101 



TRIBE VIII. ASPLENIE^: 



Indusium linear or oblong or horseshoe- 

 shaped, sometimes double ; sori attached to 

 the veins. 



GENUS XX. THAMNOPTERIS PRESL. 



(Deriv. Thamnos, a thicket ; pteris, a fern.) 

 Sori linear ; veins forked, more or less 

 parallel, connected just within the margin by 

 a transverse vein. (This connection is not 

 quite constant.) Fronds simple. 



Thamnopteris nidus Presl. 



Rhizome erect. Stipes short, scaly. Fronds 

 up to 6 feet long and 6 inches broad, linear- 

 lanceolate, margin entire. The fronds are 

 arranged symmetrically on a crown forming a 

 circular, deep, vase-shaped hollow. Sori along 

 the veins, not reaching the margin. [Fig. 37-0.] 



Cultivated. Known in gardens as Asple- 

 mum nidus, Asplenium nidus-avis, and Bird's 

 Nest Fern. 



The fern occurring wild in the Presidency is 

 what would come nearest to Beddome's variety 

 phyllitidis, but this, we think, is merely a size- 

 form of the species. 



