190 J. SxMlTH ON THE GENERA OF FERNS. 



indusium being a character also common to many species 

 of Nephrodium, 



Sect. II. Orthophlebie^. 



Venation free, none of the venules anastomosing. 



88. Sph.eropteris, JVall. 

 (Peranema, Don.) 



Veins costaeform, pinnate; venules simple or forked, their 

 apices clavate ; sporangiferous receptacle medial, pedicillate ! 

 included within a globous calyciform indusium, opening ver- 

 tically, sub-bivalved or irregular ; sori round. " Rhizoma 

 creeping." Fronds stipitate tripinnate, stipes and rachis 

 squamous; laciniee obtuse, repatid, each hearing 1, 2, or 3 sori; 

 yenu]es glandulijerous, their apex thickened. 



Species. S. barbata, Wall. (Peranema cyatheoides, D. 

 Don.) Illust. Wall. PI. As. Ear. Ic. t. 48. Schoit. Gen. Fil 

 t. 4. Hooker et Bauer Gen. Fil. t. 22. 



Obs. The very obvious and remarkable pedicel which ele- 

 vates the sori considerably above the disk, readily distinguishes 

 this genus from all other genera of Polypodiacea:. The pedi- 

 cillate sori of Thyrsopteris, and some species of Trichomanes, 

 cannot be considered analogous to the pedicel or footstalk J 

 in these it is merely formed by a prolongation of the veins 

 beyond the margin of the frond, or by the eontraction or 

 absence of the usual cellular structure between the veins. A 

 similar pedicel to that which characterizes this genus exists 

 in a species of Marattia, which species I am disposed to view 

 as constituting a genus under the name of Eupodium, and 

 which is distinct from Marattia upon the same character that 

 Sphceropteris is distinct from the following genus. I have 

 at page 181 stated my reasons for placing Sphceropteris and 

 the next genus Diacalpe in the tribe Aspidiece. 



89. Diacalpe, Blume. 

 Veins costaform, pinnate; venides simple, rarely forked, 

 their apices clavate ; sporangiferous receptacle sessile, supern- 



