24 LOMARIA. 



/. 1. Lomaria Gillicsii, Hook, and Ch'ev. Ic. Fil. t. 207. Or- 

 thograninie Gilliesii, Pr. Epim. p. 121. 



[Dr. Hooker has distinguished four varieties of this plant. 

 These and some others I think it more convenient to notice 

 under the respective localities, and some further synonyms 

 will here also be given.] 



llah. A Fcrii chiefly confined to the southern hemisphere, extending, however, 

 in the New World, north to Mexico and the Caribbean islands, and south to 

 antarctic islands ; in the warmer regions apparently confined to the mountain 

 districts. 



New Zealand, wlicre it was first detected by Forster and since found by all 

 visitors, and as far south as Banks's Island {Dr. Lijall). That group of islands 

 affords the following fcrms : — 1. Pinnae narrow and finely acuminated, waved at 

 the margin (tlie form piven in Ilook. Ic. Plant, t. 127, 128, A. Cunningham). — 

 2. Barren frond, having the stipes twice dichotomous, each branch bearing pinnaj 

 of the ordinary form, /. D. H. — 3. Frond with one side of the rachis having all 

 sterile pinnae, and the ether togetlier with the terminal one fertile, /. D. JI. — 

 4. Var. minor (Stegania minor, Br.), a small and apparently young form, a span 

 or more high, with the uppermost pinnse more or less adnate. {S. exigua, Col.) 

 — 5. A very handsome variety, two feet and more long, with copious imbricated 

 long pinnae, much and finely acuminated, with cordate and biauricled bases over- 

 lapping each other with great regularity : of the sterile frond a few jiinnre only, 

 near the middle, have their upper half contracted and fertile ; the lower half of 

 the frond is suddenly contracted, and the pinnae, representing large hracteas, are 

 opposite, deeply cordate, an inch long and an inch wide. The fertile frond has 

 the ujjper half with ordinary soriferous pinnae ; the middle ones similar but with 

 large sterile a\iricles; at their base are the same broad cordate pinna; of the 

 sterile form, Rev. W. Colenso {L. imbricafa. Col. MS.). — 6. A specimen, n. 261 

 (Colenso), with the scales at the base of the stipes longer and narrower and more 

 rigid than usual. Fertile pimiae with auricles at the base are not uncommon. 



Tasmania, extremely abundant. La Billardiere, Brown, All. Cunninghnm, 

 R. Gunn, Archer, J. D. Hooker, etc. Mr. Gunn sends fine specimens, of which 

 one side or half is composed of sterile, the other of fertile pinnae : one has 

 perfectly oblong and quite obtuse sterile pinnae at both ends. The var. minor is 

 frequent. Some specimens have the fully-formed fronds paleaceous on the stipes, 

 rachis, and costae. 



Lord Auckland's and Campbell's Islands, plentiful near watercourses, 

 Jlomhron, J. D. Hooker. 



Australia ; here it seems to be very local. Port Jackson, Broivn, Mr. 

 Clowes. Blue Mountains, and shady and wet rocks, and Macquarrie Harbour and 

 Argyle County, Allan Cunningham. Near Melbourne, F. Adamson, 1854: all 

 present the ordinary forms. 



Cape of Good Hope (L. Capensi.t, Auct.), Thunberg, Berguis, Mundt and 

 Maire, Carmichael, Drege, Krau.ts (Table Mountain and Constantia), Harvey 

 and others. I do not find it extends beyond the extreme south of Africa, and it is 

 very uniform in its general appearance. Drege's var. lu.rurians (Fil. Cap.) has 

 many of the sterile and fertile pinnae twice or more dichotomously forked at the 

 apices. Stipes varies from stramineous to deep-chestnut. 



Malay Islands. Java, Thos. Lobb (common form, in lib. Nostr.) ; lofty 

 mountains of Java (Z. vesfita, Bl. En. Fil. Jav. p. 203), and summit of Mount 

 Tjerimai, Province of Cheribon, and summit of the volcanic mountain Ternates 

 (L. pyrophila ?, Bl. En. Fil. Jav. p. 204). Luzon, Cuming, n. 141: rachises 

 and costK beneath densely glossy, paleaceous (L. vestita, J. Sm., and, no doubt, 

 Bl.) : it does not appear in any of our collections from India proper. 



