14 MR. BUNBUET ON THE BOTANY OF MADEIRA. 



The Eerns of Madeira altogether amount to 40 species, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Lowe ; and it is not very likely that, after his zealous 

 and persevering researches, carried on for many years, any new- 

 ones should remain to be discovered. Taking the number of phse- 

 nogamous plants, on the same authority, at about 700, the propor- 

 tional number of Perns is nearly twice as great as in Britain, 

 though still very small if compared with the proportion in many of 

 the Pacific islands, or in St. Helena. The Canary Islands, with a 

 much larger phsenogamous flora, have, according to "Webb and 

 Berthelot, only 34 Eerns. 



The Azores * have 28 Eerns to about 400 flowering plants. Of 

 the 40 Madeira Eerns, 15 at least are found in Britain f ; perhaps 

 more, but there may be different opinions as to the distinctness of 

 some of the species. I am myself strongly inclined to believe that 

 Asplenium anceps, Lowe, is only a variety of A. Trichomanes, and 

 Nephrodium affine, Lowe, of N, Filix-mas. Asplenium acutum, 

 Bory, whether it be a true species, or a variety of A. Adiantum- 

 nigrum, appears to have been found in Ireland, and is therefore 

 included in the 15. Of the Eerns of the Canary Islands, Hyme- 

 nopJiyllum unilaterale, W. % (=I£. Wilsoni, Hook.), Pteris longi- 

 filia, JPteris caudata §, and Cheilanthes pulchella, have not, as far as 

 I know, been discovered in Madeira. On the other hand, the Ma- 

 deira Eerns, which appear to be strangers to the Canaries, are 



Polypodium drepanum. Gymnogramme Lowei. 



Polystichum falcinellum. Scolopendrium vulgare, 



P.frondosum. Acrostichum squamosum. 



Nephrodiwn affine. Dicksonia Culcita. 

 N. fcenisecii. 



The Eerns found in the Azores, and not in Madeira, are Os- 

 munda regalis, Ophioglossum vulgatum (if O. Lusitanicum be really 

 distinct from it), and perhaps Hymenophyllum Wilsoni. A much 

 greater number belong to Madeira, and not to the Azores. 



Dr. Hooker || enumerates 5 species of Eerns which are common 



* Watson in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. vol. iii. p. 615. 



t Excluding the Channel Islands, which do not natwrally belong to this 

 country. 



% This may likely enough exist in Madeira, and have been confounded with 

 H. Tunbridgense. 



§ There may be some doubt, whether the Canary plant so called be distinct 

 from Pt. aquilina. 



|| London Journ. Bot. vol. vi. Gymnogramme Lowei should be added to the 

 list, according to Lowe, Primitise, Appendix A, Note .4 ; he says it has been 

 found in Jamaica. 



