A SYNOPSIS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



79 



Habit aquatic. Contains a single genus and species. 



i. Ceratopteris. 



X. 1'OL.YPODIACE.E. Sporangia borne on tlie bacli 

 or margin of tlie Ivs. in iines or rounded masses 

 (sori) or rarely scattered over the entire surface, 

 oval, stallied, provided witli a vertical elastic ring, 

 breaking open transversely at maturity. Sori naked 

 or covered when young with a membranous iudu- 

 sium. I'rotballium green, usually moncecious. The 

 family includes a hundred or more genera and four- 

 fifths of the known species of ferns. 



SYNOPSIS OF THE TRIBES AND GENERA. 



1. Indusium wanting or rudimentary (rarely de- 



veloped in Monogramma ) 2. 



Indusium present (exceptionally wanting in PJie- 

 gopteris, Gymnogramnia, Mcni^^cium and Koiho- 

 Iwna) 14. 



2. Sporangia scattered in a stratum over the under 



surface of the leaves : coarse ferns (Tribe Acros- 



ticliew) 3. 



Sporangia collected in rounds or linear sori 5. 



Tribe Acrosticlirw. 



3. Sporangia localized in definite areas of the Ivs. 



Ivs. dimorphous, the sterile basal ones shield-like. 



i. Pl.vtycerium. 



Sporangia covering entire Ivs. or entire pinna?.. 4. 



4. Veins free: Ivs. simple ii. Elaphoglossum.* 



5. Leaves not jointed to the root-stock : sporangia 



linear or elongate following the veins (Tribe 

 Vittariew) 6. 



Leaves not jointed to the root-stock : sori round. 



[Phbgofteris]. 



Leaves jointed to the root-stock : sori mostly round- 

 ish (Tribe Polypodies) 10. 



Tribe Vittaricw. 



6. Sori forming one or more continuous lines paral- 



lel to the midrib 8. 



Sori on lateral veins forming more or less inter- 

 rupted lines 7. 



7. Leaves simple: veins reticulated. .Iv-Antrophyum. 

 Leaves palmately or pinnately compound 



[Gymnogramma.] 



8. Leaves simple, linear 9. 



Leaves compound : sori forming a marginal 



line [N0TH0L.ENA]. 



9. Sori single, on or near the midrib, sometimes cov- 



ered with an indusium v. Monogra.mma. 



Sori in grooves on either side of midrib 



vi. Vittaria. 



Tribe Polypodiete. 



10. Leaves distinctly dimorphous, compound, the 



sterile basal ones oak-like: plants large 



vii. Drynaria. 



Leaves dimorphous, simple: plants very small... 



viii. DRYMOGLOSSn.M. 



Leaves uniform 11. 



11. Leaves covered underneath with stellate hairs. 



ix. NiPHOBOLDS. 



Leaves smooth or scaly, not stellate hairy.... 12. 



12. Veins free x, PoLYPOon'M. 



Veins anastomosing 13. 



13. Corresponding veinlets from principal veins 



uniting and bearing a sorus at the end 



Xi. GONIOPHLEBIUM. 



Areola! bearing 2 or more free veinlets extending 

 outward, which bear a single sorus 



Xii. PnLEBODIUM. 



Areolje containing free veinlets irregularly di- 

 rected xiii. Phymatodes. 



* The simple free-veined species hitherto united 

 with Acrostichum are best kept distinct. 



14. Sori oblong or linear at least twice as long as 



broad 15. 



Sori roundish or at least less than twice as long 

 as broad ,''4 



15. Sori marginal, covered with an indusium formed 



of the reflexed edge of the leaf ' naked in No- 

 llwlana) or naked and distritiuled along tue 

 veins ((Jyniiiogramma, etc.). Tribe Pteridcw). 

 16. 



Tribe Pteridece. 



16. Sori dorsal, extending to all the veins, naked.. 17. 

 Sori marginal, nominally covered with edge of 



l.eaf 19. 



17. Veins copiously anastomosing 18. 



Veins free or only casually uniting 



XiV. GYMNOGRAiMMA. 



18. Leaves large pinnate xv. niPTYOGRAMSiA. 



Leaves smaller, palmate xvi. Hemionitis. 



19. Sori at the ends of veins unconnected at their 



apices 20. 



Sori inserted beneath the marginal indusium ; 



stalks black or blackish xvii. Adianthm. 



Sori rising in a continuous line-like receptacle 



which joins the ends of the veins 25. 



Leaves uniform, hairy, scaly or powdery 23. 



21. Sori at the ends of veins only 



xvlii. Cryptogramma. 



Sori scattered the length of the veins 



xix. Onychium. 



22. Leaves pinnate; veins free xx. Pell.ba. 



Leaves palmate; veins usually anastomosing.... 



XXi. DORYOPTERIS. 



23. Margins scarcely recurved xxii. Nothol^na. 



Margins recurved to form a distinct indusium. .24. 



24. Indusia more or less continuous around the seg- 



ment XXiii. CitKILANTHES. 



Indusia in the form of more or less distant mar- 

 ginal lobes xxiv. Hypolepls. 



25. With an inner membranous indusium 



XXV. Pteriduim. 



No inner indusium present 26- 



26. Leaves small, radiate-dichotomous 



xxvi. Actinopteris. 



Leaves small, palmate : stalk black 



xxvii. Cassebebra. 



Leaves larger pinnate xxviii. Pteris. 



Tribe Aspleniew. 



27. Sori parallel to the midrib 28. 



Sori partly parallel and partly oblique to the 



midrib : veins anastomosing 



xxix. (""AMPTOSORrS. 



Sori oblique to the midrib 31. 



28. Sterile leaves with free veins : sori continuous. 29. 

 Sterile leaves with anastomosing veins : sori in- 

 terrupted 30. 



29. Leaves dimorphous ; f^e laminae of the sporo- 



phylls scarcely extending beyond the sori 



XXX. Lomaria 



Leaves uniform: the laminie of the sporophylia 



extending beyond the sori. . . .xxxi. Blechnum. 



30. Sori sunken in the Ivs. in a single row near the 



midrib xxxii. Woodwapdia. 



Sori superficial in one or more rows 



xxxiii. Dpodia 



31. Veins free 32. 



Veins united at the margins: sori linear-elon- 

 gate xxxiv. Thamnopteris. 



Veins of lower (inner) series uniting: indusium 

 extending both sides of vein. xxxv. Callipteris. 



