18 BOTANICAL INFORMATION". 



nn indusium which is attached lengthways along the middle 

 of the soriis ; its margins free. 



" In the early state of the sorus the indusium is flat, but ns 

 the capsules advance towards maturity, the sides of the indu- 

 sium are consequently raised up, and ultimately appear to 

 collapse, and the margins being glandulose give the appear- 

 ance as represented at fig. 7. tab. xxiv. {Genera Filicwn) ; 

 and which was drawn by Mr Bauer from my too mature 

 specimens. Thus my name o? Sphcerosfephanos, being founded 

 upon a false view of the indusium, must of necessity give way 

 to Mr Brown's more appropriate name 3IesochlcBna, of which 

 I make three species, thus : — 



" Mesochi.^na. li. Br. in Hors/iekPs Fl. Jav<v. Sphaero- 

 steplianos. J. Sm. in Hooh. Gen. Fil. t. xxiv. Polypodii 

 sp. Wall. 



*' I. ]M. Moluccana. It, Br. mst. 



" 2. M. Javonica. It. Br. mst. 



" 3. M. asplenioides. Sphserostephanos asplenioides. J. Sm. 

 ioc. cit. — Polypodium villosum. Wall, in Herb. J. Smith." 



jMr Smith has since communicated the following additional 

 remarks on Mr Brown's Genus Mesoclilccna. 



" Having formerly viewed this genus as having sori desti- 

 tute of an indusium, I therefore placed it in the tribe Poll/- 

 podieof, near to Stegnogramma of Blume ; but now, having 

 evidence of the true structure of the indusium, which is char- 

 acteristic of the tribe Aspidiece, in which tribe it must now be 

 placed, and on viewing its habit, venation, and position of the 

 sori, its nearest affinity will be with the genus Nephrodiwn 

 (as now restricted), the technical distinction between the two 

 resting entirely on the sori of Nephrodivm being punctiform, 

 whereas in Mesochl/jcna, the sori are linear, the latter in that 

 respect being nearly similar to the sori of Didymochlcena: but 

 in Didi/mochtcEna the sori are produced on the apex of the 

 venules (terminal), which are all free; whereas u\ Mesochl<fna 

 and ^^ephrodium, the lower or more pairs of the venules 

 meet (and form an angular anastomose) with the venules of 

 the proximate f\iscicle, and the sori are produced on or about 



