620 Tranaactions . — Botany. 



somewhat seniicrucifonn appearance, with lower pinnules 

 largely diverging. 



Hab. Same general locality as preceding ; 1843-44 : W. C. 



Ohs. This fern might be just as well placed in the genus 

 Pelkea, though its habit is more that of several of the Chci- 

 lanthes genus ; its prirnn facie appearance is much like Notho- 

 chlcena distans. It is a very distinct species, and, fortunately, 

 I have several specimens of it. 



Genus 27. Lygodium, Sw. 

 1. L. (jracilescens, sp. nov. 



Plant glabrous, stems long slender numerous, twining and 

 climbing high. Barren frond : Petiole slender, patent, l^in. 

 long, forked, diverging, each secondary petiole 4-5 lines long, 

 bearing 5 submembranaceous pinnules linear - acuminate 

 2fin.-3Jin. long, 5-7 lines wide, slightly subsinuate, margined, 

 tip subacute, base truncate, sometimes bilobed nearly to base, 

 petiolulate ; petiolules 1-2 lines long, filiform, flat above 

 with raised margins, semiterete below ; midrib undulating, 

 shining, light-fawn-coloured ; much veined ; veins alternate, 

 free, 2-3 times forked, extending to margins, stout, promi- 

 nent on both surfaces ; the lowest pair of veins springing from 

 the petiolule, which is largely articulated all round, forming 

 a kind of little cup. Fertile frond flat, largely compound, 

 zigzag, divaricate, loose, graceful, variously shaped in out- 

 line, generally parallelogramic, 4in.-5in. long and nearly as 

 broad, containing 40-100 distiiict distant free lobes or small 

 pinnules, patent at right angles, of various shapes and sizes, 

 3-9 lines diameter, fiabelliform, subtrapeziform and subpal- 

 raate, largely irregularly laciniate and squarroseiy slashed, with 

 more or less of lamina in the centre, and much veined, each on a 

 filiform rhachis or petiolule, finely striate and shining ; each 

 pinnule bi- and tri-foliolate, when the latter then bipetiolulate 

 with 2 folioles or pinnules springing from a single petiolule, and 

 each distinctly stipitate, and often with two branched midribs 

 from base, largely articulated as in barren frond, each pinnule 

 bearing 20-30 (and upwards) small crowded marginal spike- 

 like clusters at tips of veinlets, subglobular, oblong and turbi- 

 nate, each cluster or spikelet containing 4-8 sori ; involucres 

 glabrous, tips obtuse ; capsules smooth, shining, striate ; 

 spores white, glabrous. Colour of pinnules rich dark-brown 

 above, glaucescent below ; of involucres, orange with large 

 l)lack spots. 



Hab. Same general locality as the preceding two ferns ; 

 1843-44 : W. C. 



Ohs. This plant has given me some trouble, from its some- 

 what resembling the well-known New Zealand species, L. 

 articulatiim, A. Eichard. Fortunately, however, I possess 



