FILICES. 63 



ALsorniLA ' oLutuA, Hook. 



A very large feni, 'with a caudex, or stock, about two or three feet high, covered 

 Tvith the bases of old fronds. Fronds 5-6 feet long, bipinnate ; piunic 18 inches to 

 2 feet long, lanceolate, terminating la a lobcd and serrated point ; pinnules 4-5 inches 

 long by J broad, sc^uare at the base, nearly sessile, oblong, pointed, piunatifid, i.e. 

 cut down about half-way to the costa, or midrib, into lobes which are rounded and 

 serrated. Sori very regular and uniform, forming two sides of a triangle - in the 

 lobes, the apex towards tlu; end of the lobe. Wliole plant smooth. This is, un- 

 doubtedly, Oi/mnosp/iicrn f/Itibia, of Blume. It is identified with Ahophila (liyanUa, 

 "Wall., in Hooker and Baker's Synopsis, of which latter fern Sir W. J. Hooker says 

 in his "Species Filicura," that it grows to a gigantic size, "caudex 50 feet high. 

 Wall.," "the mountains of Tenasserim" being given as a locality. This may be 

 so, but I must say tliat, although I have seen a great deal of the Tenasserim forests, 

 and although A. glabra is a common fern in damp sliady places, I have never seen 

 it larger than described above, nor have I seen any tree-fern at all approaching the 

 size given for A. giijantea ; none, indeed, I thiuk, more than 10 or 12 feet high. 

 These were A. latehrosa, contaminans, and comosa. The first two are acideate, i.e. 

 their stipites are covered with short shai-p thorns. They are all three found here 

 and there in mountain valleys. A. comosa may bo found at the last 'tsak/m or halting 

 place, near a huge granite boulder, before you make the last ascent of Xat-touug, 

 neai- Toung-ngoo. 



Di.iC.^LrE ' AsriDioiDEs, Ulame. 



A very elegant finely divided fern, averaging (as I know it on the Tenasserim 

 TOonntains) about two feet in height. The stipes is about half this lieight, and is 

 clothed with numerous biown scales at the base. The fronds are trii)innate, nearly 

 as broad as long. The lower ])inna5 are much longer than the upper ones and 

 nearly opposite ; the others being alternate. The under surface is profusely covered 

 with sori, which are globose, and closely covered by their uidusium, which ultimately 

 bursts irregularly at tlie top. 



Abundant on the mountains at about 4000 feet. 



DiCKSONiA, L' Heriticr. 



Large, mostly aborcsccnt ferns with inferior subglobosc, or cup-shaped and 

 entire, or more or less distinctly 2-valved involucres. Cibotiion, by some kept 

 distinct, is united under JJichonia, in Baker's Synopsis. It belongs to that section 

 which has very distinct 2-vulved involucres. 



ClBOTim ' GLAUCKSCEXS, Ilouk . 



C. IJarometz, Link. 



A large and extremely beautiful feni, with a short caudex and fronds six or 

 eight feet long. Fronds bipinnate, priuuiry pinna; r.ither distant, alternate, lanceolate ; 

 secondary pinnoo oblong, rather narrow and ending abruptly in a fine i)oint, cut down 

 nearly to the rachis or midrib ; pinnules or segments subfalcatc, acute ; whole frond 

 glaucous on tlie under side. Involucres 2-valved, one on each side of the base 

 of the segments, or nearly in tlieir axis. Said to be arborescent. It may grow 

 in some ])laces to a size wliich will entitle it to be so called (of this I cannot 

 speak), but all the individuals which 1 have seen in the Tenasserim Provinces have 

 only developed a very short caudex, but little elevated above the ground. I find 

 it at the foot of a very fine waterfall whidi descends from Ko-a-la-bo, a largo 



' Alsopliila. liK(ros, a watered wood, nnd <pi\(ui, to love. 



- Or, l)i'tter, as expri'ssid in 8yncnisis FiUiuni, •■ like an inverted V." 



' Diaealpe. Sta and kSAit?;, an nrn or drinking' cnj). Applicatiun not very ai'parent. 



* Cibotium. ki^utiov, a little box, wliieh the involucre well represents. 



