187 



sterile. Sterile fronds 3-4 inches long, iJ-2 

 inches broad, nearly prostrate, more or less 

 oak-leaf-shaped, consisting of a terminal pinna 

 with blunt rounded lobes and a pair of lateral 

 pinnae which are ovate-blunt, unequal-sided, the 

 inferior portion being longer than the superior. 

 Surfaces hairy. Texture herbaceous. Venation 

 reticulated with free included veinlets in the 

 meshes ; main veins distinct to the edge, some- 

 times scarcely distinguishable from the others. 

 Fertile fronds much contracted, also consisting 

 of a terminal pinna 1-2 inches long, J-inch 

 broad, and smaller lateral pinme. 



Cultivated. 



Distribution : Peninsular India, Tinnevelly 

 and Travancore Hills up to 2,000 feet, Anamal- 

 lays; Ceylon, about Colombo. South China; 

 Cochin China. 



3. Gymnopteris flagellifera 

 Rhizome creeping, scaly. Stipes often scaly. 

 Fronds simple, 3-foliate or pinnate with 5-11 

 pinnae, the terminal pinna often much prolonged 

 and proliferous at the apex. Pinnae entire or 

 with shallow lobes or distinctly lobed, 4-5 inches 

 long, 2 inches broad. Texture herbaceous. 

 Venation reticulate with or without free 



