from the base in a siibdicliotomous or occasionally digitate manner. La- 

 ciniaj quite Hat, 3—1- lines wide, slightly undulate, linear, or the lower and 

 broader ones somewhat cunoate, especially under the fork, all patent, with 

 very obtuse and broad axils and very Idunt apices. Cijstocarps sessile on 

 disc of the frond, scattered, prominent to one surface, not in the least im- 

 mersed, hemispherical, contracted at base, depressed and umbilicate at the 

 apex, at length pierced by a terminal pore ; pericarp very thick, frond of 

 seriated, radiating cellidcs ; placenta quite filling the cavity, sinuated on its 

 upper surface, and connected by bars with the over-arching pericarp. Spores 

 very minute, covering the indentations of the placenta. Nemathecia oval 

 or oblong, or when occurring beneath an axil cordate, ranged in single file 

 along the larger segments, prominent on both surfaces of the frond ; only 

 seen in a young state, before the formation of tetraspores. Colour a very 

 dark red-brown, becoming much darker and almost black in the herbarium. 

 The fsubstance is toughly coriaceous, rigid when dry ; not adhering to paper. 



When the figure of this plant was prepared, I had not seen 

 conceptacles (cj/stocarps), which I find on a specimen recently 

 received from Mr. T. E. Rawlinson, of Melbourne. An examina- 

 tion of these shows the peculiar placentation of Sj)/iarococcoide(B, 

 and though the structure is not exactly identical with that of Cur- 

 diea laciniata (Plate XXXIX.), the typical species, I prefer con- 

 sidering the present species as a Curdiea, — with which in most 

 of its characters it agrees — to founding a new genus for its re- 

 ception. The substance and structure of the frond agree well 

 with those of C. laciniata ; and though the colour in that species 

 is very much brighter when recent, yet both plants agree in be- 

 coming much darker in drying. It remains to be seen whether 

 the tetraspores in the ripe nemathecia, be formed on the type 

 of those of Curdiea. 



I venture to quote Areschoug's Gyranogongrus jirmiis as a 

 synonym, although I have seen no specimen of his plant. His 

 description answers very well to my Western Port and Port 

 Phillip specimens ; and if not intended for this plant, it must 

 refer to something unknown to me. 



Fig. 1. Curdiea obtusata, — tlie yiatural size. 2. Portion of the frond, with 

 nemathecia, — somewJiat jnagnifiecl. 3. Section through the frond and imma- 

 ture nemathecia. 4. Small portion of an immature nemathecium : — mag- 

 nified. 



