40 LOMARIA. 



here that length is attained by the frond itself, or rather (he main rachises 

 of the frond, which, having considerable intervals free from the pinnnc, twine 

 round each other, as well as over and among hushes (pcrhai)s much after 

 the manner of Ltjf/odium), intermingling, as it would appear, sterile and fertile 

 fronds, so that it is ditticult to trace the pinna; to their respective rachises. Of 

 the true caudex, and even btii)es, we know nothing. The primary petioles, which 

 are quite inarticulate, are often nearly opposite, 2 inches and more long, and 

 stand out at right-angles from the rachis. The fertile pinna; have always fewer 

 pinnules, and they exceed those of the sterile ones in length, being more than 

 twice as long, and generally very falcate. A folio page would not suffice to do 

 justice to a figure of this fine species. 



55. L. Fraseri, A. Curin.; caudex elongated suberect stout 

 clotlied Avith remains of old stipites except at tlie extremity 

 ■where it is quite paleaceous with curly brown scales 

 from below which a fascicle of fronds arises from ]-3 feet 

 in height (including the stipes), each frond is ovate-lanceo- 

 late acuminate firm-membranaceous, sterile ones pinnate, 

 pinnos 2-3 inches long lanceolate acuminate deeply almost 

 to the rachis pinnatifid, the bases decurrent into a pinnatifid 

 wing which unites the pinna3 at the base, segments oblong 

 very acute entire or serrated horizontally patent opaque, 

 veins very indistinct few simple or once or twice forked, 

 fertile fronds equal in size to the sterile ones bipinnate, pin- 

 nules small scarcely 3-4 lines long oblong, sori almost orange- 

 coloured spreading over the whole surface beneath, involucre 

 rather narrow membranaceous pale-brown, main rachis with 

 a narrow wing having here and there an oblong spreading lobe 

 or segment, stipes 4-5 inches long stramineous bearing small 

 toothed lobes (or abortive pinnae), its base more or less pa- 

 leaceous. — All. Cunn. PI. of N. Zeal, in Conip. to Bat. May. 

 ii. ;>. 364. Hook. Ic. PI. t. 185. Hook. fil. Fl. N. Zeal. ii. 

 p. 32. Brack. Fil. U.S. Expl. Exp. p. 128. 



Hah. Forests in the Northern Island of Xew Zealand, Eraser ; at Wangaroa 

 and Hokianga, etc., All. Cunninyhani, Colenso, Sinclair, J. D. Hooker, and others ; 

 Massacre Bay, Cook's Straits, Dr. Lyall. — This and the species immediately pre- 

 ceding are the most compoiuulof all the Lomarice, and certainly the best-marked 

 among them, yet having little affinity the one with the other. The fertile pinnules 

 are not half an inch in length, and very numerous and crowded. I have spoken 

 of the sterile pinnai as being pinnatitid, but they luay almost be said to be again 

 pinnate, for at the sinus, and reaching quite to the rachis, there is a pellucid 

 membrane, quite unlike the opaque substance of the frond, which unites these 

 pinnules at the base. By mistake Mr. All. Cunningham has described the caudex 

 as " scandent ;" and it is by mistake stated in ' Icones Plantarum,' that Fraser 

 mentions having seen the caudex 20 feet in length. His MS. note, in luy 

 herbarium, is " 10 feet." Dr. Hooker and Mr. Brackenridge speak of it as 

 ordinarily 2-3 feet long, hut erect or nearly so, with quite the habit of a 

 Tree-fern, and with Brackenridge's party it was always known by the name of 

 " the miniature Tree-fern." 



