BENEDICT: REVISION OF THE GENUS VITTARIA 401 
the veins immersed, but with a strong convexity over the midrib 
along the ventral surface, the margins acute, plane, the leaf-trace 
single, thick-reniform in section, branching in the very base of 
the petiole to form the midrib and secondary veinlets, the veinlets 
intersecting, 1.5 cm. apart along the margin, the marginal portions 
forming a nearly straight line, the areolae with their axes parallel 
to the midrib; soral line nearly straight, about 0.5 mm. from the 
margin, sunken in a shallow open groove, the paraphyses numerous, 
pyriform, becoming collapsed and wrinkled, the spores diplanate. 
(PLATE 15.) 
Type from BraziL: Organ Mts., Gardner 147, 1837. 
SPECIMENS EXAMINED. BraziL: Organ Mts., Gardner 147 
(scraps of type, U); Glaziou 3553 (C). CoLompta: Santa Marta, 
6000 ft., H. H. Smith 1112 in part (several plants, U, N); Bogota, 
Lindig 176, vide V. Karsteniana (U). VENEZUELA: Tovar, Fendler 
2596 (U, E). Ecuapor: “‘crescit in silv. trop. et suband.,’’ Sodiro 
(U); Jameson 1116 (E); Quitensian Andes, J. P. Couthouy 25, 
1885 (E). British GuIANA: Mt. Roraima, Mt. Roraima Expedi- 
tion 212, 12 Nov. 1884 (N). 
Fée cites in addition: Mexico, Goudot, Pl. Mex. and, 
Colombia, Moritz 1226. For V. Karsteniana Mettenius cites 
specimens as follows, all from CoLomBta: San Pedro, prov. Ocafia, 
Schliim 318; Bogota, altit. 2,800 m., La Pefia, altit. 2,900 m., 
Lindig 176; Quindio, altit. 3,000 m., Triana; Tolima, Goudot. 
The type of V. gracilis is from CoLtompBta: Tovar, Moritz 464. 
Vittaria Gardneriana and V. remota are species of similar habit 
and appearance and are undoubtedly closely related to each other. 
Broad leaves of V. Gardneriana are not easy to distinguish from 
Narrow leaves of V. remota, but in general, taking whole plants, 
the differences in breadth of leaves, etc., appear sufficiently con- 
stant to warrant the recognition of two species, especially as these 
differences seem to accompany partly separated geographic 
ranges. The material from Central America, where both species 
occur, offers no special difficulties in differentiation, even in the 
herbarium, and it is not unlikely that field study will discover 
additional differences. V. Bommeri Christ, referred to later in 
the present article as a species of uncertain identity, is apparently 
of the same general size and shape as V. Gardneriana. 
