6. ALSOPHILA. 43 



Hab. Sarawak, Borneo ; alt. 2,700, T. Lobb. Its nearest affinity is perhaps with 

 A. squamulata, from which the fronds differ in colour and texture ; and it is remarkable 

 for the large and curiously branched spines at the bases of the stipes. 



56. A. podophylld) Hk. ; st. generally sharply mucronato-aculeate and, as weft 

 as the main rachises, purple-brown ; fr. subcoriaceo-menibvanaceous ; prim, 

 pinnce 1^-2 ft, and more long, pinmitifid at the apex ; pinnl. extremely variable 

 in size and shape, petiolate, 4-8 in. 1., ^-1 in. w., from a truncate, or subhustate, 

 or cordate base sword-shaped, acuminate, entire, or serrated only towards the 

 apex, or slightly lobed, or more or less pinnatifid, rarely deeply pinnatifid and 

 even pinnate towards the base ; veins pinnated ; veinlets often united in the more 

 entire pinnules towards the margin, bearing a sorus near their base, and conse- 

 quently parallel with the primary vein. Hk. K. Gard. Misc. 8. /> 334, and in 

 2nd Cent, of Ferns, t. 66. 



Hab. Chusan ; Hong-Kong, frequent. Variable as is this handsome species, I cannot 

 but consider it quite distinct from A. glabra of Bl. 



57. A. squamulata. J. Sm. ; st. paleaceous, at the base tuberculato-asperous, and, 

 as well as the rachises, dark, ebeneous-purple, subulato-squamulose ; fr. singu- 

 larly firm and coriaceous, rich brown when dry ; prim, pinnce 1^ ft. 1., 6-8 in. 

 w., stipitate ; pinnl. rather distant, all petiolate (petiole often 2 lines 1 ), oblong- 

 acuminate, pinnatifid rather less than half-way to the thickened costule ; lobes 

 ovato or rotundato-serrated ; costule with a few deciduous bullate scales ; sori 

 few, close to the costule. Hk. Sp. I. p. 51. Mett. in Miq. Ann. Mus. Bot. 

 Lugd. Bat. 1. p. 52.? An Gymnosphsera squamul. BL ? 



Hab. Malacca, Mt. Ophir, Griffith, Cuming. The fragment I possess of this plant 

 from Java is, I think, only Als. glabra. Ours is, I believe, only from Mt. Ophir. 



58. A. glabra, Hk. ; st. asperous, paleaceous at the base, and, as well as the 

 main rachises, purple-ebeneous, polished \fr. subcoriaceo-membranaceous \prim. 

 pinnae 1^-2 and more ft. 1., deeply pinnatifid at tbe apex ; pinnl., upper ones 

 sessile, lower ones petiolate, from a truncated base, oblong-acuminate, 3-6 in. 1., 

 5-9 1. w., pinnatifid, \~\ way to the costule, rarely more ; lobes triangular or 

 rounded, rarely ovate, serrated ; veins pinnated, veinlets all simple ; sori on most 

 of the lobes, generally arranged in the shape of a V inverted, not extending to 

 the apex of the lobe. Hk. Sp. 1. p. 51. Bedd. Fil. p. 20. t. 60 (very good). 

 Als. gigantea, Hk. 1. c. p, 53. 



Hab. Java and Malay Islands, generally (Moulmein, n. 3. Parish) ; China and 

 throughout India ; Ceylon. 



59. A. latebrosa, Hk. ; st. aculeate at the base, muricated upwards, dark maho- 

 gany-brown in colour ; prim, pinnce oblong-acuminate, 12-24 in. 1., 6-8 in. br. ; 

 pinnl. lanceolate-acuminate, 3-4 in. 1., f in. br., cut down nearly to the rachis 

 into numerous linear-oblong, blunt, slightly-toothed lobes on each side ; texture 

 herbaceous, upper surface dark-green, naked, lower surface naked, or slightly 

 hairy and scaly ; veins all once forked ; sori elevated, conspicuous, occupying 

 often the lower two-thirds of the segment. Hk. Sp. I. p. 37. Bedd. Fil. p. 19. 

 t. 58. Polypodium, Wall. Hemitelia, Mett. in Miq. 1. p. 54. 



Hab. Common almost throughout India proper and the Malay Islands, Formosa, 

 &c. There are plenty of scales amongst the fructifications, but none, I think, that can 

 constitute a Hemiteloid involucre. 



60. A. lurida, Hk. ; st. smooth ; rachis slightly scabrous and scaly below, 

 densely tomontose and scaly above ; fr. broadly lanceolate ; prim, pinnce \ ft. 1. ; 

 pinnl. more than 2 in. 1., \ in. br., cut down to the rachis into numerous linear- 

 oblong nearly entire segments ; texture subcoriaceous, upper surface dark-green, 

 naked, lower densely scaly on the rachis and costv. Chnoophora, Bl. Mett. in 

 Miq. Ann. Mus. Bot. ];. Bat. 1. p. .53. 



