88 CHARACTERS OF TRIBES AND GENERA. 



Sp. T. papillosa (Bl). 



A native of Java and the Philippine Islands. With the 

 exception of P. vulgare this is the only representative of the 

 forked free- veined Polypodice in the Eastern Hemisphere. 



8. POLYPODIUM, Linn, in part (1737). 



Surculum generally short and thick, in some hypogeous. 

 Fronds pinnatifid, pinnate, or rarely bi-tripinnatifid or 

 simple, smooth, villose or squamiferous, from a few inches 

 to two or three feet high. Veins once or more times forked 

 free, exterior branch soriferous. Receptacles terminal, punc- 

 tiform, superficial. Sori round, rarely oval, transversely 

 uniserial or solitary on lacinise of multipartate fronds. 



Type. Poli/podium vulgare, Linn. 



Illust. Hook and Bauer, t. G9, B. Moore Ind. Fil., p. 

 56, fig. 1. J. Sm. Ferns, Brit, and For., fig. 5. 

 Hook. Syn. Fil., t. 5, fig. 48, a, b. 



OBS. This genus as now restricted by me contains between 

 thirty and forty known species, which, with the exception 

 of P. vulgare of Europe, are all natives of West Indies and 

 the Continent of America, P. pellucidum extending west to 

 the Sandwich Islands. The following are the principal 

 species arranged in sections : 



1. Suspensum Group. 



Fronds linear, pinnatifid or subpinnate, villose, rarely 

 smooth. Stipes long, slender, wiry, often arcuate. Veins 

 sometimes simple, or with the soriferous branch very short. 



Ex. P. comptoniaefolium, Desv. (P. scolopendrioides, 

 Hook et Grev., p. 42) ; P. suspensum, Linn. ; P. asplenii- 

 folium, Linn. ; P. cultratum, Willd. ; P. Phlegmaria, /. 

 Sm. ; * P. lanigerum, Eat. ; P. semiadnatum, Hook. ; P. 

 alternifolium, Hook. ; P. melanopus, Grev. 



* Lond. Journ. Bot., p. 196, vol. iv. 



