H 



n 



decompositum class; and the acutilobe class (compre- 

 hending conspicuilobum, acutilobum, and divisilobum) — 

 the main feature in the former being that the pinnules are 

 more frondose, and in the acutilobes more acute and 

 narrower." 



" Multilobum, or as I prefer to call it equilobum, seems 

 to lean towards the two divisions, one section to decom- 

 positum the other to acutilobum." 



" My order [of the more finely cut varieties] is con- 

 spicuilobe, multiiobe, acutilobe, divisilobe, some people 

 have thrown doubts on conspicuilobum but I consider it a 

 distinct variety." 



If to these four classes be added, the two classes of 

 decompositum — the ordinary, and the higher or more 

 developed class called here " tripinnatum " — it will be 

 found that with a very few exceptions (and those probably 

 varieties which combine different characters), the whole of 

 the divided or multilobed varieties will drop into their 

 places very naturally. 



It may be said that this arrangement makes no provision 

 for the plumose forms which are certainly divided forms, 

 but Mr. Padley's suggestion that " plumosum " is but the 

 plumose form of " decompositum " well deserves con- 

 sideration — and it will probably be found that between 

 plumosum and the higher forms of decompositum there is 

 room for all the forms generally known as sub-plumose, 

 and foliose, and such as struthio, Parsonsii {Moore) and 

 others. 



No doubt the plumose class have other characters, so 

 distinct as to entitle them to a place of their own in any 

 system of classification. No more is attempted here than 

 to draw attention to Mr. Padley's views regarding their 

 relationship to the decomposite forms, and to point out 

 if these views be sound (and there is much to recommend 

 them) the whole of the divided forms may be very easily 

 and naturally connected. 



