Field.— Two New Ferns. 497 



as belonging to the colony. It approximates to P. tremuta, 

 but has important differences. P. tremula has not more than 

 six or eight fronds forming the crown, and these have very 

 long stalks, are broadly triangular or rhomboidal in form, and 

 are of a light-yellowish-green colour. The new plant has now 

 twenty-one fronds in its crown, and these are so narrowly 

 rhomboidal as to appear almost lanceolate, while the stalks 

 are quite short. The colour is a dark almost olive green, and 

 the strong aromatic scent which belongs to P. tremula, and 

 which is so powerful as to be actually unpleasant in hot weather, 

 is entirely wanting. Again, the ultimate divisions of P. tremula 

 grow touching each other, are | in. or more long by about 

 ^ in. wide at the bases, which are completely sessile, and from 

 wbich the divisions taper gradually to sharp points, the fructi- 

 fication extending along the whole length of both sides. In 

 the new plant these ultimate divisions are much further apart, 

 and so narrowly sessile as to be almost stalked. Above this 

 apparent stalk they widen suddenly for J in. or more, and then 

 become ovate or very bluntly pointed. In many instances they 

 are cut into shallow lobes, and in such cases the fructification 

 is confined to the outer portion of the lobes. But perhaps 

 the greatest distinction is in the habit of the plant's growth. 

 P. tremula has an erect habit, the crown gradually rising till 

 in old plants it becomes a caudex 1 ft. or more in height. 

 The new plant, on the other hand, spreads horizontally by 

 the production of lateral fronds, so that even now it is rapidly 

 filling a pot 5 in. in diameter. Altogether, though approxi- 

 mating, as I have said, to P. tremula, it is very different in 

 appearance, and far more compact and handsome than that 

 fern ; and I think the differences are such as to make it worthy 

 of being separately classed. The late Mr. Travers had a house 

 at Paraparaumu, and I thought this fern might have grown 

 from spores of some kind which he had in cultivation ; but 

 I cannot learn that he had such a plant, and there is none 

 mentioned in the " Synopsis Filicum " which seems to agree 

 with it. I think, therefore, that it may be provisionally 

 named Pteris novce-zelandiai. It may be observed that in both 

 the above cases the plants approximate to some already 

 classified, but that they are such an improvement on those 

 others, particularly in their habit of growth, as to seem to de- 

 serve separate classification. Though there is great variation 

 in some of our New Zealand ferns, yet in every case the changes 

 seem to have been evolved gradually, as there are connecting- 

 links between the different forms which are difficult to assign 

 to either. In both the cases, however, which I have mentioned 

 the change is more than that of mere form — it is of habit of 



