FILICES. 61 



than the others, and as well as those near the bottom of the stem 

 deflexed ; the rest spreading at right angles, pinnatipartite or pinnatifid, 

 more or less concave ; pinnules or ultimate segments contiguous or 

 overlapping, oblong, attached by a base which is wider than the rest 

 of the segment, not tapering to the very obtuse apex, crenate-serrate 

 or inciso-serrate, more or less twisted, and with the apices bent 

 inwards. Indusium small, very convex, with the margins incurved 

 over the sporangia, sprinkled all over with minute glands. Spores 

 with numerous minute contiguous tubercles. 



Var. e. abbreviata. Bab. 



L. abbreviata, Wollaston, Pbyt. 1855, p. 172. 



L. propinqua, ' Wollaston.' Lowe, Nat. Ferns, Vol. I. p. 280 (1865) (non Presl and 



J. Smith). 

 Nephrodium Filix-mas, var. abbreviatum, Hook. fil. Stud. Fl. p. 465 ? 

 Aspidium abbreviatum, Poiret, Encyc. Bot. Suppl. Vol. I. p. 516 ? 

 A. Filix-mas, var. glandulosum, Wilde, Fil. Europ. p. 123. 

 Polysticbum abbreviatum, DC. Fl. Fr. Vol. II. p. 560? 

 P. Filix-mas, var. abbreviatum, Gren. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. Vol. III. p. 631 ? 

 Dryopteris abbreviata, Newm. Hist. Fil. ed. iii. p. 192? 



Fronds inclining backwards. Stipes very short; scales numerous, 

 rather thin, pale ferruginous concolorous, fimbriate-ciliate, studded 

 with numerous minute glands, the lower ones ovate-lanceolate, the 

 upper linear, intermingled with a few flexuous hair-like ones, most of 

 them deciduous, so that ultimately the rachis is nearly naked. Lamina 

 firm but scarcely subcoriaceous, bright green, with very pale scales 

 when it is unfolding, afterwards rather dull green, only slightly paler 

 beneath, where it is thickly and minutely glandular, oblong or nar- 

 rowly oblong, pinnate ; lowest pmna3 scarcely broader than the others, 

 and as well as those about the middle of the lamina spreading nearly 

 at right angles to the rachis, the uppermost ones inclining a little 

 towards the apex of the frond, pinnate, slightly concave ; pinnules not 

 contiguous, strapshaped-oblong, attached by a base which is narrower' 

 than the rest of the segment, tapering scarcely or but slightly to the 

 obtuse apex, inciso-crenate or serrate, with the crenatures often again 

 crenate, very slightly twisted and with the apices slightly bent 

 inwards. Indusium small, very convex, with the margins incurved 

 round the sporangia, sprinkled all over with minute glands. Spores 

 with very numerous and very minute contiguous tubercles. 



Var. a, common in pastures or heaths, and by roadsides, rarely in 

 woods, generally distributed in England, Scotland, and Ireland. 



