68 WOOOWARDIA. 



2. W. orientalis, S\v. ; stipes elongated, clothed at the 

 base with very large membranaceous laTiceolato-acuminated 

 scales 1-1.^ inch long, fronds ample coriaceous pinnated, 

 pinnae scarcely petiolated ovato-lanceolate acuminated G in. 

 to a foot long and obliquely cuneate at tlie base deeply pin- 

 natifid, segments lanceolato-acuminated eartilagineo-serrated 

 above, the longest are at the superior base (3-5 inches long 

 rarely again pinnatifid) those at the inferior base dwarfed or 

 suppressed, veins generally everywhere anastomosing with 

 rather small areoles, involucre vaulted coriaceous margin of 

 the cavity of the sorus elevated, gemmiferous buds frequent 

 small scaly on the upper pagina of the pinna; from a point 

 corresponding with the sorus beneath. — Siv. Syn. Fi/.jip. 117? 

 315. JI'i/kL Sp. PL y. p. 418. Kze. Pterid. Jap. in Bot. 

 Zeit. \Q\8,p. 2>2i. Blechnuvn Japonicum, "i/ow^/?/?/w Na- 

 tuurlijke Hist. ii. t. 97. f. 1." Woodwardia Ja])onica, Hook. 

 Kelt) Gard. Misc. '\yi.p. 341, in part [not Sv).). Woodwardia 

 prolifera. Hook, et Am. Bot. of Beech. Voy. p. 275./. 5G [not 

 57 as in text) ; small specimens unusually proliferous. W. 

 radicans, D. C. Eaton, in List of JVilliams and Morrow^ s Ja- 

 pan Ferns, p. 329. 



Hah. Japan, Thunberg, Goring, Williayns and Morroir. Loochoo Islands, 

 Lag and Collie (small and coiiioiisly proliferous.) Wright, in Herb, of Ringgold and 

 Rodgers's U.S. N. Pacif. EjjjI. Evpcd., has two forms : (1) the ordinary form, large, 

 coriaceous, not proliferous ; and (2) thinner and almost memt)ranaceous, very pro- 

 liferous (as in Lay and Collie's specimens), pinna) finely acuminated, diliering 

 however from our other specimens of If. orientalis in the veins being free to- 

 wards the margin of the pinnules, as in W. radicans). Keelung, Island of For- 

 mosa, f niford {Jane, 1858); fronds very fine, 3-4 feet long, often proliferous, 

 veins much anastomosing. — With a general aspect in this Fern closely resembling 

 that of /['. radicans, and which would almost seem to justify Mr. Eaton in con- 

 sidering it the same, there are differences wliich I think will suffice to keep it 

 distinct. It was correctly observed by Swartz, " Laeinia; reticulatim venosre." 

 This is very conspicuous to the naked eye ; but I fear even this, so often used as a 

 generic character, will not hold good here as a specific distinction. One of Mr. 

 Wright's Loochoo specimens has the venation of U\ 7-adicans, but its gemmife- 

 rous condition is that of W. orientalis, and so is the shape of the pinnic that of W. 

 orientalis : that is, the two sides are very unequal at the base, the superior base 

 having invariably the longest laeinia of any on the pinna;, whilst on the inferior 

 base they are as invariably the shortest. Swartz contrasts it in the first instance 

 with jr. Japonica, and says of it, " Stipite iuido, pinnis petiolatis nee sessilibus," 

 and I must confess that when I had only imperfect specimens of W. Japonica and 

 11'. orientalis, I was led to unite the two: yet the affinity of the latter is clearly 

 with W. radicans. 



§§ Anchistea, Pr. — Fronds riniform. pinnate, pinnw pinnatifid, veins all free 

 bettveen the sori and the margin, as in Doodia. 



3. W. Virginica, Sni. ; rhizome creeping subterranean, 



