158 PTBRIS. 



gillivray, Milne, Barclay. S. Australia; Rivers Mitchell and Buchan, Dr. F. 

 Mueller. — Var. j8. Isle of Bravie, Senegambia, Dr. Brunner. — y. Venezuela, Mo- 

 ritz, 11. 15, Fendler, n. 105, Birschill. 



To avoid giving what might be considered too long a catalogue of varieties for 

 this widely diffused and readily distinguished plant, I have thought it l)etter to 

 include in the specific character the comparatively trifling differences in the forms 

 of the pinna;, rather than to group them imder the six several heads (only depend- ■ 

 ing on the more or less dilated form of the base of the pinnae) as the excellent 

 Agardh has done in his ' Rccensio Specierum Generis Pteridis.' It is indeed 

 quite true that many of those forms are considered by authors as distinct species, 

 but more frequently they are so esteemed from a false notion that, however a plant 

 of the New World may resemble another of the Old World, their widely separated 

 localities forbid their being considered specifically the same. To the general dis- 

 tribution however of this plant in warm or tropical countries we have this remark- 

 able exception, viz., though our earliest knowledge of the species is derived from 

 the West Indian islands, St. Domingo, Jamaica, I have no knowledge of its being 

 fo\ind upon the vast continent of America, either north or south, except in Mexico 

 {Presl), and in Venezuela, Moritz and Fendler. The specimens from the latter 

 country, and from different localities, are remarkable for their stiff, rigid habit, 

 and very narrow pinnae. The most remarkable form of the plant is what we have 

 here called var. ^. sagittata. The only specimen we have seen is from Dr. Brun- 

 ner, gathered in Senegambia; and it is so abnormal a form that it may almost be 

 looked upon as a monstrosity or disease: but a variety of the same nature has 

 been figured by Plumier in his ' Fougeres de I'Americiue ' (by which country the 

 French West Indian islands are implied), tab. 70, a figure which, hke almost all 

 the figures of that author, is greatly exaggerated. An authentic specimen of Pt. 

 oequalis, from Presl himself, proves that to be a common form of our plant. We 

 have plants before us, which vary in height from 4-5 inches to 4^- feet, as grown 

 on some rockwork in a greenhouse. 



2. Pt. (Eupteris) Moluccana, Bl. ; frond glabrous ample 

 pinnate tall broad-oblong (not attenuated at the base), pinnae 

 elongated broad-linear subfalcate obliquely cuneato-attenuate 

 at the base nearly sessile firm-membranaceous satiny narrow 

 caudato-acuminate and spinuloso-serrate at the apex very 

 finely transversely striated with the close-placed but (on both 

 sides) conspicuous simple or forked veins, involucres narrow 

 continuous, rachis subtetragonous furrowed at the sides 

 purple-brown glossy. (Tab. CXII. B.) — Pteris Moluccana, 

 Blume, Enum. Fih Jav. p. 208. A(/. Sp. Pterid. p. 7. Pt. In- 

 dica. Gaud. Voy. p. 386, non Poir. {fide Agardh). Decaisne, 

 Herb. Timor, p. 20. 



Hab. Java, Blume. Island of Pisang, Gaudichaud. Amboyna {Herb. Nostr. 

 from Labillardiere's fieri/.), Isle of Jobie, north of New Guinea, Barclay. — Ap- 

 parently a rare species, wholly confined to the Malay Islands, but a very beautiful 

 one, from the great length and glossy bright green (quite satiny), and close, mi- 

 nute, yet prominent parallel venation. Its nearest affinity is with Pteris (§ Ilete- 

 rophlebium) yrandi/olium, but the venation will at once distinguish it. 



3. Pt. (Eupteris) opaca^ J. Sm. ; frond glabrous ample tall 

 broad-oblong (not narrowed at the base) pinnate, pinnae 



