353 



ON THE IDENTITY OF P0LYP0D1VM SPINULOSUM 



Burin, f. 



P.v E. I). Merrill, M.S., Bureau of Science, Manila, P.T. 



[Communicated by J. If. Maiden, I.S.O., F.R.S.) 



In making a preliminary examination oL' the species figured and 

 described by the younger Burman in Ins Flora Indica,* my atten- 

 tion was directed to the rather excellent figure illustrating Poly- 

 ppdium spinulosum Burm.f., which no pteridologist has succeeded 

 in identifying with any other described species, it having long 

 been considered as one of entirely doubtful status. The figure 

 clearly represents no fern, but a leafy branch of some dicotyle- 

 donous plant. 



The original description is short and imperfect, and from it 

 alone it is impossible to gain any true conception of what Burman 

 intended. It is as follows: — 



Polypodium: (spinulosum) caulescens, frondibus petiolatis pin- 

 natifido trifidis. apice bifida spinosa. Polypodium indicum, folds 

 vario modo laeiniatis, apice spiniferis ex Java. Tab. 67, /. 1. 



Being fairly familiar with the Javan flora, I first attempted to 

 refer the figure to some Javan species, but soon found that it did 

 not agree with any species in any family known from Java, nor, for 

 that matter, with any species known from the entire Indo-Malayan 

 region. It seems to be evident that Burman was in error in citing 

 Java as the origin of liis species. From the figure I suspected the 

 species to be some proteaceous plant, and an examination of the 

 Australian material available to me shows that it unquestionably 

 represents the West Australian species currently known as Syna- 

 phea polymorpha K.Br. An adjustment of the synonymy follows. 



* Burman, X. L., Flora Indira, 1768, pp. 1-242. 



