406 Benedict: Revision of the genus Vittaria 



Rhizome erect, 1-2 cm. long, unbranched or branching to form 

 a close cluster of shoots, each radially symmetrical, the scales 6-10- 

 costate at the base, the median costa much thickened in the upper 

 portion of the scale. Leaves pendent, 1-5 to each shoot, 40-70 

 cm. long, the petiole 5-15 cm. long, atropurpureous, hard, partly 

 hollow, flattenedto the base, becoming 2-angled toward the lamina, 

 the scales very narrow and elongate, 1-4-costate, the lamina linear, 

 parallel-sided through most of its length, 4-10 mm. broad, nar- 

 rowed gradually above and below, the dorsal surface plane or 

 nearly so, the ventral surface with a broad low median ridge, the 

 margins usually thin and sharp, often reflexed in old leaves, the 

 leaf-trace single, dividing in the base of the petiole, the veins not 

 evident on either surface of the lamina, the veinlets intersecting 

 about 3.5 cm. apart along the margin, the areolae linear-rhomboid, 

 the longitudinal sides about 3.5-4 cm. long, the oblique sides 2.5-3 

 cm. long. Soral lines straight, about 1-1.25 mm. from the margin, 

 in a shallow open groove. (Plate 19.) 



Type from Peru: (definite locality not given), Ruiz. 



Specimens examined. Colombia: Tablazo, Tulua, /. F. 

 Holton 60, 26 O 1853, " V. stipitata" " et in Ibaque" (U) ; Santa 

 Marta, H. H. Smith 11 12 in part (N) ; Lindig (scrap, U). Ecua- 

 dor: S. Domingo, Sodiro, ' V. stipitata." Venezuela: Tovar, 

 Moritz 14J, 143b (scraps, U) ; Tovar, Fendler 25Q, 1854-5, "V- 

 stipitata" (E). 



For V. Moritziana, Mettenius cites as type: Canoas, Colom- 

 bia, Lindig jiq; for V. Orbignyana: Yungas, Bolivia, d'Orbigny 

 22Q. For V. longipes, Sodiro cites as type-locality: subandine 

 woods of western range in the valley of Nanegal, near Anca 

 (translated). 



As may be seen from the synonymy this species has been 

 recognized as distinct by several writers. The material of it is 

 rather scanty, indicating that it must be rare. It furnishes an 

 especially good illustration of the habit of writers of describing 

 species of Vittaria on very insufficient data. It is possible of 

 course that there may be more than one species represented under 

 this name, but there are not now sufficient data for such differentia- 

 tion, even on the basis of the most careful microscopic study, 

 although much less than that was counted sufficient for the 

 original descriptions. 



The species is easily distinguishable from V. stipitata on the 

 basis of the scales, which are broad, many-costate, and of two sorts. 



