220 PTERIS. 



gate acuminate, lobes oblong or ovate acute coarsely inciso- 

 serrated at the apex, lobes and serratures submucronate, basal 

 veins forming a single arc and 2 or 3 large areoles are formed 

 on each side of the costule of the segments, the rest of the 

 veins are free, sori on the sides of the lobes often short, sti- 

 pites as long as the frond castaneous, rachises slender and 

 flexuose stramineous. — A. Rich. FL N. Zeal. p. 82. t. 12. A. 

 Cunn. Specim. Bot. of N. Zeal, in Hook. Comp. Bot. Mag. ii. 

 p. 365. Hook.fil. FL N. Zeal. ii. p. 26. Presl, Tent. Pterid. 

 Litobrochia macilenta, Brackenr. Fil. U. S. Expl. Exped. 

 p. 106. 



Hah. Dry woods in the Northern Island of New Zealand, D' Urville, A. Cun- 

 ningham, Colenso, Sinclair, J. D. Hooker, Brackenridge. Akaroa, in the Southern 

 Island, Dr. Lyall. — It would be a great blessing if all Pterises were as distinct 

 as this. It is difficult to say which are its near affinities. A. Richard justly ob- 

 serves, " Elle se rapproche un peu au Pteris Vesper tilionis de M. Labillardiere, 

 mais neanmoins elle est fort distincte." The pinnules are small, and there are 

 but few areoles, and those confined to the costa and the costule (not extending to 

 the apex of the latter), the rest of the veins are free. Richard's figure faithfully 

 represents the frond, but the venation is inaccurate. 



100. Pt. (Litobrochia) Woodwardioides, Bory ; " fronds 

 pinnate very glabrous, pinnae sessile pinnatipartite lowest 

 ones bifid, segments oblongo-lanceolate obtuse entire fertile 

 ones acuminate, basal veins forming a single arc, arccB and 

 secondary areoles submarginal," Ag. — Bory, in Willd. Sp. 

 PL V. p. 360. Ag. Sp. Gen. Pterid. p. 60. Pt. altissima, 

 Poir, EncycL p. 122. Sw. Stjn. FiL p. 99, and JVilld. Sp. 

 PL p. 382 (Ag.). Pt. pellucida, Kaulf., in Sieb. Syn. FiL 

 n. 74 [Herb. Nostr.) . Litobrochia, Pr. 



Ilab. Mauritius, Sieber, Carniichael (in Herb. Nostr.). — Our specimens, pro- 

 bably wanting the lowest pair of pinnae, do not exhibit their bipartite character 

 described above, and which, if present, would exhibit a form very much resem- 

 bling Pt. (Eupteris) quadriaurita, and Pt. (Campteria) biaurita, but this has the 

 venation of a Litobrochia, and hence has no small affinity with Pt. decurrens, 

 Raddi (of Brazil), next to which Agardh places it, and to Pt. aculeata, Sw. The 

 pinnae are very similar, but in our present plant less tapering ; in short, they are 

 almost truncated at the base, and quite sessile. "Pinnarum," Agardh says, " usque 

 8 paria. Pinna? semipedales et ultra, sessiles, infimae auriculata;, seu si mavis bi- 

 partitae, sursum arcuatae. Lacinia; utrinque subaiqualiter confluentes, in planta 

 sterili oblongae obtusissimae, in fertili lanceolata? et falcata, sinubus rotundatis dis- 

 creta3. Venae basales monoarcuatae, ramos anastomosibus sparsis junctos emit- 

 tentes." — It remains to be ascertained whether this may not be a Mauritian form 

 of some other well-known species, somewhat altered by peculiarity of climate. 



101. Pt. (Litobrochia) decurrens, Pr. ; fronds 1^-2 feet 

 long (excluding the stipes) pinnate membranaceous lowest 

 pair bipartite, pinnae lanceolate acuminate deeply pinnatifid 



