679 



Lastrea uliginosa. 



Rhizoma tufted. 



Habit erect, rigid : arrangement of fronds shuttlecock-fashion, or 

 spreading from a common centre. 



Normal form. — Fronds of the normal form, linear, elongato-acumi- 

 nate at the apex, thirty inches long, five inches wide : their vernation 

 simple, not twisted. 



Rachis deeply grooved in front, flattened at the sides, rounded be- 

 hind, glabrous, bright green above, purple at base, slightly tinged 

 with purple at the back : its stipes or naked portion nine inches in 

 length : scales somewhat sparingly distributed, obtusely ovate, with 

 a lengthened acute apex, which is generally twisted, and which ter- 

 minates in a setaceous point ; pale brown, transparent, concolorous : 

 these larger scales are intermixed with others very slender and hair- 

 like : all the scales readily fall off, leaving small black scars on the 

 stipes. 



Pinna elongato-deltoid, with acuminate defiexed apices and winged 

 midrib, the 1st, 2nd, and perhaps 3rd pair rather shorter and rather 

 broader at base than the 4th, 5th, and 6th pairs, and hence rather 

 more deltoid ; set on the rachis rather obliquely, so that their upper 

 surface approaches a horizontal position, although the frond is nearly 

 erect. 



Pinnules of moderate size, sessile, adnate, deqjly notched, the di- 

 visions serrated, the serratures aristate : 1st inferior pinnule longer 

 than first superior. 



Clusters of capsules on all the pinnae, but less abundant on the 

 lower ones, relatively small, remaining distinct and separate except 

 at the apex of the frond, at first green, then white, subsequently 

 black, and finally bright brown ; the green colour is due to the frond 

 seen through the young and perfectly transparent involucre ; the 

 white colour is due to the involucre, which becomes opake and white ; 

 the black colour, to the ripe and full capsules ; and the brown, to the 

 empty capsules and elastic rings. 



Involucre regularly reniform, its margin very entire, its disk and 

 margin eglandulose. 



Abnormal form. — Fronds narrower, thirty-four inches long, four-and 

 three-quarter inches wide : less rigid than the normal form. 



Pinnce very distant, very narrow, acuminate, with winged midrib. 



Pinnules very small, very distant, sessile, adnate, deeply notched, 

 rather obtuse at the apex. 



Fronds of this character have a very peculiar and starved appear- 



