FILICES. 113 



of former fronds, dividing into several divisions or crowns, which 

 remain closely packed together. Fronds several from each crown, 

 arranged shuttlecock-fashion, dying in autumn. Stipes rather stout, 

 thickened immediately above the base, nearly flat on the anterior 

 face, variable in length, but usually short, rather thickly clothed at 

 the base, and sparingly above, with broadly-ovate and triangular 

 lanceolate, acuminate hyaline or very pale brown scales, intermingled 

 with numerous minute hair-like ones, most of which are deciduous. 

 Lamina suberect or ascending or spreading, narrowly elliptical-oblong 

 or oblong, or strapshaped-lanceolate, more or less attenuated towards 

 the base, bipinnate or subtripinnate ; ultimate segments crenate or 

 serrate or inciso-serrate. Ultimate veins running into the teeth. Sori 

 distributed over the whole of the frond, except the base or the apex, 

 placed on the first anterior branch of the vein running into the ulti- 

 mate segments, or on several of the branches, circular. Indusium very 

 minute, very finely lacerate, fugacious, often absent. Spores brown, 

 tuberculate, with numerous small blunt unequal tubercles. 



Subspecies I.— Athyrium eu-alpestre. 



Plate 1870. 



Babenh. Crypt. Vase. Europ. Exsicc. No. 84. 



Pseudathyrium alpestre, Newm. Phyt. 1851, p. 370; and App. xix. and 1853, p. 974; 



and Hist. Brit. Ferns, ed. iii. p. 200. 

 Asplenium alpestre, Babenh. 1. c. No. 84. 

 Phegopteris alpestris, /. Smith, Hist. Fil. p. 33. 

 Polypodium alpestre, Bab. Man. Brit. Bot. ed. vii. p. 445. 



Caudex stout, erect or oblique, closely covered by the bases of 

 former fronds, dividing into several divisions or crowns, which remain 

 closely packed together. Fronds several from each crown, arranged 

 shuttlecock-fashion, dying in autumn. Stipes rather stout, straight, 

 thickened immediately above the base, nearly flat on the anterior face 

 rather short, one-sixth to one-fourth the length of the lamina, rather 

 thickly clothed at the base and sparingly above with broadly-ovate and 

 triangular-lanceolate acuminate very pale brown scales, intermingled 

 with numerous hair-like ones, most of which are deciduous. Lamina 

 suberect or ascending, elliptical-oblong or narrowly oblong, attenu- 

 ated towards the base and apex, bipinnate or subtripinnate; lower 

 pinnee spreading, upper ones ascending, not more distant than the 

 lower ones ; pinnules or ultimate segments broadest at the base, crenate 

 or crenate-serrate or inciso-crenate ; lobes entire or toothed at the apex. 



VOL. XII. Q 



