RETORT ON THE BOTANY OF JUAN FERNANDEZ AND MASAFUERA. 75 



This is perhaps the commonest of all ferns, being spread over nearly the whole area of 

 fern distribution ; it is more general than JPteris aquilina, but unlike that it does not grow 

 socially, covering large tracts. Yet, common as Pteris aqidlina is, it is not found in any 

 of our insular floras except that of the Bermudas. 



Aspidium aculcatum presents an infinite variety of forms, from a few inches to several 

 feet high, and equally diverse in the degree of cutting of the frond. The Juan Fernandez 

 plant is a common southern form remarkable for the copious brown scales on the rachis. 



Aspidium capense, Willd. 



Aspidium capense, Willd., Sp. PL, v. p. 267 ; Laker in Mart. Fl. Bras., fasc. xlix., p. 463, t. 29 (sub 



titulo Swartziano) ; Lowe, Fil., vi. t. 46. 

 Aspidium coriaceum., Swartz, Synopsis Fil., p. 57. 

 Aspidium {Pohjstichum) coriaceum, Hook., Sp. Fil., iv. p. 32. 

 Pohjstichum coriaceum, Gay, FL Chil., vi. p. 513; Philippi in Lot. Zeit, 1856, p. 631. 



Juan Fernandez. Scolder; Philippi. 



Generally spread in tropical and southern extratropical countries, including St Paul 

 Island and Tristan da Cunha. 



We have seen only one specimen from Juan Fernandez, and that was collected by 

 Scouler in 1828. 



Aspidium flexum, Kunze. 



Aspidium Jiexum, Kunze, Anal. Pteridogr., p. 44. 

 Pohjstichum flexum, Gay, Fl. Chil., vi. p. 517. 



Aspidium (Pohjstichum) flexum, Hook, and Eak., Synopsis Fil., p. 255. 



Aspidium berterianum, Colla in Mem. Accad. Sc. Torino, sxxix. p. 42, t. 70; Hook., Sp. FiL, iv. 

 p. 33 (herteroanum). 



Juan Fernandez. — Endemic. On rocks and roots of trees in the mountain woods — 

 Bertero ; Scolder; Cuming; Douglas; Peed; MoseJey ; Downton. 



Nephrodium (Lastrea) villosum, Hook. 



Nephrodium (Lastrea) villosum, Hook., Sp. Fil., iv. p. 134, t. 264; Hook, and Bak., Synopsis Fil., 



p. 286. 

 Aspidium villosum, Swartz, Synopsis Fil, p. 56. 

 Pohjpodium (Phegopteris) herteroanum, Hook., Sp. Fil, iv. p. 269. 



Juan Fernandez. — In shady woods — Bertero ; Douglas ; Scouler ; Reede ; Philippi ; 

 Moseley. 



A very common fern in Peru and Chili, the indusium of which is commonly unde- 

 veloped, hence it has been partly referred to Pohjpodium. Philippi appears, from speci- 

 mens in the Kew Herbarium named by him, to have mistaken the non-indusiate state for 

 Polyp>odium rugulosum, a very distinct plant. Nephrdkpis altcscandens has a very fuga- 

 cious indusium, and in consequence has also been referred to Pohjpodium by some authors. 



