102 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



branch or crown of the caudex. Stipes from one-third as long as to 

 as long as the lamina, slender and very brittle, with sparse pale linear- 

 lanceolate scales at the base, and a few hair-like deciduous ones in the 

 upper part, but no glands. Lamina perishing in autumn, oblong-lan- 

 ceolate or sirapshaped-lanceolate, subtripinnate or bipinnate ; lowest 

 pair of pinnte almost always smaller than the succeeding pair, and 

 never, conspicuously larger ; pinnules serrate or crenate or pinnatifid, 

 or. more rarely pinnatipartite ; teeth of ultimate segments usually 

 entire, with the ultimate veins running into their apices ; rachis 

 and lamina almost always without glands. Indusium without glands, 

 usually denticulate. Spores muricated with numerous long slender 

 acute spine-like tubercles. 



Var. a.genuina. 

 Plate 1864. 

 Cyathea fragilis, Sm. Eng. Bot. No. 1587; and Eng. Fl. Vol. IV. p. 298. 

 Lamina oblong-lanceolate, subtripinnate. 



Yar. /3. dentata. Hook. ? 



Plate 1865. 



Cyathea dentata, Smith, Eng. Fl. Vol. IV. p. 300 ; and Cyathea angustata, Sm. Eng. 

 Fl. Vol. IV. p. 301 ; and Soicerby, E. B. S. No. 2790. 



Lamina strapshaped-lanceolate, more parallel-sided and narrower 

 than that of var. a, bipinnate or subpinnate. 



On ledges of rock, and on walls, and among loose stones. Sparingly 

 distributed throughout England and Scotland, except in mountainous 

 districts where it is common ; from Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, 

 extending north to Hoy Hill and Ronsay in Orkney. Local, but 

 widely distributed throughout Ireland. 



Yar. fS appears to be confined to mountainous districts ; at least 

 I have not seen it except from such. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer, Autumn. 



Plant growing in small tufts. Branches of the root-stalk 

 elongating but little, the crown covered with ovate-lanceolate pale 

 brown glabrous scales. Fronds 3 inches to 1 foot high (rarely more), 

 of which the stipes is usually about one-third and rarely one-half, 

 brown at the base, green and widely channelled above the middle, and 

 containing 2 vascular bundles with oval sections. Lamina thin and 

 flaccid, deep green when growing in shade, and yellowish-green 



