Victorian Plants. 521 



middle elliptic -semilanceolar, all adnate at the base or 

 exceptionally the lowest free beyond the point of attach- 

 ment ; fruit-cover very small, somewhat curved. 



(Doodia aspera.) W. aspera. 



Fronds pinnate in their lower portion. 



Tufted, never tall, occasionally somewhat prostrate ; fronds 

 often narrow-lanceolar in outline, pinnatisected in their 

 upper portion, much protracted and undivided at the 

 summit ; their stalk and rhachis dark-colored, hardly 

 rough ; segments minutely denticulated, the middle 

 narrowly elliptic-semilanceolar, the lower free at the 

 base, exceptionally some three-lobed ; fruit-covers con- 

 spicuous, but never long, slightly curved. Figure 148. 

 (Doodia caudata.) W. caudata. 



ASFXiENXtrilX. 



2172. Fronds undivided. 



Tufted ; fronds very large and firm, somewhat circularly 

 arranged, almost sessile, from elliptic- to broad -lanceolar, 

 pointed, shining, quite entire, glabrous, the keel mostly 

 black ; the lateral venules in close approach to each other, 

 parallel, the peripheric venule almost contiguous to the 

 margin of the frond ; fruit-masses very long, but narrow, 

 closely parallel, opening upwards, approaching the median 

 line of the frond, but remaining distant from its margin ; 

 spore -caselets on conspicuous stalklets. " Birdsnest- 

 Fern." A. Nidus. 



Fronds divided .. .. ... ... 2173 



2173. Fronds doubly or repeatedly pinnate ... 2174 

 Fronds simply pinnate ... ... 2178 



2174. Frond-segments streaked by prominent venules. 



Tufted, rigid ; fronds on rather long stalks, firm, bi-pinnate 

 when well developed, almost semi-lanceolar in outline; 

 pinnas nearly all opposite, much pointed at the summit; 

 segments sessile, from rhomboid- to linear-cuneate, irregu- 

 larly incised, partly confluent, acutely denticulated in 

 front, considerably paler beneath and there often beset 

 with hairlets; venules dichotomously longitudinal, the 

 carinular venule hardly more prominent than the others ; 

 spore-caselets provided with stalklets. A. furcatum. 



Frond-segments traversed by subtile venules ... 2175 



