190 PTERIS. 



veins forked, lower basal one arising from the costa twice 

 forked, sori whitish, stipes black-purple," Ag. — Bonj, It. ii. 

 p. 192 {fide specim. in ips. Hbrio, Ag.). Sw. Syn. p. 103. 

 Willd. Sp. PL V. p. 372. Ag. Sp. Gen. Pterid. p. 39. 



Hab. Bourbon, in rocky places, Bory. — I am unacquainted with this species, 

 and am equally ignorant of its affinities. Agardh, who has examined and described 

 it from authentic specimens, 'places, it the first in a section along with Pt. Pseudo- 

 Lonchitis, Bory (which is a Campteria, Pr.), and Pt. iremula, Br., and Chilensis, 

 Desv., etc. Bory, its discoverer and first describer, says, " Cette belle plante a 

 quelques rapports avec notre Pteris argentea" (Cheilanthus farinosa, Kaulf. and 

 this work) " et avec le Pteris biaurita, L. ;" — two plants having very little con- 

 nection with each other. The lower pinna;, that author says, are opposite and 

 bipartite ; lower segments, especially externally, pinnate or pinnatifid ; the mar- 

 gins crenate. Willdenow places it between " Pt. aspera, Lam.," and Pt. denti- 

 culata (Litobrochia, Pr.). Swartz refers it to his group of Pteris, which has 

 the dark glossy stipes of Adiantum ; and Fee to the Aquilina group, next to 

 Pt. esculenta, hut whether from a personal knowledge of the plant or not we 

 are ignorant. 



54. Pt. (Eupteris) aspera, Lam.; "fronds pinnate, pinnae 

 lanceolate acuminate entire truncate at the base rounded 

 above {sursum rotundatis), lower ones striated crenated, 

 stipes rough." — Lam. Cycl. v. p. 713. Sw. Syn. Fil. p. 102. 

 Willd. Sp. PL V. p. 372 {not aspera. Fee). 



Hab. Cayenne (Zam.).— Swartz places this in the same group with Pt. Crcesns 

 (our foregoing species), Lamarck among some very dubious species, but near 

 Pt. crenata, as Willdenow has done. It is in vain to guess its affinity. 



55. Pt. (Eupteris) deflexa, Lk. ; frond ample tri-quadri- 

 pinnate (primarily ternate) coriaceous firm rigid, pinnules 

 petiolate lanceolate gradually acuminate deeply almost to 

 the base pinnatifid, segments subtriangular-oblong slightly 

 falcate curved upwards mucronate and spinuloso-serrate in 

 the sterile portions, veins conspicuous prominent simple 

 lower ones forked lowest one arising from the base of the 

 costa, sori not reaching to the apex, stipes and rachises 

 stramineous. — Pt. deflexa, Link, Hort. Berol. ii. p. 30. Ag. 

 Sp. Gen. Ptei'id. p. 41. Met ten. Fil. Hort. Lips. p. 58. 



Hab. Brazil, Selloxv {ex Herb. Reg. Berol.). Shady places about Rio, Gardner, 

 n. 152. Caracas, Linden, n. 178, Birschel ; Tovar, Venezuela, Fendler, n. 101, 

 Moritz. — One of our specimens (from Fendler) possesses a caudex, which is 

 short (2-3 inches), thick, densely clothed with copious long silky wool, as are 

 the long fibrous radicles. Stipes 2 and more feet long, rough or slightly muri- 

 cated towards the base. Fronds from a foot and a half (according to Mr. 

 Gardner, 4-5 feet) high. Our specific character is drawn up from an authentic 

 specimen of the Berlin Herbarium. Agardh, who appears to have had the ad- 

 vantage of inspecting similar specimens, says of it, " Species cum nulla alia 

 confundenda ;" yet he adds : " Diu pro Pt. palustri, Gaudich. (Pt. Gaudichaudii, 

 Ag., and of this work) hahui, et, excepta decompositione ct ramificatioue frondis, 



