Par? 1, 1909] OPHIOGLOSSACEAE 13 
3. CHEIROGLOSSA Presi, Abh. Bohm. Ges. Wiss. 
V.4: 316. 1845. 
Epiphytic plants. Rhizomes stout, scaly; roots fleshy, fibrous. Leaves pendent or 
spreading, one to several, consisting of a long commonstalk, a broad palmately divided 
lamina, and one to several simple short-stalked pendent sporophyls borne along the upper 
part of the common stalk and the base of the lamina; venation anastomosing, with elongate 
major areolae and included free and anastomosing veinlets. Sporangia discoid, coalescent. 
Spores finely sculptured. 
Type species, Ophioglossum palmatum \,. 
1. Cheiroglossa palmata (L.) Presl, Abh. Bohm. Ges. 
Wiss. V. 4: 317. 1845. 
Ophioglossum palmatum I,. Sp. Pl. 1062. 1753. 
Rhizome 8-25 mm. long, 8-15 mm. thick, clothed with fine, pale, hairlike scales; 
leaves 20-30 cm. long, spreading and pendent, the commonstalk 6-20 cm. long, flattened, 
the lamina obdeltoid, 10-20 cm. long, 5-25 cm. broad, digitately divided often nearly to the 
base into 2-10 tapering lobes 2-22 cm. long, rarely simple; venation reticulate, the major 
areolae elongate, angular, irregularly hexagonal, usually including several smaller areolae 
and an occasional free veinlet ; sporophyls 1-16 on each leaf, 1-7 cm. long, borne along the 
margins of the upper part of the commonstalk and the base of the lamina; sporangia 
8-60-jugate ; spores yellow, .045-.06 mm. thick, very finely pitted and verrucose. 
TYPE LOCALITY: Santo Domingo. 
DISTRIBUTION: Epiphytic; from southeastern Florida throughout the West Indies to Mexico 
and Brazil. 
ILLUSTRATIONS: Plumier, Traité Foug. £/. 1637; D. C. Eaton, Ferns N. Am. p/. 81, f. 11-14. 
