'. (Niph.) Lingua, Sw. ; rhizome wide-creeping, clothed with spreading 

 ;e ferruginous scales ; st. 3-6 in. L, firm, erect ; fr. uniform, 4-8 in. 1,, 



350 48. POLYPODIUM, NIPHOBOLUS. 



contracted upper part of the frond. Hk. Sp. 5, p. 47. G. F. t. 19. P. spissum, 

 Bory, Hk. p. 48. 



Hab. N. India and Chusan to Ceylon and Fiji ; Mascaren Isles, Cameroon Mountains. 

 Y. Darius, Blume, is a large variety with the barren and fertile fronds similar, ^-f 

 in. br., and often nearly naked beneath. P. Kcenigi, Bl., a small form with uniform 

 narrow linear fronds, and N. Icevis, J. Sm., a form with glabrous uniform fronds. 



279. P. (Niph.) acrostichoides, Forst. ; rhizome woody, wide-creeping, clothed 

 with roundish adpressed scales, black in the centre ; st. 1-3 in. L, firm, erect ; 



" fr. 1-2 ft. ]., ^-1 in. br., ligulate, narrowed very gradually below ; texture very 

 coriaceous ; upper surface naked, lower clothed with thin dirty white tomen- 

 tum ; sori bright-coloured, not immersed, small, close, covering the whole of the 

 upper part of the frond. Hk. Sp. 5. p. 44. (in part}. 



Hab. Ceylon, Malaccas, Philippines, New Hebrides, Queensland. Distinguished 

 from the last by its larger size, more rigid texture, and sori not buried in tomentum. 

 M. Deplanche sends from the Loyalty Isles a form twice dichotomously forked. 



280. P. 



lanceolate w . . .. 



1-4 in. br., the apex often cuspidate, the base narrowed or rather rounded, 

 the edge entire ; texture coriaceous ; upper surface naked, lower matted with 

 close compact cottony subferruginous down ; main wins distinct to the edge ; 

 sori rather large and prominent, in close rows of 4-6 each between them. Hk. 

 Sp. 5. p. 49. 



Hab. N. India (up to 5,000 ft.) and Japan to Ceylon and the Malay Isles. Well 

 marked by its decided stem and comparatively short broad frond. 



281. P. (Niph.) sphcerostichum, Mett. ; rhizome woody, wide-creeping, the 

 scales ovate, acuminate, brown, crisped ; st. 2-3 in. L, firm, erect ; fr. uniform, 

 4-5 in. 1., 1 in. br, oblong-lanceolate, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed 

 suddenly ; texture coriaceous ; under surface very thinly matted ; main veins 

 distinct to the edge ; sori confluent, covering the whole under surface. Mett. 

 Polyp, p. 130. 



Hab. Luzon, Cuming, 127. Like the last in habit, but the sori multi- instead of 

 uniserial between the transverse veinlets. 



282. P. (Niph.) tricuspe, SW T Z. ; rhizome stout, the scales grey, lanceolate ; 

 st. 6-8 in. 1., firm, erect ; fr. hastate, 2-4 in. each way, the central lobe lanceolate- 

 deltoid, the lateral ones spreading, distinctly auricled at the base ; texture 

 coriaceous ; upper surface naked, lower densely matted ; sori minute, in rows 

 of 3-4 between the main veins, of 9-12 between the midrib and edge. Hk. Sp. 5. 

 p.M. 



Hab. Japan and Korea. The only species of the group of which the frond is not 

 quite entire. 



283. P. (Niph.) stigmosum, Sw. ; rhizome short-creeping, the scales ferru- 

 ginous, fibrillose ; st. subtufted, 1-6 in. 1., firm, erect ; fr, l|-2 ft. 1., 1-3 in. br.; 

 the apex acuminate, the lower part narrowed gradually, the edge entire ; texture 

 subcoriaceous ; upper surface glabrous, the lower coated with thin grey-ferruginous 

 tomentum ; main veins distinct to the edge ; the sori in several rows between 

 the transverse veinlets, very small, quite continuous, sometimes covering the 

 whole frond except the very base. P. costatum, Wall. Hk. Sp. 5. p. 60. Apa- 

 lophlebia, Presl 



Hab. N. India (up to 2,000 ft.), Malay Peninsula and Isles, New Guinea. This 

 and the next may be readily distinguished from the rest of the group by the much larger 

 size of their fronds. The Himalayan plant (P. costatum, Wall.) is less distinctly stalked 



