TAB. LXXXI. 





POLYBOTRYA CERVINA. 



FILICES.— Gyrat/e. Br. 



Polypodiace^. Kaulf. Filices verae. Willd., Spreng. 



Gen. Char. POLYBOTRYA, Humb. Capsula pinnulas frondis disparis lineares undique dense 



tegentes. Indusium nullum. Kaulf. 



Polybotr 





f a cervina ; frondibus sterilibus pinnatis, pinnis ovato-lanceolatis inaequilateralibus 

 tegerrimis marginatis, fertilibus bipinnatis, pinnis linearibus, pinnulis oblongis planiusculis 



Poly b o try 



Olfersia c 



Kaulf Enum. Fil. p.55. Spreng. Syst. Veg. v.A.p 



Presl. in Reliq. Hcenk. p 

 Acrostichum cervinum. Syn. Fil.p. 14. & 



» 



. Sp. Pl.p. 1521. 



Willd.Sp.Pl.v.5.p 



Osmunda cervina. 



Li 



zmi 



Osmunda, Linguae Cervinae foliis. Plum. Fil.p. 132. /. 154. 

 . Foliis lanceolatis. 



Hab. In India Occidentali, Jamaica, Martinica, locis umbrosis. Swartz. Insula Sancti Vin- 



» 



centii. Rev. L. Guilding. |3. In sylvis Jamaicae. D. Bancroft. 



Caudex repens, brevis, densissime fusco-squamosus, radiculosus, fibris ramosis, hirsutis. 



Stipites plurimi ex eodem caudice, pedales vel bipedales erecti, semiteretes, facie anteriore sulcati, inferne squa- 



mosi, flavo-fusci. 

 Frondes sub-bipedales ; steriles et fertiles distinctae. 



Steriles simpliciter pinnata? ( juniores lanceolatae, simplices). Pinnce, 11 — 13, fere sessiles, alternae, spithamaeae et 



ultra, ovato-lanceolatae, coriaceae, acuminatae, marginatae, integerrimae ; basi superiore gibbosae ; inferiore 



oblique cuneatae costatae ; nervis numerosis parallelis, basi ramosis 



Color laete viridis 



Fertiles bipinnatae : Pinnce lineari-lanceolatae, fere horizontales, alternae, 3 ad 6 uncias longae : Pinnulce sub 



oppositae, semiunciam longae, patentes, planiusculae, capsulis undique tectae. 

 Capsulce numerosae, fuscae, annulo fere completo cinctae, pedicellatae, sphaericae. 



Fig. 3. Frons j 



f. 2. Frondis adultae sterilis portio. f. 3. Frondis fertilis portio 



f. 



Pinnae cum cap- 



sulis. f. 5. Capsulae 





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The genus Polybotrya was founded by Humboldt and Kunth upon the species P. osmundacea : 

 and the character was made to depend upon the capsules occupying the whole circumference of the 

 fertile pinnules. We possess, from Jamaica, a Fern that we can in no point distinguish from this of 

 Humboldt ; but in which the young fertile pinnae have the capsules only on one side, while in their 

 more advanced state the capsules appear on all sides of them. This difFerence in appearance, in all 

 probability, arises from the revolution or rcflexion of the margin of these pinnae : and it perfectly 

 accords with what Dr. Swartz says of the present plant, which he has seen in a growing state, ai 



state the fructification appears to be on both sides, in co: 



d 



of which he ob 



that 



old 



quence of the revolution of the margin of the pinnae 



»> 



If such be really the case, and if 



in all the species of Polybotrya, then the genus is scarcely distinguishable from Acrostichum 

 No author, as far as we know, has noticed the young, quite simple, fronds of this species. 

 Rev. Mr. Guilding has sent them to us in that state. 



The 



