PTERI8. 201 



them with the following remarks : — " Fronds more than deconipouniJ, forked 

 branching. Stipes round, ferruginous, rather hisi)id. Segments of the fronds 

 irregidarly cut (small), round at the top, terminal lobe larger. Fructification in 

 short lines around the margins of the lobes and teeth of the leaflets. A strag- 

 gling, running, spreading rough species, found only on high mountains." I should 

 much have preferred Mr. J. Smith's appropriate name of ^'/M/mo.sfl/ but the more 

 recent one of Mr. Aloritz has derived publicity from being issued with his ' Filices 

 Venezuel.-c,' n. 399. I am indebted to Mr. Steetz, of Hamburg, for my speci- 

 men of this. It is a very young one (yet bearing perfect fructification), and gives 

 no idea of the size and extent and compact and entangled flexuose branches of 

 our Jamaica specimens. Fendler's specimen is very perfect, though small ; it 

 has, however, the advantage of possessing both stipes and caudex, and it is from 

 the Venezuelan plant that our drawing (Tab. CXXI. B.) is made. In one in- 

 stance, in our Jamaica specimens, the singularly flexuose rachis is as thick as a 

 goose-quill. The existence of the doui)lc involucre in this species (which I did 

 not detect till after the plate was engraved, or a magnified figure would there 

 have been given) is confirmatory of its belonging to this Aquilina group of Pteris. 

 While we were only acquainted with the very obscure inner involucre of Pt. 

 aquilina, we were content to let it remain in the genus Pteris ; but now that we 

 find in an allied species an inner involucre as fully developed as the outer one, 

 whicli is really the case, it presents a character in the fructification quite at vari- 

 ance with Pterin, differing from Lindsaa only in this double involucre being re- 

 flected upon the back of the pinnide, consequently not opening outwardly, but 

 towards the costa. Its natural place is with Pteris, where for the present I 

 retain it, only observing that if deemed necessary to constitute a distinct genus, 

 the name Ornithopteris (Ag.) seems unexceptionable. 



§ Heterophlebium. — Veins close, parallel, dichotomous, free near the costa, 

 anastomosing only towards tfie margin ; fronds pinnate. — Gen. Heterophle- 

 bium, Fee. LiTOBROCHiA, /. Sm. T. Moore. 

 Obs. Ileterophlebium is to Pteris what Ilcmidictyon is to Asplenium in that 



group of Ferns, and equally deserving of constituting a distinct genus ; yet 



Presl and J. Smith and T. ^loore decline to adopt it. Presl even maintains it in 



Pteris, if his Pt. grandifolia, L., be really Linnaius's plant. 



67- Pt. (Heterophlebium) grnnd\foiivm, L. ; frond ample 

 lanceolate pinnate glabrous, pinnse sessile or nearly so nume- 

 rous lanceolate elongated acuminated entire firm-membrana- 

 ceous satiny especially ]:)eneath obtusely cuneate at the base, 

 veins close parallel simple or forked below uniting and ana- 

 stomosing only towards the margin, rachis and long stipes 

 pale straw-colour. (Tab. CXIII. B.)—Linn,Sp.Pl.p. 1531. 

 Sw. Syn. Fil. p. 95. mild. Sp. PL v. p. 369. Presl, Tent. 

 Pterid. p. 145. Ag. Sp. Gen. Pierid. p. 7- Pt. vittata, 

 Schkuhr, Fil. t. 89 ? {venation incorrect) not Linn. Lito- 

 brochia grandifolia, J Sm. En. Keiv Ferns, p. 16. T. Moore, 

 Ind. Fil. p. xliv. Litobr. ampla and Litobr. Schiedeana, 

 Presl, I.e. p. 148 {according to /lis definition of the group or 

 section in ivhich he has placed them). Heterophlebium 

 grandifoHum, Fee, Gen. Fil. p. 139. t. 11 A./. 9, 12.— Plum. 

 Fil. t. 105. Shane, Jam. t. 40. 



