154 102 



. Aspidium decrescens Kze.; Mett. Aspid. nr. 202. 1858. 



Dryopteris decrescens O. Ktze.; C. Chr. Ind. 261. (Venezuela, Funck & 



ScHLiM nr. 1229, L!) 

 Nephrodium atomiferum Sod. Rec. 48. 1883. (Ecuador, Sodiro, Kew!) 

 Nephrodiam Sprengelii var. persiciinim Jenm. Journ. Bot. 1879: 261. 



(Jamaica!) 

 Dryopteris cheilanthoides var. eglandiilosa C. Chr. Bull. L'Herb. Boiss. II. 



7: 262. l'.)07. 

 Dryopteris siipina var. Biolleyi Christ, Bull. L'Herb. Boiss. II 7: 262. 



1907; C. Chr. Revision 308. 



170. Dryopteris multiformis n. sp. — Fig. 17. 

 Ecuador, in præruptis montis Pichincha, 3000 m., leg. A. Mille (RB!). 



Rhizomate oblique erecto, parce squamoso. Stipitibus subfasciculatis, strictis, 

 griseo-stramineis basi fuscescentibus, sulcatis glabris, squamis brunneis sparse 

 onustis, 15 — 25 cm longis. Lamina ovato-lanceolata, ad apicem pinnatifidum 

 sensim decrescente, versus basin subito attenuata, 40—70 cm longa, 10 — 30 cm lata, 

 firmo-herbacea vel membranacea, opaca, griseo-viridi, valde variabili: bipinnatifida- 

 bipinnata-tripinnatifida, subglabra vel dense pubescente, rachi costis costulisque 

 utrinque pilis albidis tenuissimis, longis, pluricellularibus, patentibus plus minusve 

 hirtis, marginibus ciliatis, faciebus glabris, costis subtus squamis parvis nonnullis 

 instructis. Pinnis semper oppositis, sessilibus, infimis 2 — 3 paribus valde reductis, 

 auriculiformibus, sequentibus 2 — 3 paribus parum abbreviatis, reflexis, medialibus 

 maximis, recte patentibus, inter se 3 — 4 cm remotis, oblongis vel lanceolatis, acu- 

 minatis, plus minusve partitis, segmento vel lacinia basali posteriore semper aucto, 

 falcato, basi auriculam rachin tegentem ferente. In eadem planta formæ sequentes 

 repertæ sunt: 1) forma bipinnatifida, dense pilosa (fig. 17 a— b); pinnis 

 6—8 cm longis, I'u — 2 cm latis, ad alam 2 mm latam pinnatifidis; lacinis acutis, 

 subfalcatis, marginibus integris revolutis; venis simplicibus, 6 — 7-jugis. 2) forma 

 bipinnatifida major subglabra (fig. 17 c — d); pinnis ad 20 cm longis, 3 cm 

 latis, ad alam 3 mm latam pinnatifidis; lacinis acutis, subfalcatis, marginibus 

 subintegris, vix revolutis; venis simplicibus, 10— 12-jugis. 3) forma bipinnata 

 vel tripinnatifida subglabra (fig. 17 e); pinnis ad 20 cm longis medio ad 6 cm 

 latis, versus basin attenualis, a basi ad medium pinnatis, a medio ad apicem pin- 

 natifidis; pinnulis ad costam late adnatis, subremotis, basi utrinque auriculatis, 

 auriculis ovatis acutis, sursum integris vel plus minusve profunde lobatis; pinnula 

 basali anteriore reducta, venis in pinnulis maximis ad 16-jugis, plerumque furcatis 

 vel subpinnatis. — Soris medialibus exindusiatis, sporangiis glabris. 



This remarkable species is certainly closely allied to D. cheilanthoides; the 

 second form described above resembles very much the large Mexican form of D. 



