MR. C. B. CLARKE ON THE FERNS OF NORTHERN INDIA. 495 
Himalaya, from East Kashmir to Bhotan, alt. 5000-12,000 feet, very common. 
. Here are collected all the Himalayan forms that are at least 3-pinnate, except the 
low-level A. Filix-feemina, var. pectinatum. The form figured by Beddome is the least 
divided form, which, I fear, is only arbitrarily separated from the most divided form of 
A. macrocarpum, called A. decipiens by Mett. Wallich’s typical plant is 4-pinnate sub- 
5-pinnatifid, the ultimate segments narrow, sharply toothed. 
Var. foliosa, Wall. Cat. 359, partly, not as to type sheet. Rhachis often very red and 
waved, glandular in the axis of the pinnze; ultimate segments broader than in the 
type; sori small. (Pl. LXII. fig. 2.) 
Frequent at high levels in Sikkim and Nepaul.—Oblong or triangular in outline. 
Var. spheropteroides. Involucre small, early disappearing ; sori both lateral and ter- 
minal on the veins, becoming soon globose, often appearing elevated from the frond. 
(Pl. LXII. fig. 1.) 
: Throughout the Himalaya, alt. 9000—13,000 feet, very common.—I include here a 
number of forms which I have distributed under the names spAeropteroides, rubricaulis, 
and Andersoni. A. spheropteroides type is often 6-8 feet high, triangular in outline, 
the lowest pinnz 2 feet, the quaternary pinne oblong, hardly lobed or pinnatifid. 
Sir W. J. Hooker had a specimen of this in over-ripe fruit, which he marked “ Davallia 
an Spheropteris sp. 2?” There are small 3-pinnate examples which, having gathered 
from the same tufts, I know to be varieties of this. There are other forms with the sori 
large, ultimately covering the whole lower surface of the frond; on one of these Col. 
Beddome has noted “ vix 4. fimbriatum.” Ihave another very large compound plant, 
finely cut, with smaller sori and more persistent involucres, which connects A. sphero- 
pteroides with the type. Pl. LXII. fig. 1 is taken from a very small example of 
the var. spheropteroides. isis | | 
Subgenus V. Pseud-Allantodia. Veins free. Involucres oblong or subquadrate, not 
curved in age, rarely placed back to back, not dehiscing from the outer edge, but 
breaking up from the middle of the back irregularly. (Differs from genus Allan- 
todia by the free veins.) | 
38. A. PROCERUM, Wall. Cat. 2203. Rhizome very shortly creeping; stipe muricate, 
eri yellowish ; frond large, 3-4-pinnate, herbaceous, green; primary pinne 1-2 feet; 
ultimate pinne pinnatifid 1 or 3 to the midrib into oblong crenate, scarcely serrate 
lobes; veins in the lobes often forked; sori short, oblong, mostly in two rows, near 
the midrib of the ultimate pinne and parallel thereto; involucre delicate.— 4. um- 
brosum, var: procerum, Hk. & Baker, Syn. Fil. (2nd ed.). (Pl. LXIII. fig. 1.) 
Himalaya, from Kumaon to Bhotan, alt. 4000-8000 feet, very common. Assam, 
Khasia, alt. 3000-6000 feet, very common. 
A most abundant Sikkim and Khasia fern, remarkably constant in character. It is 
ho use quoting synonyms for it, as I arrange the material in the Kew Herbarium 
bundles differently from Baker. Col. Beddome has marked it “ Athyrium aspidioides ? ; 
SECOND SERIES.—BOTANY, VOL. I. Lag i A 3Y ; 
