80 ASPLENIUMj § THAMNOPTERIS. 



Hal). Java, Zollinger, n. 2414. — This I have not seen. Mettenius and Presl 

 and Fee refer it to the Thamnopteris group of Asplen'mm. Kiinze's remark, " A 

 j)ra!cedentibus fronde incrassata, nitida, ohtiisa, sorisque reinotis distinctum," 

 scarcely seems to justify this: for the only "preceding" species of Asplenium 

 described by him are, — 1. Aspl. nimplcx, Bl., expressly said to be a " Neoltopteris;" 

 followed by, 2. A. tceniosum, Kze., and A. squamulatum, Bl., both of the section 

 Euasplenium, if we understand them rightly. As, however, the species is distri- 

 buted in Zollinger's collections (n. 2414), it is probable that so accurate a 

 botanist as Mettenius has determined this point satisfactorily. Kunze says 

 nothing of the union of the veins at their apices. 



5. A. (Thamnopteris) PJiyUit'idis, Don; fronds tuftctl 

 small, about H foot long 2 inches and more wide lanceolate 

 subcoriaceous tapering at the base sessile or decurrent into a 

 more or less elongated stipes, costa at the back below sub- 

 acute, veins approximate spreading (less so than in some of the 

 preceding species, sori also shorter generally rather distant). — 

 Don, Prodr. Nep. p. 7- Metten. Asplen. p. 87 {exchulhifj the 

 Neottopteris stipitata, 7. >S'm. Neottopteris Phyllitidis, X <S?;i. 

 in Hook. Journ. of Bot. iii. p 400. Brack. Fil. U.S. Expl. 

 Exped. p. 176. Asplenium simplex, Bl. En. p. 174. 



Hab. East Indies, frequent : Nepal, TJ'allich in Herb. Nostr., sine nom. Assam, 

 varying from 10 inches to 2 feet in length, Simons. Khasya to Sikkim, I/ool: 

 fil. et Thomson (with a narrow apex, otherwise passing into A. Nidus), Griffith 

 (fronds sessile). Madias Peninsula, sometimes proliferous at the apex, JViyht. 

 Malacca, Dr. Cantor. Penang, Sir IVm. Norris. Isle of Samar, Cuming, n. 319 

 (specimens when dry of a darker colour than usual). Java, Blume. Luzon, 

 Brackenridge. — Assuredly if wo had only to consider our smallest specimens of 

 this supposed species, of scarcely 10 inches in length and 1 inch in breadth, and 

 our largest of A. muscefoUum, nearly G feet long and almost a foot wide, few 

 would be so bold as to pronounce them otherwise than very distinct; yet such 

 are the gradations through the several states and conditions of the intermediate 

 A. Nidus, that I am free to offer my opinion that it would be better to unite them. 

 No dependence can be placed on the relative length of the sori (or of the fronds 

 producing them), and as little upon their direction, more or less divergent. 

 Generally the narrower the frond the less horizontal the sori, the shorter and the 

 more distant. The sessile or stipitate fronds afford no character. 



I fear 1 have led Dr. Mettenius into an error by my remark on the close affinity 

 of Neottopteris sfipitata, J. Sm., and my then not being able to distinguish it 

 from his N. PhyUitidis. I have since ascertained that, with the most perfect 

 resemblance in form, A'^. stipitata has no intramarginal longitudinal vein connect- 

 ing the transverse veins ; consequently that it is not a Neottopteris (Thamno- 

 pteris, Pr.) at all ! and is here transferred to our Euasplenium section. 



6. A. (Thamnopteris) Grevillei, Wall. ; fronds tufted sub- 

 coriaceous \\ foot long palc-whitish-green when dry spa- 

 thulate (or oblong-ovate finely acuminate suddenly contracted 

 at the base and decurrent upon a long winged stipes), veins 

 compact horizontally patent, sori linear very narrow occupying 

 the upper half or the entire broad ])ortion of the frond rather 



