134 ASPLENIUM, § EUASPLEXIUM. 



65. t. 70. Moore, hid. Fit. /;. 139. Met ten. Asplen. p. 135. 

 A. Schkuhrianum, P?'. Tent. Pterid. p. 107- A7. in Limuea, 

 XX. p. 355. Metten. Asplen. p. 132. /. 4. /. 15, IG {(/ood). 

 A. abscissum, JVil/d. Sp. PL \. p. 321 [in part., fide Metten.) 

 Kl. in Linnoia, xx. p. 351. Moore, Ind. Fit. p. 108 (ea:'c/. 

 A. liidentatum, iTre. ; A. virens, Desv. ; and A. drepano- 

 phyllum, Kze. in Linncea, ix. p. 5G : /f/e Metten.). 



Hab. Tropical America; abundant in the West Indian Islands. Jamaica, Tri- 

 nidad, St. Vincent, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Dr. Imray, n. 120 ; Sieb. Syn. Fil. 

 n. 109. Cuba, Poeppig, Otto, n. 176. Mexico, Galeotli, n. G288 ; Linden, n. 1493. 

 Venezuela, Fendler, n. 130 and 139 /3. French Guiana, Lpprieur. Valley of the 

 Amazon, Spruce. Panama, Seemann, n. 309, growing on a wall ; small, very 

 membranaceous and translucent, stijies stramineous except at the base. Chatham 

 Island, Galapagos, Capt. Wood, 11. N. Realcjo, Dr. Sinclair. — We have, unfor- 

 tunately, no means of ascertaining the exact species intended by Swartz for his 

 Aspl. Icetum. Willdenow copies his si)ccific character and description. Schkuhr 

 does the same, but then he gives a figure of A. latum, which appears to me suffi- 

 ciently to accord with Swartz's description, but to which Willdenow gives a new 

 name, A. ahucissum, and remarks, "Ab A. Iceto satis diversum pinnis omnibus 

 horizontalibus nee inferioribus deflexis." Now, this direction of the i)innaj is far 

 from a constant character in our A. lesliim. Presl, finding that Willdenow had 

 mixed up two plants in his A. abscissum, changed the name of Schkuhr's J. Icetum 

 to A. Schkuhrianum, retaining the name of abscissum to the other plant (see our 

 A.firmum, n. 93). In herbaria and in books the greatest confusion exists as to 

 the names of these two species, although they are truly distinct, so difficult is it 

 to define the diaracters in words ; and the figures not being very characteristic, 

 except indeed the pinnae of the present species as represented by Mettenius. 

 I give the preference to Swartz's name of Icetum. Swartz compares it with A. 

 lunulatum and A. marinum, remarking that it differs from both in the longer 

 (generally) acute pinna;, which are unequally inciso-serrate, " et basi subtus 

 lunatis ;" characters well according with our plant. With the former it has 

 affinity, and Swartz especially notices the membranaceous texture of the pinnae. 

 Its nearest affinity is unquestionably, however, with the A. resectum of Sir James 

 Smith, an Oriental plant, whose long creeping caudex at once distinguishes it. 



93. A. (Euasplenium) firmum, Kze. ; scarcely any distinct 

 caudex or rhizome, copious and generally wiry roots (in old 

 plants) proceed from the base of the ceespitose stipites, these 

 latter are from 2 inches to a span long lurid-brown moderately 

 stout, fronds 6-8 inches long oblong or ovate rarely subdeltoid 

 subcoriaceous opaque pinnated, pinn£e 13-20 or more subho- 

 rizontally patent superior ones subconfluent and terminating in 

 a pinnatifid acuminated point, pinnae 1-2 inches long varying 

 from lanceolate to oblong-ovate or oval subdimidiate obtuse 

 or acuminate more or less deeply and duplicato-crcnato-ser- 

 rate, superior base truncated obtuse parallel with the rachis 

 but never distinctly auricled lower base more or less excised 

 sometimes sublunate, veins simple or forked at the superior 

 base subpinnate (rarely bearing a sorus which opens towards 



