairs) 3.5 to 7 cm. long, 2 to 6 cm. broad, adjacent or somewhat 
apart, spreading, the tertiary rachises very slender, strongly flexuous, bearing numer- 
ous very slender acicular spines up to 3.5 mm. long; pinnules of the third order similar 
in shape to the secondary pinne, the basal ones sometimes not reduced, the larger 
ones (5 to 7 pairs below the acutish apex) adjacent or somewhat apart, alternate, their 
slender rachises unarmed or sparingly spiny; pinnules of the fourth order 2 to 4 pairs, 
alternate, the larger ones comprising 1 or 2 unequally stalked cuneate divisions, each 
' Anleit. Gewiichs. 3: 150. pl. 5. f. 37. 1804. 
* A photograph and a fragment of this specimen, recently received through the kind- 
ness of Dr. I. Urban, accord perfectly with the other material studied and here cited. 
