FILICES. 77 



Aspidium spinulosum, Swartz. 8m. Eng. Bot. No. 1460 ; and Eng. Fl. Vol. IV. p. 292 (?) 



Milde, Fil. Europ. p. 132. 

 A. spinulosum, var. a, Fries, Summ. Veg. Scand. p. 82. 

 A. cristatum, var. spinulosum, Hook. & Am. Brit. Fl. ed. viii. p. 885. 

 Polystichum spinulosum, a. vulgare, Koch, Syn. " Fl. Germ, et Helv. ed. ii. p. 979." Gren. 



& Godr. Fl. de France, Vol. III. p. 632. 

 P. spinosum, Both, Fl. Germ. Vol. III. p. 91, teste Neiom. 



Polypodhim spinulosum, Muller, " Fl. Fridrichsdal, 193, No. 841, t. ii. f. 2," teste Moore. 

 Lophodium spinosum, Newm. Phyt. 1851, p. 371, and App. XVIII. ; and Hist. Brit. 



Ferns, ed. iii. p. 157. 



Caudex short or elongate, rather thick, separating into numerous 

 small divisions, which are moderately thick, more or less elongate and 

 creeping, but sometimes (when growing in dry ground short and with 

 the crowns closely packed together), partially covered by the more or 

 less separated bases of former fronds. Fronds all similar, a few pro- 

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

 erect, or more rarely inclining backwards. Stipes long (from one-third 

 to quite the length of the lamina), rather stout, deeply channelled 

 on the anterior face, containing 5 vascular bundles, usually without 

 glands, rather sparsely clothed with ovate cuspidate concave 

 entire very pale brown subpersistent scales, sometimes intermixed 

 with lanceolate ones. Lamina firm, yellowish-green or deep green, 

 glabrous and usually without glands, strapshaped or obloug-strap- 

 shaped or lanceolate-oblong, tapering gradually towards the apex, 

 abrupt at the base, bipinnate or almost tripinnate ; lowest pair of 

 pinnae unequally triangular or deltoid- triangular, with the basal 

 pinnules longer on the lower than on the upper side of the midrib, 

 about as long as the succeeding pair of pinnae, the others becoming 

 gradually longer and narrower as far as a little below the middle of the 

 lamina, where they are narrowly triangular, after which they gradually 

 diminish in length ; all of them shortly stalked, pinnate ; pinnules 

 flat or convex, elliptical obloDg, or the lower ones oblong-triangular, 

 attached by a very small portion of the centre of their base, the. 

 basal ones of the lower pinnae not decurrent and frequently shortly 

 stalked, usually only those towards the apices of the upper pinnae 

 decurrent ; lower ones pinnatipartite or deeply pinnatifid, with the 

 lobes inciso-serrate, those pinnules towards the apex of the pinnae 

 less deeply pinnatifid, and those at the apex only inciso-serrate ; 

 teeth scarcely incurved, strongly mucronate. Ultimate veins deeply 

 impressed on the upper surface, all except the anterior one (which 

 runs into the notch between the lobes) running into the teeth. Sori 

 usually occupying the whole frond, except the lowest pair of pinnae, 



