"418 Transactions. — Botany. 



in this fern always form a prominent pair with the upper 

 pinnule, and is also the largest, being 6-7-lobed, and over- 

 lapping rachis ; all its pinnules also are much more stipitate 

 and distant. Beddome says of the pinnules of A. aculeatum, 

 " Subpetiolate or decurrent at the very base with the adjacent 

 ones" (/.c, p. 429); moreover, the sori on A. aculeatum are 

 usually eight on a pinnule, and their involucres larger ; the 

 hairs on upper rachis and subrachises simple, very short, and 

 patent, without scales, and the scales on the stipe are also 

 widely different, broader and shorter and of one form only. 

 Sir W. J. Hooker says of A. aculeatum and its varieties, 

 " Segments superior, base larger and more or less auricled " 

 (I.e., passim). Hooker /iZ. also says of A. (P.) aculeatum, var. 

 vestitum, "Segments lower, outer margin auricled" (Flora 

 N.Z., vol. ii., p. 38), well shown in their respective drawings ; 

 and again, "The lower outer margin produced into a short 

 broad blunt auricle" (Flor. Tasm., vol. ii., p. 148) — a family 

 feature common to all varieties supra; which character, how- 

 ever, is wholly wanting in this fern. 



2. A. [Polystichum) zerophyllum, sp. nov. 



Plant suberect and drooping ; caudex coalescent from old 

 stipites. Stipe 15in. long, slender, woody, dry, deeply sul- 

 cated on upper surface (rachis also to tip), pale-straw-coloured 

 above (with rachis), red-brown at base, paleaceous, roughish 

 with minute brownish tubercles from fallen hairs and scales. 

 Frond oblong-lanceolate, 14in.-17in. long, 7in.-8-|in. wide at 

 middle ; tip subacuminate acute ; base truncate ; bipinnate, 

 glabrous, subcoriaceous, harsh ; dull light-green above, paler 

 below (when dried) ; rachis and subrachises paleaceous and 

 hairy. Pinnae alternate distant petiolate oblong-lanceolate, 

 3Jin.-4in. long, IJin.-l^in. wide at middle, acuminate ; tips 

 narrow, very acute, broadest at bases, patent and slightly 

 subfalcate ; costa very slender. Pinnules distant alternate 

 petiolate, 10-11-jugate, ovate-acuminate, fin. long, coarsely 

 and sharply serrate above, tip aristate, semi-lobed and pro- 

 duced at base on the upper side I'ounded, margin entire ; the 

 base at lower side excised ; the basal pair opposite much 

 larger, lin. long, their sides more regular and subpinnatifid, 

 the upper one overlapping rachis above. Veins few, pinnate 

 in pinnule, simple, distant. Sori rather large, distant on 

 middle veinlet, biserial, usually seven on a pinnule, but on 

 each of the larger basal pair 14-15. Involucre ample 5-angled, 

 light-reddish-brown with a large black centre, reverted in age, 

 subsessile. Scales of two kinds : (1) Long subulate very nar- 

 row, dark-brown glossy ; tips capillary curved and twisted ; 

 (2) smaller light-reddish-brown, thin, weak, crumpled, and 

 hair-like. 



