Vol. 32, pp. 125-126 June 27, 1919 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW ALSOPHILA FROM GUATEMALA AND VERA- 

 CRUZ. 1 



BY WILLIAM R. MAXON. 



The following new species of Alsophila from Alta Verapaz, 

 Guatemala, and Veracruz has been noted in preparing a brief 

 account of the tree ferns of Mexico, soon to be published. 



Alsophila scabriuscula Maxon, sp. nov. 



Arborescent, the caudex presumably stout and several meters high; 

 fronds very ample, the stipe stout, 2 to 3 cm. in diameter, armed at the 

 base with numerous slender, conical, dark brown spines about 4 mm. long; 

 blades at least 2.5 meters long, subtripinnate; primary rachis stout, pale 

 brown, 1 to 1.5 cm. thick, sparsely short-aculeate toward the base, densely 

 but laxly hirsute with pale septate hairs, everywhere scabrous at length 

 from their persistent inflated bases; pinnae spreading or the lower ones 

 slightly deflexed, narrowly oblong, acuminate, 50 to 75 cm. long, 18 to 30 

 cm. broad, the secondary rachis deeply bisulcate above, hirsute, scabrous 

 beneath with age; pinnules 30 to 35 pairs, approximate, spreading, sessile, 

 oblong-linear, long-acuminate, 10 to 15 cm. long, 1.8 to 3 cm. broad, sub- 

 pinnatisect, the costa densely griseous-hirsute above with curved antrorse 

 septate hairs, less copiously griseous-hirsute beneath with long spreading 

 septate hairs (at length scabrous) and bearing occasional small deciduous 

 bullate yellowish scales toward the base; segments 25 to 30 pairs, linear to 

 linear-oblong, acutish, 9 to 17 mm. long, 2.5 to 5 mm. broad, subfalcate, 

 with narrowly acute to narrowly or (in fertile specimens) broadly quadrate 

 sinuses, herbaceous, deeply incised, the lobes usually bidentate; costules 

 and veins sparsely spreading-hirsute beneath and with a thin covering of 

 minute, closely appressed septate hairs, very sparsely and deciduously 

 hirsute above; veins about 12 pairs, those of the fertile segments once 

 forked or with a pair of opposite excurrent branches, those of the sterile 

 segments mostly with 2 pairs of pinnately arranged branches; sori mostly 

 7 to 9 pairs, small, seated at the fork of the vein, at the base of the lobe; 

 receptacles stout, capitate, bearing a few long septate hairs. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 830528, collected near Cubil- 



i Published with the permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 25— Pboc. Biol. Soc. Wabh., Vol. 32, 1919. (126) 



