2852 



PTERIS 



PTERIS 



albo-Iineata, 2. 

 angustata, 3. 

 argyrsea, 7. 

 Bausei, 6. 

 biaurita, 11. 

 cretica, 2. 

 cristata, 3, 11. 

 clcnsa, 3. 

 ensiformis, 4. 

 Gilbertii, 3. 

 heterophylla, 8. 

 inaequalis, 5. 



INDEX. 



internata. 8. 

 leptophylla, 13. 

 longifolia, 1. 

 tnagnifica, 2. 

 major, 2. 

 Mariesii, 1. 

 maxima, 11. 

 Mayii, 2. 

 nemoralis, 11. 

 nobilis, 2. 

 Ouvrardii, 3. 

 quadriaurita, 7. 



scaberula, 10. 

 semipinnata, 6. 

 serrulata, 3. 

 Smithiana, 9. 

 Smithii, 9. 

 tremula, 9. 

 tricolor, 7. 

 variegata, 9. 

 Victoria, 4. 

 voluta, 3. 

 Wallichiana, 12. 



A. Veins free throughout. 

 B. Lvs. simply pinnate, the lower pinnae not divided. 



1. longifolia, Linn. Lvs. 1-2 ft. long, 4-9 in. wide, 

 lanceolate, often narrowed below; pinnae 20-30 on each 

 side, linear, entire. Tropical regions all around the 

 world, extending to S. Fla. Var. Mariesii, Hort. 

 Fronds shorter and pinnules straighter, the plant keep- 

 ing closer to the pot; a good horticultural form. 



BB. Lvs. simply pinnate, but the lower pinnae forked. 



2. cretica, Linn. Fig. 3252. Lvs. 6-12 in. long, on 

 slender, straw-colored stalks, consisting of a terminal 

 pinna and 2-6 opposite sessile pairs, the upper often 

 decurrent, the lower pairs cleft nearly to the base into 

 2 or 3 pinnules. Quite generally distributed in tropical 

 regions, extending to Cent. Fla. Many varieties are 

 in cult., of which var. Slbo-lineata, Hort. (Fig. 3253), is 

 one of the finest, with broader pinnse and a broad, 

 central, whitish band. Var. major and var. nobilis are 

 larger horticultural forms, and var. magnifica, Hort., 

 and var. Mayii, Hort. (P. Mayii) are still more develop.ed. 

 Var. Wflsonii, Hort., Fig. 3252, is one of the common 

 garden forms. 



3. serrulata, Linn. f. Lvs. 3-12 in. long, on slender 

 brownish stalks, consisting of a terminal pinna and 5-6 

 pairs of lateral ones, the upper ones decurrent and the 

 lower forked into 2 or 3 branches or with second branch 

 above the basal one; pinnae narrow, the indusium not 



3252. Pteris cretica var. Wilsonii. 



extending to the apices, which are sharply serrulate. 

 China and Japan. Many monstrous and distorted 

 forms appear in cult., giving rise to such varietal horti- 

 cultural names as angustata, cristata, cristata nana 

 compacta, cristata variegata, densa, GQbertii, Ouvrardii 

 (P. Ouvrardii, Hort.), voluta, and the like, but these can- 

 not be regarded as true varieties in any scientific sense. 



4. ensiformis, Burm. Lvs. of two sorts, the sterile 

 with elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate segms. the lower pinnse 

 &-7-parted, the upper gradually simpler: sporophylls 

 similar but taller and with longer and much narrower 

 divisions. India to Polynesia; often confused with the 

 preceding species, as both are more or less common in 

 cult. Var. Victdriae (P. Victorias, Hort.) is a garden 

 variety with Ivs. variegated with white. 



BBB. Lvs. with lowest pinnae, pinnate. 



5. inaequalis, Baker. Lf.-blades ovate-deltoid, 18-24 

 in. long, 10-15 in. wide, with 4-5 pairs of pinnate or pin- 

 natifid pinnse followed by 2-3 pairs of broadly linear 

 simple ones and ending in a long, terminal, irregularly 

 pinnatifid portion; divisions of the lower sides of the 

 pinnse uniformly much longer and larger than the upper 

 ones. China and Japan. 



6. semipinnata, Linn. Lvs. 12-18 in. long, the upper 

 portion simply pinnate with decurrent pinnse, the 4 or 

 more lowest pinnatifid on the lower side, the upper side 

 of the secondary rachises bordered by a narrow lamina. 

 India, China, Japan, and E. Indies. Var. Bausei, Hort. 

 (P. Bausei, Hort.), is a garden form. 



BBBB. Lvs. with lowest pinnse bipinnatifid. 

 c. Lowest pinnae enlarged. 



7. quadriaurita, Retz. Lvs. up to 2-3 ft. long, on 

 strong, pale stalks, with a terminal pinna cut down to 

 the rachis into numerous linear-oblong lobes, and 

 below this several similar pinnse on each side, the 

 lowest of which are usually again compound with simi- 

 lar but smaller ones branching from the lower side at 

 base. All tropical regions. Var. argyrsea, Hort. (P. 

 argyrsea, Moore) is a form with a white band down the 

 centers of the pinna?. Var. tricolor, Hort. (P. tricolor, 

 Lind.), is similar but has a tinge of red in addition. 



8. heterophylla, Linn. Lvs. 6-^8 in. long, on pale 

 stalks, of two sorts; sterile Ivs. elliptic, deeply incised; 

 fertile Ivs. narrowly linear-elliptic, with broad indusia 

 and sterile apices ending in 2-3 teeth; both sorts bipin- 

 nate in the lower portions. W. Indies to Brazil. Some- 

 times referred to a distinct genus, Anopteris. Var. 

 internata (P. internata, Moore) is a garden variety with 

 smaller sporophylls and broader segms. 



9. tremula, R. Br. Lf.-blades 2-4 ft. long, on polished 

 chestnut-brown stalks; upper pinnae simply -pinnate, 

 lower often much compound: sori copious, sometimes 

 filling up the whole segm. except the rachis. Austral., 

 New Zeal. Many forms occur in cult., as var. Smith- 

 iana (P. Smithii, Hort.), variegata, and the like. 



cc. Lowest pinnae not enlarged. 



10. scaberula, Richard. Lf.-blades 12-18 in. long, 

 on brownish scabrous stalks, lanceolate-ovate in out- 

 line, tripinnate or quadri-pinnatifid throughout; rachis 

 flexuous, scabrous; sori at maturity covering nearly the 

 entire surface of the narrow lanceolate segms. New 

 Zeal. 



AA. Veins free, except for a single low arch next the 

 midvein. 



11. biaurita, Linn. (P. maxima, Baker. P. nemoralis, 

 Willd.). Lf.-blades 15^30 in. long, with a terminal 

 pinna 6-9 in. long, cut into narrow round-pointed divi- 

 sions on 7-10 pairs of similar lateral ones, the lowest 

 pair bearing a fork on the lower basal side. All tropical 

 regions. Habit very like P. quadriaurita, from which 

 it differs chiefly in the venation. Var. cristata (P. 

 maxima var. cristata, Hort.) is a cult. form. 



