Part 1, 1909] MARATTIACEAE 21 
DOUBTFUL, SPECIES 
Danaea elata Viebm. Vidensk. Selsk. Skr. V. 1: 306. 1849. (Type from Hacienda 
de Jovo, State of Vera Cruz, Mexico, on bank of stream, altitude 500 meters.) According 
to Liebmann, this species has the habit of D. nodosa, but differs in having a nodose stipe, 
longer pinnae (20 cm.), and more of them (15 pairs), and a subentire apex. 
Danaea pterorachis Christ, Bull. Soc. Bot. Genéve II. 1: 235. 1909. (Type from 
Costa Rica.) ‘‘Espéce fortement ailée, mais trés differente de D. alata Sw. par des 
nervures serrées et fourchues. Particulier par des articulations non ou peu enflées.’’ 
‘“‘. , Stipite 20 cm. longo, vix pennae anserinae crassitie . . . bis aut ter articulato. 
. . Fronde usque ad 30 cm. longa, 18 cm. lata. . . . nervis plerumque furcatis, ca. 10 in 
centimetri spatio.’? Not clearly distinguished by the description from D. alata. Dr. 
Underwood, in his revision of Danaea, gave 6 as the number of veinlets per centimeter in 
D. alata, but from material now at hand in the Underwood Fern Herbarium, the revised 
count of 6-10, as given in the description above, was obtained. 
Danaea Wendlandi Reichenb. f. Bot. Zeit. 30: 490. 1872. (Type from Costa Rica.) 
Perhaps a good species, belonging in the key with D. Jenmani (‘‘ pinna terminali seu 
minuta oblonga seu oblitterata’’), from which it differs, as appears from Reichenbach’s 
description, in having more pinnae— up to 34—and stipes without nodes. Christ has 
recently reported D. Jenmani from Costa Rica on the basis of a collection of Wercklé’s, but 
as he states that the stipe is nodeless, it is perhaps better referable to D. Wendlandt. 
2. MARATTIA Sw. Prodr. 128. 1788. 
Myriotheca Commerson ; Juss. Gen. Pl.15; hyponym. 1789.—Poir.in Lam. Encyc. 4: 403. 1797. 
Eupodium J. Smith; Hook. Gen. Fil. £1. 178. 1842. 
Discostegia Pres], Abh. Bohm. Ges. Wiss. V. 4: 271. 1845. 
Gymnotheca Presi, Abh. BOhm. Ges. Wiss. V.4: 272. 1845. 
Large coarse plants with erect, tuberous, fleshy, tongh, often very stout rhizomes, 
and herbaceous, fleshy-stipulate, 2-3-pinnate, deltoid leaves, arranged in a circle, usually 
2m. or more long, the fertile and sterile leaves alike; venation free. Sporangia in two 
rows, opening by longitudinal slits, coalescent, forming two-lipped or two-valved 6-18- 
locular, oval or rounded, superficial synangia, borne near the ends of the veins, on a 
slightly raised receptacle, sessile, or in one species distinctly stalked, sometimes subtended 
by a scaly pseudo-indusium. 
Lamina bipinnate, the ultimate pinnules 10-30 cm. long. 1. M. laxa. 
Lamina tripinnate or more compound, the ultimate pinnules 1-5 cm. long. 
Synangia distinctly stalked. 2. M. Kaulfussii. 
Synangia sessile on a slightly raised receptacle. : 
Ultimate pinnules all long-acute or acuminate, 2-5 cm. long. 3. M. interpostia. 
Ultimate pinnules mostly blunt or merely short-acute. 
Ultimate pinnules not less than 1 cm. long, mostly much longer 
(1-3.5), merely obscurely serrate and rather blunt. 4, MM, excavata, 
Some of the ultimate pinnules much smaller (0.5-1 cm. long), 
the larger ones usually deeply serrate or lobed, sharply 
acute. 
Ultimate pinnules scaly along the midveins below. 5. WM, alata. : ; 
Ultimate pinnules naked below. 6. M. weinmanniaefolia. 
1. Marattia laxa Kunze, Linnaea 18: 306. 1844, 
Gymnotheca laxa Presl, Abh. B6hm. Ges. Wiss. V. 4: 275. 1845. 
A coarse plant; rhizome low, stout; leaves bipinnate, 1.5-4 meters long, the stipe 
30-60 cm. long, smooth; Jamina 1-1.25 m. long, deltoid; pinnae oblong or lanceolate; 
pinnules 10-30 cm. long, 1-3.2 cm. broad, linear-oblong, long-acute, the base blunt, trun- 
cate or cordate, the anterior side shorter, the margins more or less serrulate to irregularly 
crenate-serrate ; veinlets mostly 1-2-forked, often with alternate simple veinlets; synangia 
elliptic, mostly 12-18-locular, nearly marginal. 
TYPE LOCALITY : Mexico. . 
DISTRIBUTION : Mexico and Central America. 
