THE FERNS OF NORTH-WESTERN INDIA. 531 



Celt. No. 231 is meant, aa A. pectinatum. Wall. Cat. 231, with some A. nigripes, 

 is mixed). 



Moore, in the Index Filicum, gives Allcmtodia (?) tenella, Wall, as a synonym 

 of Athyrium tenuifrons^ Moore. 



26. A. rupicola, n. sp., — Plants isolated; ccmd. snberect or procumbent, 

 slow-growing ; st. densely tafted, sprinsing from all ronnd the caudex, short and 

 thick and curving towards the vertical, the bases persistent, clothed with 

 narrow hair-pointed dull brown scales, above glabrous ; //•. narrow lanceolate, 

 acuminate at apex, simply pinnate, deeply pinnatifid, naked except for a few 

 fibrillffi on main rhachis, herbaceous to subooriaceous, generally curving 

 laterally near the base reversely from the dh-ection of the stipes, the lower 

 piimre becoming distant and dwindling in size ; up to 15 ui. 1. and probably 

 more, by 3 — 4 iia. br,, rarely broader ; pinn. 20 or more paii"s besides apex, 

 becoming distant towards the base of the frond, sessile and decuiTent both 

 ways on rhachis which becomes winged towards apex, f — f in. br., falcate, 

 broadest at base and anterior lowest segment longest cut down sometimes 

 nearly to the secondary rhaclns into broad falcate segments spinulosely toothed 

 at point and on both sides, or, in large specimens, lobed, and then the lobes 

 spinulosely toothed in con-espondence with the veinlets ; ven. pmnate in the 

 segments ; vmilets one to each tooth or lobe, and forked in the lobes ; vena- 

 tion distinct on the lower surface ; sori one to each vein, on the anterior 

 veinlet of each lobe, or in the fork of the veinlets, short, straight, or some- 

 times hippocrepiform, looking large and roundish when ripe ; invoL brown, 

 persistent at least till sori ripen. (Plate V.) 



The above description has been written from fifteen sheets in my possession: 

 there is no other description, except that Beddome gives A. rupicola^ Edgew., as 

 a synonym of A. Filix-fcBmina, var. retusa, Clarke, which he describes briefly. 

 Some at least of Clarke's rdusa is quite different from the present species. 



Hab.— Kashmie, Pir Punjal, so nth slope 9000', Lev. 1875. Punjab— CA«/hJ« 

 8000', Baden-Powell 1879, 9000' McDonell ; Kullu 7-8000', Trotter ; Mandi State 

 9-10,000', Trotter ; Simla i^e*/.— Simla, Edgew., and Nagkanda 29-9-31, Lady Dal- 

 housle, Herb. Wight, in Herb. Hort. Kew, 7800', Bliss ; Ridge east of Simla from 

 Mahasu to Baghi 8-10,000', Gamble, Collett, Blanf ., Hope, Trotter, Bliss. 



N.-W. P. : D. B. i?i5f.— Jaunsar 7500', Gamble; Mnssooree 7000', Hope (once feen). 

 B. Garh.—ne^x Kuari Pass. 11-12,000', Dutbie No. 5150 ; Eumaun—Eaim Tal 

 Davidson 1875, China Mt. 8500', Trotter ; Byans— Palang Gadh 9-10,000', Duthie ; 

 Pindar Gorge 9-10,000', Trotter No. 885 (whole plant 5 in. high, fronds fertile, 

 1 in. br.); Gori Ganga Valley— Bugdiar 8600', MacLeod. 



This is a very distinct species, both in structure and habit. It gTOWs in 

 the crevices of dry exposed rocks, and, late in the season at least, always has 



