322 Transactions. — Botany. 



(I.e., vol. ii., p. 83) : there the venation of the pinnules is 

 shown as extremely simple and distant and not extending to 

 margins. And just so it also is shown in the larger drawings 

 with dissections of C. tenuifolia given by Beddome in his 

 " Ferns of Southern India," plate 188 (also referred to by 

 Baker in his description of that fern in his " Synopsis Filicum"). 

 There the veins in the lobes are simple and common, showing 

 the midrib from the rhachis with 3-4 single veins on each 

 side that do not reach the margin in each lobule ; also the 

 involucre continuously extending over 3 lateral and 4 apical 

 veins, with its margin even. Moreover, C. tenuifolia is shown 

 to be a much larger and coarser fern, tripinnate with 5-6 pairs 

 of pinnae, its lower pinnae compound (or tripinnate) with longer 

 petioles, their tips, with that also of the frond, being subacute ; 

 and in his description of this fern he also says, " Stipe and 

 rhachis purple-black ; the main rhachis is winged above, and 

 the secondary and tertiary rhachises are all narrow-winged " 

 (I.e., p. 64) ; and Sir W. J. Hooker says the same in " Species 

 Filicum," p. 82 — characters that are not found in this fern, 

 C. venosa. 



Genus 16. Lomaria, Willdenow. 



1. L. pygmaa, sp. nov. 



Plant very small, tufted, 2in.-3in. high ; subcaudex an erect 

 thick bunch of old stipites fin.-lin. long, with numerous long 

 black scales, acuminate, acute, glossy ; roots long, spreading, 

 terete, glabrous. Barren frond spreading linear-lanceolate, 

 l^in.-2-Mn. long, 2-3 lines wide at middle, pinnatifid, sub- 

 membranous, pea-green, glabrous, glossy above, rhachis chan- 

 nelled ; pinnules 13-15 on each side, alternate, regular, semi- 

 orbicular or hippocrepiform, very small at base, apical lobe 

 subacute with pinnate veins ; margins slightly uneven, sub- 

 cartilaginous, whitish ; veins few, 3-4 pair in each pinnule, 

 simple and forked, extending to margin, tips clavate ; stipe 

 slender, short, sub Jin. long. Fertile frond shorter, suberect, 

 very slender and narrow, linear, 2in. long, join, wide, pinnate ; 

 pinnae alternate, orbicular, about J line diameter, sessile, 

 about 13 pinnae on each side of rhachis, the lower and middle 

 ones distant, the lower most minute, apical lobe 4 lines long. 

 Sori numerous, spreading, close, compacted, covering pinna, 

 dark-brown. Involucre narrow, dark - coloured, reverted, 

 margins entire. 



Hab. Open lands, damp spots rocky places, between 

 Dannevirke and the East Coast, County of Waipawa ; 1892 : 

 Mr. II. Hill. 



Obs. A peculiar little species : its very small size, venation, 

 and minute orbicular fertile pinnas distinguish it readily from 

 all others of the genus. 



