PROTOMARATTIA, A NEW GENUS OF MARATTIACEAE, 

 AND ARCHANGIOPTERIS 



(with plate I AND THREE FIGURES) 

 BUNZO Ha YATA 



The Marattiaceae constitute a small family which may be 

 regarded as the survivor of a much larger group. At present only 

 6 genera are known: Archangiopteris,^ Alacroglossum,^ Angiopteris, 

 Marattia, Christensenia (Kaulfussia), and Danaea. Archangio pteris 

 was first discovered by A. Henry in Yunnan and was published in 

 1899 by Christ and Giesenhagen as a genus connecting Angiop- 

 teris with Danaea. The type of the genus A. Henryi is shown 

 to be one of the most primitive forms of Marattiaceae by its 

 simply pinnate leaves and simple stelar structure.^ According to 

 Gwynne-Vaughan/ the mature stem of Archangiopteris retains 

 a stage which is rapidly passed through by the young plants of 

 Angiopteris and other genera. The same seems to hold true as to 

 the form of the leaves. As far as I have observed Angiopteris 

 in its habitat in Formosa, the first 2 or 3 leaves from a young stock 

 usually are simply pinnate, but die before they reach maturity 

 and become fertile. The pinnae of these first leaves are much larger 

 than of those that follow, and closely resemble those of Archangi- 

 opteris in shape and size. We may infer, therefore, that Archangiop- 

 teris represents the form of a primitive type to which the ancestor 

 of Angiopteris may have belonged. 



Archangiopteris is most closely related to Macroglossmn,^ recently 

 established by Copeland, both in the simply pinnate fronds and 



' Christ, H., and Giesenhagen, K., Pteridographische Notizen. Flora 86: 72-85. 

 1899. 



* Copeland, E. B., The ferns of the Malay-Asiatic region. Philipp. Jour. Sci. 

 4:1-64. 1909. 



3 LoTSY, J. P., Vortrage iiber botanische Stammesgeschichte 2:676. 1906. 



'' Gwynne-Vaughan, D. T., On the anatomy of Archangiopteris Henryi and 

 other Marattiaceae. Ann. Botany 19:268. 1905. 



5 Campbell, D. H., The genus Macroglossnm Copeland. Philipp. Jour. Sci. 

 9:199-223. 1914; The structure and affinities of Macroglossnm Alidac Copeland. 

 Ann. Botany 28:651-669. 1914. 



Botanical Gazette, vol. 67] [84 



