1^4 D'' Goodenougii and Mr. Woodward'; O&Jhrvaikns en 



flalk is round — in bulbofus perfectly flat : in digkatus it is Gmple 

 throughout — in bulbofus it is inflated at the bafe, whence it refem- 

 bles a hollow bulbous root. This apparent bulb is covered with fhort 

 pezizi-form excrefcences, which authors have imagined to be ru- 

 diments of other plants. However, as this focus is always found 

 folitary, we would fuggeft the idea, that they may be receptacles of 

 fructification. We rather dwell upon this idea, becaufe in the 

 younger plants there is no appearance of tubercles. The (talk in 

 Bulbofus is fometimes (lightly twilled, and juft above the bafe has its 

 margins thinnifh, and extremely curled or undulated : in dighatus 

 the (talk is fimple throughout ; it has no inflation at the bafe, 

 and is entirely free from all excrefcences whatfoever. The divifions 

 of the frond, except that they are rather more numerous in bulbofus ,. 

 are in both alike, as to their fword-like, or rather fcymetar-like 

 fhape, and, according to their age, of a membranaceous, car- 

 tilaginous or leathery texture. The colour in both is a dirty 

 green. 



There is fuch a fimilarity in the habit, texture, and root otfaccha- 

 rmuSydigiiatiiS) and bulbofus, that we cannot but be ftrongly inclined 

 to think the fructification is alike in them all. They feem to form 

 a feparate family. It was this idea which induced us chiefly to look 

 upon the bullated facchaiinus to be the variety, and the fmooth one 

 fo like bulbofus and digltalus, to be the principal. All thefe fpecies 

 have mucus enough to conftitute a receptacle for the feeds or fruc- 

 tification ; fo that that confederation need not force us to have re- 

 courfe to the bullated variety of faccharlnus to account for the fource 

 of propagation of that fpecies. If there were bullated varieties of di- 

 ghatus and bulbofus, we might in that cafe allow that the bullated 

 variety was the perfect plant ; but as that is not the cafe, and as in 

 two of thefe fpecies the fructification is latent in the fmooth frond, 



3 we 



