40 ALSorUlLA. 



Fit. f.'2\:i—-2lo. Hook. Gen. Fil. tab. 5—11 an 1—4? 

 Cyathea aspera, ]ViUd.} — Cyathea nmricata, »S7e/'. Fl. Mixt. 

 n. 337, [and Fl. Martin, n. 374, according to Kaulf.). Kuulf, 

 Enum. Fil. p. 250? non WiUd. Sp. PL v. p. 497. A. nitens, 

 ,7. Sw. Gen. Fil. [name only). — i3. more aculeated, aculei 

 longer. (Tab. XIX. B.) 



Hab. Maitiiii(iue, Sieber. Jamaica, Bancroft, Macfadi/en, Purdie. — /3. 

 St. Viiuenl's, L. Guilding. — Probably differeut auihois have had dilTereut 

 jdaiits in view for their Cyathea or Alsophila aspera and Cyalhea or Atso- 

 p/ii/a mur'uata. I have relerred to the pnblislied specimens of Sieber 

 fur the phiiit here described. It is probably abundant in the West Indian 

 islands. Mr. Purdie speaks of it as very frequent in Jamaica, and as hav- 

 ing a slender stem, 20 — 30 feet high, hut not more than 2\ inches in dia- 

 meter. I iind no involucre whatever to the sori, and it would appear that the 

 capsules do not remain long in a compact form, but are quickly deciduous, 

 leaving a small receptacle, slightly elevated and moderately hairy. Fronds 

 very ample. Pinns 2 feet and more long, texture coriaceous, glossy, veins 

 conspicuous, prominent on the underside, and what is not common in the 

 genus, exhibiting a color and texture exactly analogous to that of the sur- 

 rounding parenchyme; or in other words, as if the same pavenchyme co- 

 vered the veins. Kaulfuss considers Sieber's plant the same with that 

 of Willdenow; but wliether it be identical with the original species of Plu- 

 mier (Fil. t. 8), from which Willdenow seems to have derived his charac- 

 ter, will probably long remain doubtful. See p. 18 of this volume, where 

 I have thought it right to include the name and character of Cyathea aspera 

 and of C. muricata, from Willdenow. My specimens from St. Vincent have 

 the stipes and main rachis with much longer aculei, but they are not other- 

 wise at all different; it is that state which is figured at our Tab. XIX. B. 



11. A, armata, Presl; stipes and main racliis aculeate with 

 short prickles, rachis and fronds beneath clothed with fiiivinis 

 spreading hairs, fronds bipinnate coriaceous, pinnules Hnear- 

 lanceolate acuminate, scattered chaffy scales beneath, seg- 

 ments lanceolate subfalcate slightly obtuse crenate, veins fork- 

 ed above the middle, sori copious covering the whole segment. 

 A. armata, Presl, Pterid. p. 62. A. Swartziana, Mart. PL 

 Crypt. Bras. p. 73, t. 49. A. vestita, J. Sni. Gen. Fil. [name 

 only). Polypodium armatum, Siv. — |3, fronds very hairy on 

 the up])cr side. — y. pinnules more deeply serrated. 



I-Iab. Jamaica, Sivurtz, Dr. Bancroft, Purdie. Brazil, Sellow.—^. Is- 

 land of Gorgona, Central America. — y. Tejuca near Rio de Janeiro, Mr. 

 Miers, in Herb. Gardner, n. 1 18. Cocos Island, Central America, Mr. Men- 

 zics. — I have followed Presl in retaining Swarlz's name of armata to this 

 plant, whicli Martins shows by a figure from Swartz's own specimen to be 

 the Potypodiioii nriiHiiiDn of Swarlz ; but which Martius has changed to 

 Swartziana, and given the previous name to another species, A. ferox, Pr. 

 Our plant entirely resembles .Martius' figure, except that the hairs are more 

 fulvous in our specimens. The base of the stipes is clothed with long, 

 glossy, chestnut-colored scales. 



1-2. A. Gardneri, Hook.; everywhere clothed with brown- 

 ish woolly hairs especially beneath, stipes aculeate, fronds 



