MR. C. B. CLARKE ON THE FERNS OF NORTHERN, INDIA. 519 
tabile, Blume, Enum. Pl. Jav. Fil. 158; Mett. Farngatt. Pheg. & Asp. 112. Lastrea 
spectabilis, J. Smith ; Bedd. Ferns South. Ind. t. 108. 
Sikkim, Assam, Khasia, at the foot of the hills; not common, and rarely met with 
above 2000 feet alt.—Distrib. South India, Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, China to the 
Philippines. | | 
13. N. Frrx-Mas, Richd. ; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 116 syn. incl. except ò. cochleatum. Stipes 
tufted, manifest ; main rhachis with linear-lanceolate scales ; frond oblong-lanceolate, 
usually narrower towards the base, but not attenuate into the stipe, firm in texture, 
1-pinnate, almost 2-pinnate ; secondary pinnse oblong, obtuse, serrate or subentire, 
without fibrillee or hairs beneath (except in var. fibrillosa) ; involucres prominent, 
reniform, glabrous.—Hook. Brit. Ferns, t. 15, Fil. Exot. t. 98; Hk. & Baker, Syn. 
Fil. 272. Polypodium Filiz-Mas, Linn. Sp. Pl. 1551. Aspidiwm F'iliz-Mas, Swartz, 
Schk. Krypt. Gew. t. 44; Engl. Bot. t. 1458; Mett. Farngatt. Pheg. & Asp. 55; 
Milde, Fil. Europ. 118. .4. cristatum, Engl. Bot. t: 1949. 
: Himalaya and Khasia, alt. 3000—12,000 feet ; abundant, including the numerous Indian 
forms.—Distrib. South India and Ceylon. Malaya. Nearly throughout the world in cool 
and temperate places: not in Australia nor in America south from Peru. 
The above diagnosis is designed to include various North-India forms difficult to 
separate from the ordinary European N. Filia-Has, i. e. the first 4 varieties following :— 
Var. 1. panda (Pl. LXVIII. fig. 1). Stipe round, firm ; frond nearly glabrous beneath, 
- the main rhachis with a few ovate scales; frond narrowly oblong, the lowest pair of 
pinnz but one often as long as any above, the lowest pinne usually but little shorter; 
pinnæ pinnatifid 3-$ the way to the midrib ; segments subspinulose, serrulate. 
- Dhurmsala, alt. 10,000-11,000 feet, C. B. Clarke; North-west India, Edgeworth.— 
Some of the European var. cristata approach this, but have a wide sinus between the 
segments: in var. panda it is narrow. Sir J. D. Hooker collected at Lachen in Sikkim, 
alt. 9000—10,000 feet, a fern which seems a luxuriant form of panda. , 
Var.2. normalis (Pl. LXVIII. fig. 21. Stipe and main rhachis very sparsely scaly, without 
hairs or fibrillee ; frond oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, the lowest pinnze often 
nearly or quite the largest, nearly or quite glabrous beneath; pinnz falcate, cut 
down nearly or quite to the midrib, lowest pinnze unequal-sided, having the pinnules 
of the lower limb more developed ; segments usually sharply serrulate ; sori small for 
N. Filiz-Mas. 
Sikkim, alt. 4000-7000 feet; Khasia, alt. 4000-5500 feet; not very common. This 
approaches some forms of var. elongata and also some forms of .N. sparsum, Don, which 
has not so serrate a margin. : 
Var. 3. khasiana (Pl. LXIX. fig. 1). Stipe and main rhachis with many linear blackish 
scales; frond oblong-lanceolate, very little narrowed at base; pinnæ approximate, 
. patent, the lowest equal-sided, cut down to the midrib; secondary pinnz narrowly 
oblong, very close and regular, glabrous beneath, rounded, finely serrulate at the 
apex; sori not large. 
SECOND SERIES.—BOTANY, VOL. I. AB 
