70. MARATTIA, GYMNOTHECA. 44l 



colour dark-green, veins and synangia very close, the former all simple, the latter long, 

 narrow, marginal ; a plant from Fiji, coriaceous in texture, colour dark-green, veins 

 simple, much raised, line apart, synangia a third or nearly halfway from the edge to 

 the midrib ; M. purpurascens, De Vriese, t. 3. f. 19 (M. Ascensionis, J. Sm., Hk. G-. F. 

 t. 65, from Ascension Island), a reduced fleshy form, as if grown in a very exposed situ- 

 ation, the fronds not more than 3-4 ft. high, lurid-purple in the wild plant, lower pinnl. 

 often cut down to a distinctly-winged rachis, the auricles at the base of the stem some- 

 times producing soriferous lobes like the frond in texture ; and M. sambucina, Blume 

 (Java), pinnl. 2-3 in. !.,- in. br., narrowed to both ends, very pale beneath, with distant 

 simple veins, small synangia placed half as far from the edge as from the midrib, and the 

 rachis of the pinnse more distinctly winged than usual. The Philippine M. pellucida, 

 Presl, comes very near this last, and M. sylvatica, Blume (De Vriese, t. 3. f. 23), appears 

 to differ only by having the lower pinnules again pinnatifid. 



2. M. attenuata, Lab. ; st. 3-4 ft. 1., smooth ; fr. 3-4 ft. 1., tripinnate ; pinnce 

 1^-2 ft. 1., the lower ones with a stalk 6 in. 1. and 2-3 pinnl. on each side, the 

 latter with a terminal segm. and 3-4 on each side, which are 4-6 in. 1., 1 in. or 

 rather more br., the apex serrated, the base cuneate, the Igwer ones short- 

 stalked ; texture subcoriaceous ; surfaces naked ; rachis not winged ; veins usually 

 once forked ; synangia 1-U lin. 1., submarginal, the sides vertical, the receptacle 

 linear. Lab. Serf. Austro-Cal. p. 9. t. 13-14. 



Hab. New Caledonia. This may not be more than a more compound variety of the 

 preceding, but examples received recently from Vieillard quite agree with Labillardiere's 

 specimens and figures. 



Gymnotheca, Presl. Synangia sessile without an involucre. 

 Sp. 3-6. 



3. M. (Gymno.) cicutcefolia, Kaulf. ; st. 1-2 ft. 1., 1 in. thick, smooth ; fr. 5-6 

 ft. 1., bipinnate ; lower pinnce 12-18 in. 1., often 1 ft. br. ; pinnl. oblong-lan- 

 ceolate, 4-6 in. 1., f-1 in. br., the edge entire or serrulate, the base cuneate or 

 slightly rounded ; texture subcoriaceous ; surfaces naked ; veins distant, usually 

 in pairs that join at the base, one often forked ; rachis of the pinnse slightly 

 winged towards the apex ; synangia a short distance from the edge, i-H lin. 1., 

 deep cleft, the sides ultimately spreading, the attachment linear. Mart. Ic. t. 70. 

 M. fraxinea, Raddi, t. 82. (non Smith}. 



Hab. Brazil. De Vriese and Sturm define six Brazilian species, which we cannot 

 distinguish clearly, Raddiana, polyodon, obtusidens, cicutcefolia, Verschaffeltiana, and 

 podolepis. The latter is the most unlike the type, and has herbaceous pinnae only 2-3 

 in. 1., | in. br., and very small synangia. 



4. M. (Gymno.) laxa, Kze. ; st. 1-2 ft. 1., smooth ; fr. several ft. 1., bipinnate ; 

 lower pinnce l|-2 ft. 1., often 1 ft. br. ; pinnl. oblong-lanceolate, 4-6 in. 1., 

 |-1 in. br., the edge inciso-crenate, the base cordate ; texture subcoriaceous ; 

 surfaces naked ; veins in pairs that join at or near the base, both sometimes 

 forked ; rachis slightly winged towards the apex ; synangia quite close to the 

 edge, |-1 lin. 1., the sides always erect, the attachment linear. Kunze, t. 95. 

 Presl, Suppl. tent. p. 15. Lowe, 8. t. 77. M. macrophylla, Hort. 



Hab. Mexico, Liebold 62. This and the preceding have entirely the habit of 

 M. fraxinea. 



5. M. (Gymno.) Douglasii, Baker ; st. 3-5 ft. 1., thick, smooth ; fr. 6-8 ft. 1., 

 tripinnatifid, the lower pinnce much the largest, all except the lowest pair 

 simply pinnate, 6-8 in. 1., 2-3 in. br., the rachis flattened and narrowly winged 

 throughout, the pinnl. usually under 1 in. 1., in. br., linear-oblong, with broad 

 blunt teeth, the base cuneate ; pinnl. of the lowest pinnse again pinnatifid ; texture 

 thick-herbaceous ; surfaces naked ; synangia 1 to each lobe of the pinnules, sub- 



3 K 



