CHARACTERS OF TRIBES AND GENERA. 279 



OBS. This genus consists of more than twenty species 

 of small- growing 1 Ferns, chiefly inhabiting dry, rocky 

 places within or near the tropics of both continents, ex- 

 tending to South Africa and Tasmania, and in the North 

 to the shores of the Mediterranean and the Alps of Europe. 

 In habit they have great affinity with the Ereosorus section 

 of Gymnogramma, differing only in the sporangia being 

 terminal and the indusium rudimentary, they are, therefore, 

 by many authors referred to the Gymnosorus division of 

 Ferns, but I consider them to be more intimately related 

 to Cheilanthes, and that the imperfect development of the 

 indusium is due to the densely squamose and tomentose 

 nature of the fronds. 



* Lepichosma. Fronds densely squamose. 



Sp. N". Ia3vis, Mart, and Galeott. (v v.) ; N. sinuata, Kaulf. 

 (v v.), Bot. Mag., t. 4699 ; N. squamosa, Hook and Grev., 

 Ic. Fil., t. 151 (v v.) ; N. Aschenborniana, Kze., Hook. Sp. 

 Fil., 5, t. 287 B. ; N. Maranta3, E. Br. (v v.) ; N. cana- 

 riense, 7. Sm. (v v.) ; N. Eckloniana, Kze. (v v.) ; N. distans, 

 E. Br. (v v.), Hook. Seed. Cent, of Ferns, t. 80. 



** Eriochosma. Fronds densely tomentose, villose or hirsute. 

 N. trichomanoides, E. Br. (v v.) ; N. rufa, Pr. (v v.) 

 (N. ferruginea, Hook. Second Cent of Ferns, t. 52) ; N. hypo- 

 leuca, Kunze ; N. bracypus, Kze. (v v.) ; N. canescens, 

 Fee ; N. mollis, Kunze (v v.) ; N. eriophora, Fee, Hook. Ic. 

 PL, t. 991 ; L. lanuginosa, Desv. (v v.) ; N. inaequalis, Kze ; 

 N. sulcata, Link. N. fragilis, Hook. Sp. Fil. 5, t. 287 A ; 

 N. hirsuta, Desv. ; N. Pohliana, Kze., Hook . Sp. Fil. 5, 

 t. 286 B. 



*** Chrysochosma. The under side farinose. 

 N. sulphurea, J. Sm., Bot. Voy. Herald, p. 233 (v v.) 

 (Pterti t Cav. ; Cheilanthes Borsigiana, Eeichenb.). 



