PTERIS. 479 



3*. P. PancJteri, Baker ; st. 12-15 in. 1., naked, stramineous ; fr. 12-15 in. 1., 

 lanceolate, simply pinnate ; pinnae distant, ascending, 7-8-jugate, linear-ligulate, 

 3-4 in. L, ^-J in. br., upper sessile, entire, lower distinctly stalked, irregularly 

 cienato-pinnatifid, with blunt lobes 1^-2 lin. br. ; rachis stramineous, naked ; end 

 segm. like the others, but rather larger ; texture rigidly subcoriaceous ; surfaces 

 naked ; veins fine, distinct, simple or forked in the entire pinuse, more or less 

 pinnate in the lobes ; inv. narrow, glabrous. 



Hab. New Caledonia, Pancher, 494. 



16. P. amcena, Blume, Hk. Sp. 2. p. 204, differs from typical semipinnata by 

 its spinulose lamina. 



33*. P. straminea, Mett. ; st. 1-1| ft. 1., naked, stramineous like rachis ; fr. 

 narrow, deltoid, 1-1| ft. 1. ; pinnce ascending, lowest much largest, deltoid, with 

 compound lower pinnl. on both sides, the others lanceolate, 1^-2 in. br., cut 

 down to rachis or a narrow wing ; segm. lanceolate, 1^-2 lin. br., narrowed to a 

 point, sterile sharply closely dentate, upper growing gradually shorter ; texture 

 moderately firm ; surfaces bright-green, naked ; veinlets forked, subdistant, 

 distinct ; sori falling short of the tips of the segments. P. crispa, Sort. 



Hab. Chili. 



34*. P. Croesus, Bory ; st. 1^-2 ft., naked, castaneous, like rachises ; fr. 

 deltoid, 1-2 ft. L, copiously tripinnate ; lower pinnce much largest, distinctly 

 stalked, with many compound pinnl. on both sides ; largest simple pinnae 

 ^ ft. L, lj in. br. ; segm. linear, % in. br., adnate, falcate, not close, narrowed to a 

 bluntish point ; texture rigidly subcoriaceous ; surfaces glabrous ; veins forked, 

 ascending, rather raised ; sori mixed with white meal, reaching nearly to the 

 tip of the segments ; inv. pale, distinct. Hk. Sp. 2. p. 189. P. nigvescens, Poir. 



Hab. Bourbon ; fine specimens sent by Lady Barkly, gathered by Mr. Fraser. 



35*. P. nitida, Mett. ; rhizome slender, wide-creeping ; st. 6-15 in. L, naked, 

 bright red-brown ; fr. deltoid, -1 ft. L, 4-pinnatifid ; rachises naked, strami- 

 neous upwards ; lower pinnce much the largest, stalked, deltoid, 3-4 lin. br., the 

 basal pinnl. on lower side much produced ; final lobes oblong, blunt, ascending, 

 1^-2 lin. br., cuneate-adnate at the base ; upper pinnse and pinnl. deltoid, cuneate- 

 truncate on lower side at base ; texture thin, but firm ; surfaces naked, bright- 

 green ; venules close, fine, erecto-patent, forked ; sori not reaching the tip and 

 base of the segments ; inv. narrow, grey, glabrous. Kuhn, Fil. Afr. p. 86. non 

 R. Br. 



Hab. Banks of the Gaboon, West Africa, Q. Mann, 104?, Mylne (communicated by 

 Dr. D. Moore). 



39*. P. decomposed, Baker ; fr. 3-4 ft. 1., deltoid, tripartite ; rachises cas- 

 taneous, glossy, the final ones stramineous at the tip, with dense spreading finn 

 bristles ; lowest division 2 ft. L, with lowest, pinnl. much produced, and its lowest 

 scg-in. much larger than rest, oblong-deltoid, ^-f ft. L, tripinuate ; end division 

 oblong-deltoid, 2 ft. L, 1 ft. br., tripinnate, its pinnce lanceolate, close, 1-H 

 in. br., its pinnl. imbricating, deltoid, short-stalked ; barren segm. distant, erecto- 

 patent, oblong or ligulate, cuneate, J-l lin. br., lower with 1-3 sharp teeth ; fer- 

 tile segm. lanceolate, l|-2 lin. br., cuneate at base ; texture rigidly subcoriaceous ; 

 surfaces green, naked ; veins solitary in upper segments, pinnate in lower fertile 

 ones ; sori falling short of tip and base. 



Hab. Andes, Muna, 10,000 ft., Pearcc. A very distinct and remarkable species. 



41*. P. acclims, Mett. ; rhizome wide-creeping ; st. 6-9 in. 1., firm, erect, strami- 

 neous, naked like rachises ; fr. ample, deltoid, tripinnate, with a flexuose main 



