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and half-grown fronds fruetification never occurs. Stipes naked, 
rather shorter than the frond, plain on the anterior surface, and 
furrowed towards the base, the ridge of the posterior side extend- 
ing to the termination of the frond along its midrib. 
Fructification—Disposed in little round spots, from the mid- 
dle of the frond to its apex, in two lines in quincunx order, or 
alternately deviating from the line towards the margin. The 
_ spots before the capsules can be readily distinguished with a 
microscope, are of a brown chesnut colour, smaller by half 
than when the spots have attained their full growth, m which 
state they are of a red chesnut colour, and sometimes tawny, 
about the size of half a lentil: each spot consists of more than 
seventy capsules, attached to a receptaculum covered with very 
short hairs. 
Capsules—very short; pedicels orbicular, convex on both — 
sides, and somewhat compressed, about the size of half a grain 
of mustard, thin, paper-like, whitish ; surrounded almost wholly 
_ by an annular membrane, which bursts elastically, near the in- 
sertion of the piece, into two valves; appearing like the skin of 
a grub or maggot. 
_ Seeds—numerons, very minute, oval, shining, whitish with 
tinge of. yellow, attached internally to the annular membrane, | 
from which they spring elastically on the bursting of the valves. 
OBsERVATION.—For want of a good microscope, I was pre-— 
vented from deciding on the fructification of both sexes, which. 
I suspect occurs in the genus Polypodium, as well as in Acros- 
tichum ; because, with a common lens, two different bodies are 
istinguishable, in some of which capsules are observable, in 
others ey remain as if blasted, and scarcely perceptible. 
ie grows abundantly i in the hollows of the Punas, and on the 
cold mountainous regions of the provinces of Canta, Huaro- 
