Colenso. — On the Ferns of New Zealand. 213 



divergent at tips, presenting a zig-zag appearance, the lowest 

 pair opposite larger and more distant, semi-elliptic or sub- 

 quadrilateral, with top rounded, apiculate, flat margins not 

 recurved when fresh, membranaceous, full of minute pellucid 

 dots when held up between the eye and light; veins pinnate, 

 sub-flexuous. Sori few, scattered, a single sorus on a lobe 

 on the middle of anterior veinlet nearer margin than midrib, 

 mostly containing 2 capsules, often only 1, more rarely 3. 

 Capsules sessile, globular, pale, shining, superficial. 



Hab. Near to hot springs at Y/airakei, Taupo ; 1887 : Mr. 

 C. J. Norton. 



Ohs. I. This species is closely allied to another of our New 

 Zealand species, G. punctulata, Col.,* which, however, is a 

 much smaller plant ; also, but much less so, to two Australian 

 species, G. microphylla, Br., and G. circinata, Sw. ; (this latter 

 species, however, is said by several botanists — Sir J. D. Hooker, 

 Baker, and Bentham — to be one with Brown's plant). The 

 species here described differs from them all in several particulars, 

 some of which are grave characters ; especially in its plane soft 

 membranaceous and truncate pinna?, which are also almost 

 unicoloured, with apiculate lobules, in the paucity of capsules 

 in a sorus, and in its highly peculiar fimbriate scales. 



II. Swartz has given a very clear and full description of his 

 typical G. circinata in his " Synopsis Filicum," from which work 

 (as I think it is very rare here among us) I extract a brief por- 

 tion, viz.: — "Gr. circinata: pinna; sessiles lineares sub-fihformes 

 rigidula? : pinnulce" (lobes), " sub-coadunata? semi-rotunda?, 

 miuuta?, convexae, subtus concavae, costaque pubescentes : sori ex 

 capsulis saepissime quatuor in foveola margini sub-immersis;" 

 and. again: — " Oba. Distinguitur a G. pohjpodioide pinnis lon- 

 gioribus pubescentia notabili et soris plerumque ex quatuor 

 capsulis compositis." {he. cit., p. 394.) 



III. To any observant person, whether botanist or not, 

 acquainted with the more common forms of our New Zealand 

 GleichenicB of this section — as G. hecistophjUa , G. dicarpa, G. 

 alpina, etc. — the striking difference between them and this 

 species is apparent at first sight on seeing this fern, indeed there 

 is but little ground of close comparison between it and them. 

 I have received many specimens of this fern from its discoverer, 

 in different stages of growth, to examine, and find them uniform 

 in their characters ; and having given it a long, repeated, and 

 exhaustive examination, (aided largely by correct drawings with 

 dissections of the allied species, supra,) I feel convinced that it 

 is a truly distinct species. 



* " Trans. N.Z. Institute," vol. xvii., p. T.45. See also my general 

 observations there. 



