152 30. PELL^A, PLATYLOMA. 



cuneate or dilated and cordate at the base ; texture coriaceous ; racJiis densely 

 scaly and tomentose, both surfaces nearly naked ; veins not visible ; sori in 

 broad marginal lines, soon hiding the narrow invol. Hk. Sp. 2, p. 136. t. 11. B. 

 la small form). 



Hab. Tropical Hindostan, Malayan Peninsula, Australia, Van Dieraen's Land, New- 

 Zealand, Kermadec Isles. P. seticaulis, Hook. (P. alternifolia, Wallich), is a form with 

 densely hirsute stipe and rachis and subhirsute papillose pinnae. 



36. P. (Platy.) paradoxa, Hk. ; st. 6-9 in. 1., strong, erect, dark-brown, 

 naked or slightly tomentose ; fr. 6-9 in. 1., 4-6 in. br., oblong, simply pinnate ; 

 pinnae 4 to 6 on each side, short-stalked, with a considerable space between 

 them, l-2 in. 1., |-1 in. br., lanceolate, entire, acute or bluntish, cordate or 

 rounded at the base ; texture coriaceous ; veins hidden, midrib inconspicuous ; 

 rachis tomentose, both surfaces naked ; sori in a marginal line often J in br., 

 soon hiding iheinvol. Hk. Sp. 2. p. 135. t. 111. A. Fil. Ex. t. 21. Platyloma 

 Brownii, J. Sm. 



Hab. Queensland and N. S. Wales. 



37. P. (Platy.) Doniana, Hk. ; st. 4-8 in. 1.., strong, erect, dark-brown, 

 polished, slightly tomentose and clothed with linear scales towards the base ; 

 fr. 6-12 in. 1., 2-4 in. br., oblong-lanceolate, simply pinnate or casually slightly 

 branched towards the base ; pinnce short-stalked, 6 to 15 on each side, 2-4 in. 1., 

 ^-1 in. br., lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, entire or very slightly serrated towards 

 the point, the base rounded or cordate ; texture coriaceous ; rachis slightly 

 tomentose ; both surfaces naked, midrib nearly black in the lower part ; sori in 

 a narrow marginal line soon hiding the involucre. Hk. Sp. 2. p. 137. 1. 125. 



Hab. Seychelles, the Niger country, Angola, and Zambesi Land. This is very like 

 P. paradoxa in size and habit, and is perhaps best distinguishable by the lower part of 

 the midrib of the leaves being black and polished like the rachis. 



38. P. (Platy.) Jiastata, Link ; st. 6-12 in. 1., wiry, erect, dark chestnut-brown, 

 polished, naked ; fr. 6-24 in. 1., 6-12 in. br., oblong, bi- or tripinnate ; pinnce 

 erecto-patent, varying from simply pinnate to copiously bipinnate ; ult. divisions 

 ovate or lanceolate, not toothed, 1-2 in. 1., J in. br., or more, sessile or very 

 nearly so ; texture subcoriaceous ; veins fine but plainly visible, once or twice 

 forked ; rachis and both surfaces naked ; sori in a narrow continuous marginal 

 line; invol. rather narrow, membranaceous, nearly or quite hidden when the fruit 

 is mature. HA. Sp. 2. p. 145. Fil. Ex. t. 50. Pteris viiidio, Forsk., oldest name. 



Hab. Cape Colony northward to Natal, Zambesi Land, Mascaren Isles, Cape Verdes and 

 Abyssinia. There is a wide range in the size and branching of the frond and size and shape 

 of the segments. Kunze makes three species, C. fiastata, macrophylla, and hastcefolia. 



39. P. (Platy.) calomelanos, Link ; st. tufted, strong, erect, 4-6 in 1., naked, 

 dark-brown, polished, slightly fibrillose towards the base ; fr. 4-8 in. 1., 3-6 in. 

 br., subdeltoid, bi- or tripinnate ; lower pinnce rigid, spreading or erecto-patent, 

 linear-oblong and simply pinnate or deltoid and bipinnate ; ult. segm. on rigid 

 black stalks, the lateral ones |-| in. each way, varying in shape from cordate- 

 oblong-obtuse to hastate-triangular, about as broad as long, the two sides at the 

 base often unequal ; rachis shining, naked, blackish ; texture coriaceous ; both 

 surfaces naked, glaucous-green ; veins not perceptible ; sori in a broad marginal 

 line soon hiding the narrow membranous involucre. Hk. Sp. 2. p. 140. Bot. 

 Mag. t. 4769. Pteris hastata, Thunb. teste Kuhn. 



Hab. Cape Colony, ascending to 4,000 ft., northward to Zambesi Land, Angola, and 

 Abyssinia ; Bourbon ; Himalayas, ascending to 6,000 ft. 



40. P. (Platy.) cordata, J. Smith ; st. 6-9 in. 1., strong, erect, straw-coloured, 

 jK>iijhed, clothed below with small pale lanceolate scales when young ; fr. 1 ft. 



