34 LOMARIA. 



(which is at first slender, but increases in thickness towards the point, and is 

 often branched) " ascends the trunks of trees to a height of 20 or 30 feet, clinging 

 to the bark by means of its wiry pilose rootlets, and producing, from the ground 

 upwards, numerous small sterile fronds 3-5 in number." The species is a most 

 distinct one, and one of its chief characteristics is the presence of a second and 

 abnormal kind of frond, apparently occupying the lower portion of the caudex, 

 nearly sessile, with small petiolated pinna;, almost exactly resembling the leaves of 

 our well-known Panpitiella Saxifraga. But we possess series of specimens of 

 which many are seen gradually to pass into the normal form. These pimpinelloid 

 fronds do not appear to have struck Mr. Brackenridge, but the species of Ste- 

 nochlceua which follows next after this plant in the ' Filices of the U.S. Expl. 

 Expedition,' p. 7. t. 11. f. 1, from the Fiji {S. Fejeensis, Brack.), so exactly re- 

 sembles the fronds in q\iestion (and it was only found in a sterile condition), 

 that the two appear to me to be identical. It is otherwise, as far as we know, a 

 species peculiar to New Zealand. 



The involucre, or indusium, is so evident on the fertile pinnae, quite different 

 in colour and texture, and the habit is so entirely that of a Lomaria, that I do 

 not see upon what ground this plant can be referred to J. Smith's Stenochlana. 



37. Li. Jlnviafilis, Spr. ; caudex often elongated (3-4 inches) 

 formed of the united bases of the old stipites and of wiry 

 roots, very chaffy aljove with long dense subulate brown scales, 

 fronds tufted a span to 2 feet long including the short stipites, 

 generally very erect strict linear submembranaceous 1-2 

 inches broad pinnated, sterile ones with the pinnfe elliptical 

 very obtuse sessile more or less adnate but not decurrent 

 denticulate, terminal ones coadunate, lower ones remote 

 smaller and often orbicular, stipes short clothed with spread- 

 ing chaffy scales, ferlile fronds narrow-linear, pinnas erect 

 sessile shortly petiolate linear obtuse scarcely an inch long, 

 all the rachises paleaceous with spreading subulate scales. — 

 Spr. Syst. Veget. iv. ;j. G5. Hook. fil. Fl. N. Zeal. ii. jj. 28. 

 Stegania fluviatilis, Br. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. p. 152. L. 

 rotundifolia, Raoul, Choix de Plantes, Nouv. Zel. p. 9. /. 2 B. 

 Colens. in Tcism. Journ. Nat. Sc. ii. p. 1 70. {not BL, nor Desv.). 



Hab. Tasmania, Brown, Ii. Gunn (Acheron River, etc.), Laurence. S. Aus- 

 tralia; Delatiti and Upper MiUa-Mitia, F. Mueller. New Zealand, Forster in 

 Herb. Hook. Mountainous parts of the Northern Island, and Middle and Southern 

 Islands, Colenso, Joliffe, Raoul (Akaroa) ; Banks's Peninsula, Lijall. — A very 

 peculiar species. Pinnas numerous both in the sterile and fertile fronds. Kaoul's 

 figure admirably represents his own specimens, which, however, seems almost a 

 passage to the L. memhranacea, next to be noticed, but it has the copious scales 

 on the stipes and rachises of the present species. 



38. L. membranacea, Col. ; small, a hard knot is formed 

 by the aggregation of the bases of the tufted stipites and the 

 tufted wiry roots which can scarcely be called a caudex, it is 

 scaly at the summit (and at the bases of the stipites) with rather 

 few subulate dark-coloured scales, fronds scarcely a span long 

 erect subflexuose tender membranaceous green linear-Ian- 



