I'TKins. 211 



Though helonging to the same group as PI. pedala, and in miiny rcs|icct» rc- 

 scinhling that spt-cics, it is truly ami pcrfi'itly distinct ; rqualiy variahle in the 

 form of its fronds, and (•(piiilly difficult with il to he distinguished in a few words. 

 Tlie cnudirx indeed WDiihl alone alford an excellent character ; it is liere long, 

 slender, creeping, and hraueheil, with no common point of origin for the fronds ; 

 these latter therefore are not fasciculate, hut rise solitary from «lifferent and dis- 

 tant parts of the caudex. The stipes is rather stout, intensely hlack and glossy, 

 short (l-G inches) when hearing the nearly undivided fronds; elongated (Il-IH 

 inches) with the more divided and fertile ones: so that it would appear that much 

 of the variati(m in form is due to Ihi; more or less developed state of the plant. 

 In size the fronds are from 2-fi or K inches long; in shape, triangidari-eordatc 

 and quite entire, ohlong or hastate, or hastate with the basal lohes liifid : all these 

 are very ohtuse ; triangular-hastate with the lohes acute, cordato-j»edate, deeply 

 trifid or tripartite, each portion three-lohed acuminated, the central ((jr terminal) 

 portion with the lohes e<pial, the lateral ones with the lohes on the lower side 

 only, — finally, in the most perfect state, deeply pedately tripartite, each with 

 about three narrow linear-lanceolate segments bordered all round and almost to 

 the apices with the dark-brown continuous sori. 



{Fronds pinnate or hi- and cvni tri -pinnate. PinnuU.i free and entire, never 

 pinnatijid, subpetiolulate. ) 



83. Pt. (Litobrocliia) splciidens, Klfs. ; frond ample pin- 

 nated firm-incmbranaccous dark blackish-green and satiny 

 when dry, pinntc a s|)an to nearly a foot long often opposite 

 broad-lanceolato finely acuminate serrated at the apex, ter- 

 minal one sessile its base confluent with the base of the one 

 beneath, lower ])inna; on rather short petioles, veins promi- 

 nent uniformly anastomosing into sexangular oval or oblong 

 areoles which are jilaced in almost horizontally patent series, 

 sori rather narrow continuous, involucres very narrow, 

 stipes and rachis slightly aspcrous. — Kaiilf. En. FU. p. 18fi. 

 Ag. Sj). Gen. Pterid. p. 51. Litobrochia splendens, PresI, 

 Tent. Ptirid. p. 1 19. 



Hab. In woods, I5ra/.il. C/inmi.sso, Freijreis, lieyrich, Sellow fin Herb. Nostr.J; 

 Organ Mountains, n. 149, and Arrial das Minas, n. 5300, Gardner. — Entire 

 fronds of this Fern must have a splendid appearance, judging from the portions 

 sent to us by Mr. Gardner aiul from the size of the pinna-, of which our largest 

 is more than 10 inches long: the texture is firm-membranaceous, the surface 

 satiny, the reticulatiuns ])romincnt and quite conspicuous to the naked eye. 



84. Pt. (Litobrochia) r/in/isodioides, Fee; '"fronds gla- 

 brous piiniated, stijiites furrowed above, frondules [jthince) 

 laiKH'olate incurved shortly ]H'tiolate obtuse rotundato-cune- 

 ate at the base, nervils sculpturate iiexagonoid, mesoncure 

 robust, sporothecia universal, indusiuni broadish, sporangia 

 elliptical shortly j)edicellate, annulus broad lS-20-articulate, 

 spores thick trigonous heteromorphous." — Litobrochia chry- 

 sodioides, /'Vr, Gen. I'd. p. \.M\. 



