158 Trmisactions. 



surface with close hard tubercles ; rhachides and costse green, shghtly 

 grooved above, asperous chiefly on the under-surface, sparingly covered 

 with yellowish-brown deciduous wool intermixed with membranous scales. 



Primary pinn?e 45-60 cm. long, 20-23 cm. broad, oblong-lanceolate, 

 abruptly terminating in an attenuated point ; secondary pinnae 11-12-5 cm. 

 long, 2-2-5 cm. broad, linear-oblong, falcate, narrowing gradually to an 

 attenuated deeply serrated point ; deeply pinnatifid or pinnate. Segments 

 12-15 mm. long, 4 mm. broad, oblong, falcate, acute, obscurely crenate- 

 serrate, sometimes the distal portion distinctly serrate, margins slightly 

 recurved, under-surface often scaly pubescent ; veins forked, free. 



Sori copious, rather large, 0-8-0-9 mm. in diameter, nearer the costule 

 than the margin. Indusium membranous, splitting irregularly, persistent. 



Forest (most abundant in dry forest), pohutukawa forest (crater), 

 Sunday Island. 



Endemic. — The fronds closely resemble those of C. medullaris of New 

 Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific islands. 



Cyathea kermadecensis, n. sp. 



Caudex graciUs, 15-20 m. altus. Frondes 3-4 m. longa?, 70-90 cm. latse, 

 bi-tripinnatse, subcoriacese v. fere membranaceae, flaccidee. Stipites rha- 

 chidesque graciles, basi squamis fuscis lineariis vestiti, supra alte canali- 

 culati, virides, lana flavofusca et squamis lineariis dense vestiti, subtus 

 subasperi, fusci, lana decidua et squamis membranaceis. Pinnae 35-45 cm. 

 longse, 12-14 cm. latae, oblongo-lanceolatae, acutse ; pinnuUe 60-70 mm. 

 longae, 15-18 mm. latse, lineario-oblongse, acutse, profunde pinnatifidae ; 

 segmentae, 8-9 mm. longae, 3 mm. latse, oblongae, falcatae, obtusae, integrae 

 V. crenulatae. Sori copiosi, parvi, 0-5-0-6 mm. lati. Indusium membran- 

 aceum, fimbriato-lacerum, persistens. 



A magnificent species, with a tall, slender trunk, 15-20 m. high ; the 

 base composed of aerial rootlets, reaching 3 m. or 4 m. from the ground, 

 where it may be 1-2 m. in diameter. Fronds fall away when they wither, 

 leaving a clean scar ; thus the upper portion of the trunk is comparatively 

 smooth. The diameter, 1-5 m. from the top of a trunk 11 m. tall, was only 

 11 cm. 



Fronds numerous, the stipes forming an angle of 100°-120^ with the 

 top of the trunk, 3-4 m. long, 70-90 cm. broad, 2-3-pinnate, subcoriaceous 

 or almost membranous, flaccid, dull green above, paler beneath. Stipes 

 slender, base clothed above and on the sides with copious linear brown 

 scales ; stipes, rhachides, and costse deeply grooved above and slightly 

 on each side, green above, brown below, upper surfaces densely covered 

 with yellowish-brown wool intermixed with small linear scales, under- 

 surfaces slightly asperous, sparingly covered with yellowish-brown de- 

 ciduous wool and membranous scales. 



Primary pinn;e 35-45 cm. long, 12-14 cm. broad, oblong-lanceolate, 

 acute or acuminate ; secondary pinnae 60-70 mm. long, 15-18 mm. broad, 

 linear-oblong, acute or acuminate, obscurely falcate, deeply pinnatifid. 

 Segments 8-9 mm. long, 3 mm. broad, oblong, falcate, obtuse or sub- 

 acute, entire, or finely crenulate, or the fertile segments lobulate ; costules 

 scaly pubescent ; veins forked, free. 



Sori copious, small, 0-5-0-6 mm. in diameter, nearer the costule than the 

 margin. Indusium membranous, splitting irregularly, persistent. 

 . Forest (chiefly in wet forest), Sunday Island. 



Endemic. Apparently closely allied to some Polynesian species. 



