BY W. WALTER WATTS. 383 



(Syn., p. 281) make Lastra'a acumhiata Moore, (1858) a syn. of 

 Aspidium Shepherdi Ktze., (Linn., 23, 230, 1850), which Chris- 

 tensen (Index FiL) identifies with D. decomposita. Not having 

 access to Linniiea, I can oidy keep Lowe's nonienclatuie: but if 

 A. Sliepherdi and A. acuminatum are identical, then Kuntze's 

 •name must have the precedence. Dryopteris (jlabella (Cunn.), 

 is an entirely different plant. 



I collected this fern (Z). acM?/ima<a) plentifully, in 1915, on 

 the Bulga Heights, via Wingham; and Mr. Boorman and I found 

 ample specimens on Mt. Wilson, in the same year. 

 Var. CRISTATA, var.nov. 



Among the specimens of Dryopteris acuminata found on Mt. 

 Wilson by Mr. Boorman and myself, in 1915, was one large 

 plant which exhibited a distinctly cristate habit, and I submit 

 it as a well-marked variety, as follows :■ — 



Frondis et pinnarum apicibus elongatis, sjepe dichotome 

 ramosis, cristatis, ramis erectis vel suberectis, linearibus, mar- 

 ginibus lobatis, lobis acute senatis. 



4. Platyzoma microphyllum R.Br. 

 This most interesting fern was descriVjed by Robert Brown in 

 his " Prodromus " (1810) under the generic name Platyzoma. 

 Baron von Mueller, in 1864,* regarded it as a Gleichenia, and 

 published it as G. platyzoma. Dr. Christ, in 1897,t described 

 this fern under the name Gleichenia microphylla (R.Br.). Domin 

 makes it Gleichenia microphylla Christ. The fact that Brown 

 published a Gleichenia microphylla in close proximitj' to his 

 Platyzoma microphyllum makes this an inconvenient nomencla- 

 ture; and if his Platyzoma is to be included in Gleichenia, we 

 must follow Christensen, who adopts F. von Mueller's name, G. 

 platyzoma. But Platyzom.a exhibits such unique cliaracters, 

 especially in the presence of the subordinate filiform leaves, 

 which, though described by Brown (loc. cit.), and figured by 

 Guillemin,; have been so much overlooked, that it seems to me 

 the genus Platyzom^a must stand. 



"■■ Veget. Chat. Isl., H3. 



I^Fainkr., p.:«<>. 



+ Icone.s Lithoi^raphica; (1827), t.!8. 



