Carse. — Ferns and Fern Allies of Mangonui County. 93 



ways in which they fork — some a simple bifurcation, others, as in. a speci- 

 men I gathered near Pukekohe, with 3 branches, each branch having 2-4 

 tertiary branches, some of which are again divided, finally ending in 28 

 branch-points. In another specimen, not forked, the segments are coarselv 

 toothed, the teeth often being prolonged to linear processes \ in. in length. 



P. Billardieri occasionally occurs in a handsome crested form. So far 

 I have only found sterile fronds in this state, but the fertile crested form was 

 collected by the late Mr. It. H. Matthews a good many years ago, and recently 

 by Mr. H. Bedggood, near Kaitaia. In ordinary states the sterile frond 

 of P. Billardieri has the segments ^-li in. wide, 1-5 in. long, in opposite or 

 almost opposite pairs, set, at the base at least, almost at right angles with the 

 rhachis, and the texture of the whole frond is very coricaeous. In the crested 

 form the segments are narrower where they emerge from the wing of the 

 rhachis, less regularly opposite, often distinctly alternate, and set at an 

 oblique upward angle. Most of the segments are divided into secondary 

 segments, which are often again and again divided, and the whole frond is 

 very much thinner in texture. So different, in fact, is this form that I am 

 inclined to fancy it a distinct species. 



Schizaea. 

 In S. fistulosa the pinnae of the fertile segment are occasionally branched. 

 As I have only noticed one case of this, I conclude that it is of rare occurrence. 



Lygodium. 



L. articulatum sometimes develops a rather unusual form in the fertile 

 pinnae, in which the pinnules are distinctly leafy, f-1 in. long, having the 

 spikelets of sporangia at the extremities of the pinnules or on leafy branches 

 of them. 



Marattia. 



M. fraxinea is frequently bifurcately or trifurcately divided at the ends 

 of the pinnules. In juvenile forms the pinnae on the same frond may be 

 simple, pinnatifid, or pinnatifid-pinnate — that is, one side of the pinna is 

 pinnate, the pinnules clearly stalked, or parts of both sides may be pinnatifid, 

 the outer part of the pinna bearing stipitate pinnules. 



Ophioglossum. 

 0. lusitanicum not infrequently produces 4 fronds, and very rarely the 

 fertile spike is double, or forked from about the middle. 



Botrychium. 



B. ternatum, as a rule, has but one fertile segment; rarely, however, in 

 luxuriant forms a second one branching from higher up the petiole of the 

 sterile segment occurs. 



Lycopodium. 



In L. Billardieri occasionally the spikes, instead of branching dichoto- 

 niously, are conglomerated into a mass of crowded heads with the sporangia 

 compacted together at the very extremity. 



L. Drummondii has been gathered near Kaitaia with 2 spikes on a peduncle, 

 but this is very rare. 



I trust that others who are interested in the subject of abnormal growths 

 may be induced to publish the results of their investigations. 



