66 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Peliosanthes continued. 



in simple spikes or racemes, furnished with scarious 

 bracts; perianth tube short above the ovary, broadly 

 campanulate ; limb rotate -spreading, of six broad, obtuse, 

 sub-equal lobes ; stamens six. Leaves radical, long' 

 stalked, lanceolate or rather broad, acuminate at both 

 ends, with'elevated, sub-plicate veins ; petioles sheathing 

 at base. The species require a compost of loam, peat, 

 and sand; they may be freely increased by suckers. 

 The only two introduced to cultivation are described 

 below. 



P. humilis (humble), fl. greenish, in a rather dense raceme, 2in. 

 to 6in. long ; perianth segments thrice as long as the tube ; scape 

 2in. to 6in. long. May. I. four to eight in a rosette, lanceolate, 

 3in. to 6in. long, lin. to 2in. broad ; petioles 6in. to 9in. long. 

 Eastern Himalayas, 1809. (A. B. R. 634 ; B. M. 1532.) 

 P. Teta (Teta). fl. greenish, in a loose raceme, 6in. to 9in. 

 long ; scape 4in. to 6in. long. April. I. two to seven in a 

 rosette, chartaceous, oblanceolate, nearly 1ft. long, liin. to 2Jin. 

 broad; petioles 6in. to Sin. long. Eastern Himalayas, 1807. 

 (A. B. B. 605 ; B. M. 1302.) 



FELL2EA (from pellos, dark-coloured; referring to 

 the dusky colour of the fronds). Cliff Brake Fern. In- 

 cluding Allosorus, Cheiloplecton, Holcochlcena, and Platy- 

 loma. OBD. Filices. A widely-distributed genus, com- 

 prising about sixty species of stove and greenhouse ferns, 

 with the habit of Cheilanthes. Sori intramarginal, ter- 

 minal on the veins, at first dot-like or decurrent on the 

 veins, but soon running into a line ; involucre formed of 

 the more or less changed edge of the frond, quite con- 

 tinuous, sometimes very narrow. For culture, &c., see 

 Ferns. 



P. andromedaefolia (Andromeda-leaved).* sti. 6in. to 9in. long, 

 densely reddish-brown, scaly at base, fronds 6in. to 12in. long, 

 Sin. to 6in. broad, ovate, tri- or quadri-pinnate ; pinnae rigid, 

 erecto-patent, deltoid-lanceolate, the lowest with several linear- 

 oblong pinnules, the lower segments of which are sometimes 

 slightly branched ; ultimate divisions about in. long, blunt, with 

 inrolled edges. Involucre wrinkled, scarcely changed from the 

 substance of the frond, and sometimes nearly meeting edge to 

 edge. America and Cape Colony. Greenhouse. 



v <? _ 

 FIG. 70. PELUEA BRACHYPTERA. 



P. angnstifolla cuneata (narrow-leaved, wedge-shaped). 

 sti. 6in. to 12in. long, tufted, strong, erect, dark chestnut-brown. 

 fronds 6in. to 12in. long, 3in. to 6in. broad, oblong-deltoid, quadri- 

 pinnatifld ; pinnae 2in. to_ 4in. long, lanceolate-deltoid ; pinnules 

 cut down to the rachis into oblong, acute segments, which are 

 Jin. long, Ain. broad, cuneate at the base. Involucres broad, mem- 

 branous, rolled over the sori. Mexico to Venezuela. Stove. (The 

 type is figured in H. S. F. 119u, under name of P. decomposita.) 



P. atropurpurea (dark purple).* sti. 3in. to 4in. long, tufted, 

 rigid, tomentose. fronds 4in. to 12in. long, 2in. to 6in. broad, 

 varying from lanceolate, and simply pinnate, to ovate-lanceolate, 

 with deltoid pinnae, which are 2in. to Sin. long, with several 

 pinnules on each side, the latter nearly sessile, lin. to 2in. long, 

 hardly Jin. broad, entire or sharply auricled at one or both sides 

 at the base ; rachis tomentose. Involucres formed of the slightly 

 altered, incurved edge of the pinnules, at length nearly hidden 

 by the broad line of the fruit. North America, &c., 1770. Green- 

 house. 



P. bella (handsome), sti. 3in. long, ebeneous. fronds 5in. to 6in. 

 long, linear, bipinnate or sub-tripinnate ; pinnae iin. to jjin. long, 

 numerous, ovate, sessile ; pinnules in. long, linear-oblong, four 

 to six-jugate, mucronate, rounded at base, the lowest sometimes 



Fellsea continued. 



bi- or ternate, the edges strongly revolute. California, 1873. 

 Greenhouse. 



P. brachyptera (shortly-winged).* rhiz. short-creeping, scaly 

 towards the end. sti. 4in. to 6in. long, castaneous. fronds 4in. 

 to 6in. long, lanceolate, bipinnate ; pinnae very short, sessile, 

 semicircular, erecto-patent, the lower ones consisting of seven to 

 nine narrow-linear pinnules, jin. to Jin. long, with mucronate 

 tips, rounded bases, and revolute edges. California, 1873. Green- 

 house. This is regarded by some authorities as a variety of 

 P. ornithopus. See Fig. 70, for which we are indebted to Messrs. 

 W. and J. Birkenhead. 



P. Brewer! (Brewer's), sti. 2in. to Sin. long, tufted, flaccid, 

 bright chestnut-brown, slightly scaly, fronds 3in. to 9in. long, 

 lin. to liin. broad, linear-lanceolate ; pinnae twelve to eighteen 

 on each side, slightly stalked, broader in the barren than in the 

 fertile frond, vary ing from lanceolate-oblong and entire to auricled 

 at one or both sides at the base, or cut down nearly to the rachis 

 in the lower part into oblong lobes. Involucres similar in colour 

 and texture to the frond, broad, and much wrinkled. Cape 

 Colony. Greenhouse. 



P. Bridges!! (Bridges').* sti. wiry, erect, 2in. to 4in. long, bright 

 chestnut-brown, fronds 4in. to 6in. long, lin. or less broad, 

 linear, simply pinnate ; pinnae six to eight on each side, sessile, 

 oblong, entire, obtuse, cordate or rounded at base, sori in a 

 broad, marginal line, with the much-wrinkled, membranous edge 

 of the frond protruding beyond it till full maturity. California, 

 1875. Greenhouse. (H. S. F. 142B.) 

 P. Brown!! (Brown's). A synonym of P. paradoxa. 

 P. calomelanos (beautiful-dark), sti. 4in. to 6in. long, strong, 

 erect, dark brown, fronds 4in. to 8in. long, 3in. to 6in. broad, 

 sub-deltoid, bi- or tripinnate ; lower pinnae rigid, spreading or 

 erecto-patent, linear-oblong, and simply pinnate or deltoid and 

 bipinnate ; ultimate segments on rigid, black stalks, the lateral 

 ones in. to |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, sori in a broad, marginal line, 

 soon hiding the narrow, membranous involucre. South Africa, 

 1830. Greenhouse. SYN. Pteris hastata. (B. M. 4769, under 

 name of Allosorus calomelanos.) 



P. consobrina (related), sti. 6in. to 12in. long, strong, 

 erect, dark brown, fronds tin. to 12in. long, 4in. to 9in. broad, 

 deltoid, tri- or quadripinnatifld ; lowest pinnae deltoid, with the 

 pinnules of the lower side larger than the others, these latter 

 usually cut down into several lanceolate or deltoid, pinnatifld 

 segments ; simple ultimate divisions linear-oblong, sori in a 

 continuous line along the margins ; involucres moderately broad, 

 membranous, the edge of the segments often 

 inrolled. South Africa, &c. Greenhouse. 

 (H. S. F. 117A.) 



P. cordata (heart-shaped).* sti. 6in. to 9in. 

 long, strong, erect, straw-coloured, when young 

 scaly beneath, fronds 1ft. or more long, 4in. 

 to 6m. broad, deltoid-lanceolate ; pinnae erecto- 

 patent, deltoid - lanceolate, with a straight 

 rachis, the lower ones slightly branched at the 

 base ; segments shortly stalked, oblong or 

 ovate, rounded or cordate at base, 4in. to lin. 

 long, with a blunt point ; rachis and both sur- 

 faces pubescent, sori in broad, marginal lines, 

 which soon hide the involucres. Tropical 

 America, 1820. Greenhouse. (B. M. 4698, under 

 name of Allosorus cordatus.) P. sagittata is 

 regarded, by Mr. Baker, as a form of thia 

 species. 



P. C. flexuosa (zigzag). A variety with zigzag 

 rachises, the pinnae and pinnules spreading at 

 right angles, or even deflexcd. 1838. Stove. 

 SYN. P. flexuosa. (B. M. 4762, under name of 

 Allosorus jlexuosus.) 

 P. crispa (curled). A synonym of Cryptogramm* 



crispa. 



P. densa (dense), sti. 4in. to 6in. long, tufted, slender, wiry, 

 chestnut-brown, fronds 2in. to Sin. long, lin. to l^in. broad, 

 oblong-deltoid, tripinnate ; pinnae and pinnules crowded, deltoid 

 or lanceolate ; segments numerous, linear, with inrolled edges, 

 sessile or shortly stalked, sharp-pointed or mucronate, the ter- 

 minal ones largest, sometimes Jin. long. Involucres broad, rigid, 

 rolled permanently over the sori. North America. Greenhouse. 

 (H. S. F. 125B.) 



P. falcata (sickle-shaped).* rhiz. wide-creeping, sti. Sin. to 6in. 

 long, strong, erect, pubescent and scaly, fronds tin. to 18in. 

 long, lin. to 2in. broad, linear-oblong, simply pinnate ; pinnae ten 

 to twenty on each side, lanceolate or lanceolate-oblong, 4in. to 

 lin. long, usually mucronate, often slightly falcate, cuneate or 

 dilated and cordate at base ; rachis densely scaly and tomentose. 

 sori in broad, marginal lines, soon hiding the narrow involucres. 

 Australia, &c., 1823. Greenhouse. (H. S. F. llB.) 



P. flexuosa (zigzag). A synonym of P. cordata flexuosa. 



P. geranisBfolia (Geranium-leaved).* sti. tin. to 9in. long, erect, 

 wiry, brownish-black, slightly scaly towards the base, fronds 

 2in. to 4in. each way, deltoid, cut nearly to the rachis into three 

 or four pinnae on each side, of which the lowest pair is much the 



