» LECH NUM. 51 



pie or once or twice forked, sori continuous rarely interrupted. 

 — Linn. Sp. Pip. 1534. Jacrj. Ic. Ear. iii. t. 8G9 {excellent). 

 Siv. Syn. Fit. p. US. Willd. Sp. PL v. p. 4.\2. Raddi, Fil. 

 Bras. t. 53. Pr. Epini. Bot. p. 105. Hook. Gen. Fit. t. 54 B. 

 Metten. Fil. liort. Lips. p. 62. B. cartilagineum, Schk. Fit. 

 1. 108 b {excellent) . Filix minor, etc., Shane, Jam. i.p.87.t. 44. 

 J'. 2. Loncliitis juxta nervuni pulverulenta. Plum. Fil. t. 62. 

 /. B. — Var. caudata ; fronds terminating in a long-acuminated 

 entire lobe. Bl. caudatum, Cav. Pnelect., 1801. n. 649 {not 

 Sw.). Pr. Epini. Bot. p. 106. — Var. pectinata; fronds nar- 

 rower, smaller pinna3 narrow and more approximate, the 

 lowest ones only free. Bl. pectinatum, Hook. Ic. PL i. t, 95 

 {not Pr., ivhich is Blechnopsis, Pr. Epim. Bot. p. 118). Pr. 

 Epim. Bot. p. 105. — Var. minor; smaller in all its parts, 

 pinnse shorter in proportion ovato-oblong. Bl. glandulosum, 

 Link, En. Hort. Bot. BeroL ii. p. 462. Kaulf. En. Fil. p. 160. 

 Pr. Tent. Pterid. p. 103. WalL Cat. n. 56. Kze. FiL Schkh. 

 SuppL p. 13. t. 85. /. 2 {excellent). Pr. Epim. Bot. p. 104. 

 Bl. Pohlianum, Presl, Tent. Pterid. p. 103. ^. 11./. 11. Bl. 

 caudatum, Pr. Rel. Hcenk. t. I. p. 50 {an Cav.?). Bl. fasci- 

 culatum ?, Pr. Epim. Bot. p. 106. Bl. cognatum, Pr. Epim. 

 Bot. p. 107. Bl. distans, Pr. Tent. Pterid. p. 103 {fide Kl. 

 in Herb. Nostr.). Lomaria campylotis, Kze. in Linnaa, xvii. 

 p. 567, find xviii. j». 326. Kl. in Linncea, kx. p. 344. Meso- 

 thema campylotis, Pr. Epim. Bot. p. 112. Bl. meridionale, 

 Pr. Epim. Bot. p. 103. 



Hab. Abundant in tropical America, from Mexico and the West Indian islands 

 to South Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul {Sellow, Fox), on the Atlantic side, and 

 to Chili {Cuming, n. 15G, file Presl, and 78, Jide Sturm) on the Pacific side. 

 Specimens were in Capt. Beechey's " Coral Island " collections, as stated in the 

 Botany of Beechey's Voyage, but they were probably gathered somewhere on the 

 American coast. Of the forms above noticed I possess var. caudata, from Brazil, 

 Gardner, n. 184 (this is referred to Bl. yracile by Presl, and 1903). Demerara, 

 C. Parker. Tarapota, E. Peru, Spruce, n. 3950. Galapagos, Captain Wood. 

 Ecuador, Cuming, n. 1186; Panama, Seemann. Andes of Quito, Jameson, n. 13, 

 and Tovar, Venezuela, Fendler, n. 111. This latter is almost intermediate in 

 characters between Bl. longifoUum, H.B.K., and our Bl. occidentale, and I can by 

 no means satisfy myself that I am correct in placing it here. — Var. pectinata 

 I possess only from Peru, Blathews, n. 1805. — Var. minor, which has the appear- 

 ance of being young fronds, or, if I may so say, seedlings, I have from Tovar 

 (Morilz), Venezuela {Fendler, n. 109) ; Mexico, Liedmann (as Bl. glandulostim, 

 Lk., and as Lomaria campijlotis, Kze., the latter with the pinnas acutely auricled 

 at the superior base) ; Panama {Sinclair), Guatemala {Skinner), Jamaica {Purdie), 

 S. Brazil {Selloiv), from Dr. Klotzsch, as Bl. distans, Pr. ; in short, it is probably 

 to be met with wherever the more fully developed states are found. — It is 

 the fate of all species of Ferns which have a great geographical range to be 

 multiplied into a number of imaginary species, sufficient allowance not being 



