Ser. Khodospermb^. Fain. SpkarococcoidecB. 



Plate CLI. 



NITOPHYLLUM CURDIEANUM, Haw. 



Gen. Char. Frond membranaceous, expanded, areolate, unsymmetrical, 

 nerveless or irregularly veined. Fructification : 1, hemispherical con- 

 ceptacles, sessile on the frond, containing a tuft of moniliform spore- 

 threads, on a basal placenta ; 2, tripartite tetraspores, in definite sori 

 or spots, scattered, or confined to some part of the frond. — Nito- 

 PHYLLUM {Grev.), from nitor, 'to shine,' and (pvWov, a leaf. 



Frons membranacea, expansa, areolata, vage Jissa, enervia v. basi venulis irregu- 

 laribus peragrata. Fruct. : 1, coccidia frondi sessilia, liemispli(Brica, fila 

 sporifera moniliformia a placenta basali emissa foventia ; 3, tetrasporce trian- 

 gule divisee, in soros dejinitos collectce. 



NiTOPHYLLTJM Curdieamim ; stipes elongate, strongly ribbed, winged or 

 two-edged, branched ; branches prolonged into lateral or terminal, 

 nerveless or basally nerved, irregularly pinnatifid and lobulate, cuneato- 

 flabelliform segments ; axils very narrow ; apices obtuse ; membrane 

 rigid, papery, composed of several rows of cells ; cystocarps globose, 

 scattered; sori minute, oblong or linear, crowded in the ultimate 

 segments and lobes. 



N. Curdieanum ; stipite elongato valide costato alato v. ancipite ramoso ; ramis 

 in segmenta cuneato-flabelliformia lateralia v. terminalia vage pinnatijida 

 et lobulata enervia v. basi nervosa productis ; axillis angustis, apicibus obtusis, 

 margine integerrimo, membrana stratis plurihus cellularum constituta ; cysto- 

 carpiis globosis sparsis, soiis minutis oblongis v. linearibus densissima in laci- 

 nulis uUimis aggregatis. 



NiTOPHYLLUM Curdieannm, Harv. Alg. Austr. Exsic. n. 291. 



Hab. South Australia, Dr. Curdie. Port Fairy, W. H. H. 



Geogr. Distr. Southern coasts of Australia. 



Descr. Root discoid. Fronds tufted, 6-12 inches long, flabelliform in general 

 outline, much branched and divided. The adult frond has generally a lead- 

 ing stem several inches long, 2-4 lines wide, winged with torn membrane, 

 strongly ribbed, branching alternately or dichotomously, and often emitting 

 throughout its whole length crowded, proliferous segments. The branches 

 terminate also in segments similar to those of the stem : these are deeply 

 cut, generally in a pinnate, sometimes in a dichotomous order ; the divi- 

 sious are either linear or very narrow-cuneate, flat or slightly wavy, the 

 the lower ones with a vanishing nerve, the upper quite nerveless. AH the 

 apices are blunt. The membrane of the frond is decidedly rigid, composed 

 of 4-5 rows of quadrate cells. Cystocarps, the size of poppy-seeds, are 



