456 



from each other. The most extreme opinions are entertained : some 

 asserting that these are specific differences ; others saying they are 

 indicative only of variety ; others again maintaining that the discre- 

 pancies are those only of individuals. Again, we find some botanists 

 contending that we have three species in this country : others that 

 we have two; others that we have but one. Amid this conflict of 

 opinion it is quite a privelege to find a pteridologist of Kunze's emi- 

 nence devoting his talents to the subject. Would we could accept 

 his solution as final, and thus terminate a discussion which has hitherto 

 so little advantaged the study of the tribe. It is impossible to charge 

 him with want of care, want of exactitude, want of terms wherewith 

 to express his meaning, or want of knowledge of the labours of others. 

 He describes with admirable precision three fronds, or perhaps plants, 

 which he has before him : he trusts to his own observation alone, and 

 each description bears indubitable evidence of fidelity and originality : 

 with the fronds or plants before us, and we have seen many such, we 

 could at once distinguish for which each description was intended ; 

 but when we carefully consider the differences pointed out; when we 

 weigh them against the differences existing between ascertained spe- 

 cies ; we cannot avoid pausing before we assign them the importance 

 of diagnostics for the separation of species. Let us examine the 

 leading characters in the extreme species, lobatum and Braunii. 



Lobatum has the frond linear-lanceolate, shortly acuminate, very 

 much attenuated at the base, coriaceous, rigid, sub-bipinnate . 



Braunii has the frond lanceolate, shortly acuminate, very much but 

 gradually attenuated at the base, membranaceous, rather flaccid, bi- 

 pinnato-sub pinnated or bipinnate. 



It will be observed that in lobatum the frond is ' linear-lanceolate ' 

 instead of 'lanceolate,' 'coriaceous and rigid' instead of 'membrana- 

 ceous and somewhat flaccid.' 



Passing over the pinnae, the descriptions of which might be trans- 

 posed without its being detected, we have the pinnules described 



In lobatum as subsessile and decurrent 



In Braunii as subsessile and adnate-decurrent. 



The sori are 



In lobatum small, flattish, ferruginous, brown, at length confluent. 



In Braunii they are of the middle magnitude, convex, brown, at 

 length contiguous, sub-confluent. 



The scales of the stipes 



In lobatum are large and brown, and intermixed with smaller pi- 

 liform ones 



