202 PTKHI8. 



Hab. Tropical America, West Indian Islands, Swartz, Plumier, etc. Vene- 

 zuela, Fendler, PL Venez. n. 96. New Granada, Birschel, Holton, Fl. Neogr. 

 Magdal. n. 57. Mexico, Ficaltepec ad Rio Naiitla, Liebmann, in Herb. Nostr. — 

 A very fine and very distinct species, if only the venation be attended to ; ivi 

 other respects it bears a close resemblance to Pteris {'^\.\\)\ens) Moluccana, supra, 

 p. 158, and Pf. opaca. I.e. See our respective figures. Tab. CXll. B., Tab. 

 CXllI. B., and Tab. CXIV. A. I am indebted to Sir Henry Barkly, while 

 Governor of Jamaica, for a singular abnormal state of this Fern, having several 

 of tlie pinn?e deeply yet unequally lobed, sometimes down to the costa, and 

 others forked and even bifurcate, with the segments divaricated. 



§ Campteria. — The lowermost opposite costal veins Cor veinletsj meeting, 

 uniting, and forming a series of areoles f ' arcs" or arches,) next the costa of 

 the pinna (giving out other veinletsj, the rest free, simple or forked. — 

 Gen. Campteria, Pr. Pent. Pterid. t. 5. /. 19, 26. Hook. Gen. Fil. t. 

 264, 265 A.) 



Obs. The advocates for deriving generic characters of Ferns mainly from differ- 

 ences in venation, are at variance respecting the genus Campteria. Presl and Moore 

 consider it, in the Pterideous group, to be analogous to Hemisfegia among Cya- 

 thecE, Pleocnetnia among Aspidieae, Digrammaria among Axp/etiiece, etc. : and so 

 far they are consistent. Mr. J. Smith and M. Fee on the other hand unite it with 

 Litobrochia, the former without even making a section of it, the latter considering 

 it a subgenus. As defined bythe author (Presl), the series of arched veins are confined 

 tothe costa or midrib of the pinnae, not extending to tiie costa or main central vein 

 or costules of the segments (see his figures in Tent. Pterid. t. 5. f. 19 and 26) ; — 

 but in some species of our Pteris similar areoles or arclies exist also in the cos- 

 tules of the segments while the other veins are free. Such we have referred to 

 our § Litobrochia. The character indeed here taken from the veins is wholly 

 artificial ; it is unaccompanied by any other peculiarity of form or structure, in- 

 somuch that the most able botanists have, till the venation was considered, been 

 at a loss to distinguish between Pteris nemoralis and Pt. biaurita and Pt. qnadri- 

 aurita : nay, it will be seen that our very first species of this section has the 

 veins in question, which should be united to form a Campteria, sometimes also 

 free in one and the same specimen. (See too our remarks under § Litobrochia.) 



(Pinnate, with the lower pinnce bifid and even again pinnate or bipinnate ; 

 pinnules pinuatifid.) 



68. Pt. (Campteria) nemoralis, Willd. ; fronds generally 

 ample subcoriaceo-membranaceous pedately ovate pinnate, 

 pinnse subsessile lanceolate acuminate, lowest pair tripartite 

 or again pinnate all of tbem deeply pinnatifid (leaving how- 

 ever as it were a broad wing on each side the costa), seg- 

 ments oblong or linear-ol)long obtuse entire scarcely falcate, 

 basal veins free and extending to the sinus (§ Ev.pteris) or the 

 lowest opposite pair meeting and uniting below the sinus 

 forming areoles or arches (§ Ca?npteria) and then bearing .3 or 

 4 free veinlets which extend to the margin at anri above the 

 sinus, stipes and rachises stramineous or pale brown. — " Willd. 

 Sp. PL p. 386, in pari. Decuisne, Hh. Timor, p. 20, ea:cl. syn. 

 Bl. Wall. Cat.n. 106,9, 10, quoad partem, 12" [Ay.). Ag. 

 Sp. Gen. Pterid. p. 25, et in Herb. Nostr. " Pt. Plumierii, 



