PEBANEMILE. ci. 



receptacles medial or terminal. Involucre soft, membranaceous, 

 pateriform and fimbriately crinite, or calyciform with the margin 

 lobed, or sub-globose with, a contracted mouth. Veins simple 

 forked or pinnate, from a central costa ; venules free. 



Fronds membranaceo-herbaceous, small, pinnate pinnate- 

 pinnatifid or bi-pinnate. Ehizome tufted, erect or decumbent. 

 A very well-marked group, distinguished by the involucrifonn 

 nature of the indusium, the sessile sori, and free veins. There is 

 some apparent difference between the involucres of the two 

 extreme sections, but these seem sufficiently reconciled by the 

 intermediate group ; and Woodsia proper, may be regarded as 

 having the sub-globose involucre of Physematium split at the 

 margin into criniform incurved segments ; thus retaining, in 

 some measure, the cup-shaped character. 



Woodsia. Involucres minute pateriform, the margin incurvo-crinite. 

 Ex. : W. ilvensis, B. Sr. I W. alpina, Gray. 



W. glabella, S. Br. | W. pilosella, SuprecM. 



Perrinia. Involucres sub-hemispherical irregularly-lobed. 

 Ex. : W. obtusa, Torrey. \ W. incisa, Qillieg. 



Physematium. Involucres sub-globose with a contracted apical mouth. 

 Ex. : W. mollis, J. Sm. I W. peruviana, Hook. 



W. fragilis (Dicksonia, Trev.; Hymenocystis caucasica, Meyer. J 



(b) Veins reticulated. 



143. HYPODEBBIS, E. Brown, in Wall. PI. Asiat. Ear. 

 i., 16 (note). 



WOODSIA sp., Metteniug. 



Sori involucrate, globose ; the receptacles compital, i.e. situ- 

 ated at points where several reticulated veinlets join. Involucre 

 membranaceous, calyciform, fimbriate at the margin. Veins pin- 

 nate from a central costa, prominent ; venules compoundly anas- 

 tomosing in about three series of unequal areoles, within the 

 ultimate of which are produced free divaricate sterile veinlets. 



Fronds herbaceous, simple or three-lobed. Sori uniserial on 

 each side the veins, more scattered towards the margin. Invo- 

 lucres obscure. Rhizome creeping. Distinguished from Woodsia 

 by the reticulated venation only. We take the recognition of 

 such genera as ffypoderris, and Dictyoxiphium, by botanists who 



