78 



another sort of proliferations. As the frond advances in age, the 

 older segments thicken very much and they are often broken up 

 longitudinally by waves or injured by certain animalcules, and as 

 the destruction more and more proceeds from such injured portions' 

 they become much narrower. In such an older frond, the originally 

 broad segment is torn up into some numbers of parts which appear 

 like narrower branches. Among my specimens, I have observed an 

 old one which has segments proliferated 3-4 times. The duration 

 of plant, as the consequence of such a mode of growth, is at least 

 biennial ; for in specimens which I have collected at Enoshima in 

 March, younger proliferations have arisen from the older segments. 

 Sporophylls are developed from older portion of frond." Okam. I.e. 



In older fronds, the lower stem-like portion of frond thickens 

 along the median line appearing like an insignificant costa. The frond 

 often attains the height of 40 cm or more and the breadth of rachis 

 i, e. primary frond is usually 2-3 cm. Proliferations attain the length 

 of some 22 cm by 1-5 cm. 



The structure of frond is dense, consisting of three layers of 

 cells ; the medullary, of densely interwoven short filaments ; the 

 intermediate, of a few layers of large roundish cells, often elongating 

 tangentially ; the cortical, of vertically seriated subcubic cells, 

 arranged not in dichotomous filaments. The cells of intermediate 

 and medullary layer are filled with highly refractible substance. 



At first I took the present plant for Cryptonewia Wilsoni }. Ag, 

 Next I referred it to Prionitis from the similarity of sporophylls with 

 those of Prionitis articulata Okam. (now classed under Carpopcltis. 

 p. 70, pi. LXVIII). But the leafy character of the frond and costa-like 

 thickening of lower portion of older frond of the present plant make 

 us consider it to be correct to put it under Cryptonemia. 



PL. LXXI. Ficr. 1 : fructified frond of Cryptonemia Schmitziana 



