I 





TAB. XIV. 





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GLEICHENIA HERMANNL 



FILICES.— GLEicHENEiE. Br., Kaulf. Schismatopterides. 



• 



Willd. 



Gen. Char. GLEICHENIA. Capsula annulo completo striato subsessiles, in soris rotundis 



dorsalibus, saspius definitae. Indusium nullum.— Frondes dkhotom* velfurcatce. 



\ 



Gleichenia Hermanni ; stipitibus dichotomis proliferis, ramis ultimis tantum frondosis, frondibus 



lanceolatis pinnatifidis glabris subtus glaucis, pinnis linearibus integerrimis obtusis, capsulis 

 numerosis pyriformibus subpedicellatis. Br. 

 Gleichenia Hermanni. Br. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl.p. 161. 

 . Mertensia dichotoma. Willd. in Act. Holm. 1804. p. 167. Swartz. Syn. Fil. p. 163. 



Sp. Pl. v. b.p. 71. 



Polypodium dichotomum. Thunb. Jap. p. 338. t. 37 ? 

 Dicranopteris. Bernh. in Schrad. neu Jour. 1806. p. 38. {fide Br.) 

 Filix Calmaria. Rumph. Amb. v. 6.p. 85. t. 38. 



Hab. In India Orientali, Japonia, Zeylona, Amboina, Java, Mauritio, Nepalia. Wallich. In 



Nova Hollandia. Br. Insulis Societatis et Sandvicentibus. In India Occidentali, Do- 



minica^ insula Sancti Vincentii. Rev. L. Guilding. 



Caudex repens, tomentosus, fibrosus. 



Stipes 3-pedalis, lsevis, fuscus, nitidus, teres, repetitim dichotomus, ex axillis proliferus, foliaceo-bracteatus, ramis 



ultimis frondosis. 



Frondes geminato-furcatae ; singula lanceolata apice attenuata, infra medium latiore, basi subangustiore, paululum 



falcata profunde pinnatifida, segmentis horizontalibus, Hnearibus, subattenuatis, apice obtusis, emarginatis, 

 margine integro (nisi in speciminibus nostris e Nova Hollandia et Insula Mauritii, ubi segmentis inferioribus 

 iterum pinnatifidis). Color partis superioris frondium viridis, subtus glaucus. Bachis costaque glabrae, statu 

 juniore non raro pubescentes. Nervi obliqui, obscuri, dichotomi. 



Sori e capsulis 5 — 10, nervis, intra costam et marginem insertis, rotundato-pyriformibus, pallide flavo-fuscis, 



indusio destitutis, reticulatis, annulo lato distincto articulato integro cinctis, brevissime pedicellatis, superne 



hiantibus. 

 Semina minuta, oblonga, subreniformia. 



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Fig. 1. Portio frondis a parte inferiore visa. f. 2. Ejusdem portio cum soris. f. 3. 3. 3. Capsulae. f. 4. Semina: 



magn. auct. 



This is perhaps the species of this curious genus which is the most generally dispersed, being 

 found in the West as well as the East Indies, in Japan, in the Society and Sandwich Isles, and in 

 New Holland. All these countries, however, are intratropical, except Japan and Nepal. The plant 

 is liable to considerable variation. The specimen figured in the Flora Japonica, and those which 

 we have received from M. Bojer at the Mauritius, as well as our New Holland individuals, have the 

 lowermost segments of the fronds pinnatifid, so as to appear like those of the original Gleichenia, 

 with which we think Mr. Brown has justly united the Mertensia. 



From the Prince of Wales Island we have a species which scarcely differs from this but in 

 having the segments of the frond much longer and equally linear, so that each frond has almost 

 exactly the appearance of that of Polypodium pectinatum. Probably the Mertensia emarginata of 

 Raddi, from Brazil, is not really distinct from our plant. It has the lower segments of the frond 

 shorter, the whole frond somewhat narrower : the emarginate apices are common to both. To this 



Raddi refers the M. glaucescens of Humboldt and Willdenow. 



