FILICES. 



71 



Caudex elongate, rather thick, separating into numerous small 

 divisions which are moderately thick, elongate, and creeping, except 

 where the plant grows in dry ground (when the crowns are closely 

 packed together), partially covered by the more or less separated bases 

 of former fronds. Fronds of 2 kinds, a few produced close together 

 from the extremity of each division or crown, deciduous, sub-evergreen. 

 Fertile fronds quite erect. Stipes rather long (from one-third as long 

 to as long as the lamina), stout, deeply channelled on the anterior face, 

 containing 5 vascular bundles, without glands, more or less sparsely 

 clothed with broadly-ovate cuspidate concave entire very pale brown 

 subpersistent scales. Lamina firm, rather pale yellowish-green, 

 glabrous and without glands, strapshaped, abruptly acuminate at the 

 apex, very abrupt at the base, pinnate ; lowest pair of pinnae deltoid or 

 deltoid-triangular, about the same length and form as 3 or 4 of the 

 succeeding pairs, but shorter than those in the middle of the frond, 

 which are triangular, all of them shortly stalked, pinnatipartite, or 

 the lower ones almost pinnate towards the base ; pinnules or ultimate 

 segments oblong, attached by the whole breadth of their base, decur- 

 rent on the lower side, the lowest pair on each pinna alone partially 

 separated on both sides from the wing of the partial rachis to which 

 the segments are attached, more or less serrate or doubly serrate ; 

 those nearest the rachis sometimes lobed or almost pinnatifid ; teeth 

 incurved upwards, acute, or some of them mucronate. Ultimate 

 veins slightly impressed on the upper surface, running from the 

 midrib to the margin of the segments, clavate, forked or alternately 

 branched, according to the size of the lobe ; some at least of the 

 venules running into teeth. Sori confined to the pinnae of the upper 

 half of the frond, attached to the back of the anterior branch of the 

 ultimate veins, forming a line on each side of the mid-vein of the 

 segment of the pinna nearly equidistant from it and the margin of 

 the pinnule or segment and extending nearly to the apex of the 

 pinnules, sometimes also at the base of the pinnule on 2 or more 

 branches of the vein. Indusium thin, soon shrivelling, subpersistent, 

 roundish-reniform, flat, slightly erose, but without glands either on 

 the margin or surface. Spores tuberculate, with large sparse rounded 

 tubercles. Barren fronds numerous, arching greatly backwards, 

 much shorter than the fertile fronds, and with a short, slender 

 stipes. Lamina oblong or elliptical-oblong, tapering gradually from 

 -| of the frond to the apex, thinner in texture than that of the fertile 

 frond, pinnate ; pinnae approximate, pinnatipartite ; ultimate segment 



