1. Nephrodium.] 2. POLYPODIACEM. 



on the veins forming a line all round the margin except at the sinuses, 

 or sometimes only at the apex of the lobes (form terminans). 

 Balasore Hills, Orissa, Blandford ! 



4. N. aridum, Don. 



A scarcely tufted fern, somewhat like molle but much more rigid and 

 coriaceous, with narrower longer fronds usually 2-4 ft. and relatively 

 narrower pinnae which are only cut about one-fifth to one-third down 

 into more or less triangular and acute lobules, usually 3-5 venules of 

 each segment meeting one another. Sori usually closer, sometimes 

 forming a continuous line each side of the vein half-way between vein 

 and margin. Rhachis and lower surface pubescent or hairy, some- 

 what glabrescent with age. 



Along streams. Ramnagar Hills, Charar)aran ! Purneah, common ! Wet 

 places, Neterhat (Ranchi), elev. 3000 ft. ! Fr. Oct.-Jan. 



Fronds sometimes scattered on the creeping rhizome. Stipes dark or pale, 

 6-12" long, not scaly, slightly piibescent. Pinnse tapering from base to apex, 

 alternate median 3" by -3" (in middle) to 5" by -5", rarely more in oiu area but 

 attaining 9" by 1" elsewhere, lower pinnae distant and much reduced. The acute- 

 ne-s of the lobes is mainly due to the margin being recurved at the upper edges. 



In a form collected in Sarguja by Dr. Wood, labelled N. unitum, R. Br. {Herb. Cal.), 

 the rhizome is very much creeping with the fronds arising 2-3" apart. 



Var. a. pilosissimum. 



Frond 12-18" with villosely-tomentose rhachis and pubescent 

 stipes. Pinnse very close, -touching one another, median about 3" by 

 •3- '4" (in middle), very truncate at base, cut about one-fourth way 

 down, surface hairy and with papillose glands beneath, strigosely 

 hairy towards the tips of the lobes on upper surface with several 

 pairs of venules uniting. 



Neterhat i 



The tomentum and glands are yellow in my specimens. Rootstock widely 

 creeping. Lower pinnse reduced to auricles. Except that some of the pinnae 

 have the lower 3-6 veins uniting this might be a variety of molle (var. aureum, 

 Clarke ? but the lower pinnae are not reduced in aureum and the pinnae are not 

 at all contracted at their base as they are in that variety.) 



Var. /3. maximum. 



A large fern of which the simply pinnate fronds sometimes reach 

 8^ ft. in length when clambering among bushes, but the pinnae rarely 

 over 10" long by •7-'8" wide (in the middle), widest at base then 

 nearly parallel-sided and finally tapering, pinnse towards base of 

 rhachis very distant and finally reduced to deltoid auricles -3" long 

 only. Stipes naked, pale, grooved above, rhachis pale-brown, glab- 

 rous or puberulous. Pinnse alt. and opposite cut about one-fourth 

 way down into oblong rounded but shortly abruptly cuspidate lobes, 

 which are connected below the cleft by a colourless membrane and 

 finally a nervule, venules from each segment 10-12 each side, 1-2 

 lowest only really anastomosing with those of the next segment or 

 intercostal vein. Costa of pinna above and veins and venules of the 

 lobes beneath hirtellous, otherwise surface glabrous and somewhat 



1188 



