ON PSOMIOCARPA, A NEGLECTED GENUS OF FERNS 



By dr. H. CHRIST, Basel 



With One Plate 



The long^ discredited genus Psomiocarpa was established by 

 C. B. Presl on one of the most extraordinary plants of the Philip- 

 pine Islands, first discovered by the late Cuming- and named by 

 John Smith Polybotrya apiifolia. In conformity with our present 

 views of generic relationship within the Polypodiacese this genus 

 must now be reinstated, leaving out Polybotrya aaiminata Link and 

 Polybotrya iticisa Link, which are true members of the genus Poly- 

 botrya, and including two American plants which are to be char- 

 acterized in the present paper. 



PSOMIOCARPA Presl, Epim. Bot. i6i. 1849. 



Genus a Polybotrya rhizomate brevi suberecto caespitoso nee 

 aero-reptante, vernatione fasciculata nee eremobrya, et sporangiis 

 segmenta fertilia undique tegentibus nee paginae inferiori solum 

 afifixis diversum. Folia sterilia plura fasciculato-rosulata, folium 

 fertile solitarium, centrale. 



I. PSOMIOCARPA APIIFOLIA Presl, 1. c. 

 Polybotrya apiifolia J. Smith, Journ. Bot. 3: 401. 1841. 



Foliis sterilibus subdeltoideis bipinnatis, versus basin postice 

 auctis et tripinnatis, nervis lateralibus pinnularum furcatis. Folio 

 fertili longe stipitato ideoque sterilia superante, lamina ad meras 

 costas contracta, paniculiformi, segmentis remotis mmutis globosis. 



Planta pilis articulatis vestita. 



Hab. Ins. Philippinae passim. 



2. PSOMIOCARPA ASPIDIOIDES (Griseb.) Christ, Geograph. 

 Fame 224. 1910. 



Polybotrya aspidioides Griseb. Cat. PI. Cub. 276. 1868. 



Acrostichiim aspidioides Baker, in Hook. & Baker, Syn. Fil. 414. 1868. 



Foliis sterilibus late ovatis, basin versus non auctis nee angus- 

 tatis, bipinnatifidis, pinnis ad alam angustam incisis, segmentis 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 56, No. 23 



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