CRYPTOGAMIA— FILICES. Woodsia. 523 



when it is considered how nearly the plants are related. Roots 

 tufted, of numerous, long, smooth, blackish, simple fibres. 

 Fronds several, tufted, erect, from three to live inches liigh ; 

 the slightly scaly, pale brown stalk, remarkably elastic and 

 wiry, making about one-third of the whole. Leajhts from six- 

 teen to twenty, nearly opposite, oblong, bluntly pointed, deeply 

 pinnatifid, with segments of the same shape, slightly revolute 

 at the margin, and somewhat wavy, scarcely crenate ; the upper 

 surface of a rather glaucous green, even, besprinkled with a few 

 hairs, or slender tapering scales 3 under more densely scaly, 

 nearly covered with fructification. Masses orbicular, crowded, 

 slightly prominent, each of about six or seven roundish-ovate 

 capsules, seated on a small, membranous, roundish cover, whose 

 margin, as Mr. Brown first discovered, is fringed with very long, 

 taper, jointed, hair-like segments. 

 Exotic specimens, especially those from North America, are larger 

 than our's, but do not otherwise differ. When Linneeus first 

 began to use s])ecific names, he adopted that of ilvense, from 

 the newly discovered synonym of Dalechamp, for this supposed 

 Acrostichum, first observed in the isle of Elba (lira). This 

 affords but an additional proof of the absurdity of such names, 

 which when established, like the present, may be tolerated, 

 but will never be imitated by any person who can contrive a 

 better. 



2. W. hyperborea. Rounded-leaved Woodsia. 



Leaflets bluntly triangular, pinnatifid, with rounded seg- 

 ments. 



W. hvperborea. Br, Tr. of Linn. Soc. v.W.lJS.t.] 1. Sm, Camp. 



ecLA. 174. 

 Polvpodium hyperboreum. Sw. Sijn. Fil. 39. PVilld. Sj). PL r. 5. 



\[)7. Engl Hot. r.29. ^ 2023. 

 P. arvonicum. F/. /ir. 1 1 l.>. ff'ifh.774. Sijm. Sijn. \9\ . Hull 



238. 

 F. ilvense. lf'ith.77\. IIull'137. Sym. Sijn. \9\ . 

 Acrostichum hyperboreum. Liljeblad in Slockli. Trans, for 1793. 



201. <. 8. 

 A. ilvense. Iluds. 4.j1. Dicks. II. Sicc.fasc. 8. 17. 

 A. alpinum. Boll. Fd. 7C). L 12. 



Filix aljjina, I'edicularis rubne ft)liis subtus villosis. Rati Sijn. 1 IS. 

 F. pumila, Lonchitidis MaranthiE species, Cambrobritannica. 



rtuk. Ahnag. \:A). Phijt. t. H[).f. .'). not S. 

 Filicula ali)ina tenerior, alis latiusculis brevioribus integris, pro- 



funde dentatis. Moris. t'.3. i)7G. sect. 11. /.3./. 23. 

 On al|)ine rocks in Wales and Scotland. 

 On a moist rock called Clogwyn y (Jarnedd, one of the highest 



points of bnowdon. Dr. Richardsun. This rock wholly faces 



V 2 



