ASl'LEMUM, § EUASI'LENIUM. 157 



It is to be regretted that we have no expression of opinion on the vahdity or 

 otherwise of the present species, A. contir/uum, by such experienced pteridologists 

 as Mettenius, Moore, and J. Smith. Moore has done the next best thing by 

 giving some reference to specimens that have been largely dispersed with numbers. 

 Thus he refers for A. contiguum (normal form) to " I'eradenia Collection" of Mr. 

 ThWaites, n. 3110. I possess no number so high as that, but I have No. 1340, 

 which is a small state of what I consider A . falcatum ,- and No. 1072 of Gardner 

 (Ceylon) "in part," of which I have copious original specimens, all very uniform, 

 and which I refer, as Mettenius does, to A. falcatum : they have shorter pinnaj 

 than is usual to that species. 



127. A. (Euasplenium) nitcns, Sw. ; caudex thick creep- 

 ing clothed in the young portion with imbricated broad su- 

 bulate sphagnoid scales, stipites sparse a span to a foot 

 long stout castaneous glossy glabrous, frond H-2 feet long 

 chartaceo-membranaceous striated with veins broad-lanceo- 

 late pinnated pinnatitid at the apex, pinnte horizontal petio- 

 late 4-5 inches long from a broad obliquely cuneate base 

 lanceolate much and caudately acuminate unequally inciso- 

 serrate deeply and sharply serrate above the middle, su- 

 perior base rounded inferior excised with an arcuate line, 

 lower pinnae gradually shorter more remote two lowermost 

 pair quite sessile an inch long broad rhombeo-ovate very ob- 

 tuse closely and finely serrated, veins copious closely ap- 

 proximate erecto-patent several times dichotomous (fiabel- 

 late and barren in the lowest pairs of pinnae), sori approxi- 

 mate to and parallel with the costa linear-elongated, invo- 

 lucres firm brown, rachis castaneous glabrous. (Tab. CXCV.) 

 —Stv. Syn. FiL p. 421 and 264. Bojer,Hort. Maurit. p. 396. 

 Willd. Sp. PL v. p. 326. Aspl. macrophyllum, Loive, N. Hist. 

 Ferns, v. t. 42 {not Swartz). 



Hab. Isle of France, frequent ; all travellers, Sleber, Syn. Fil. n. 65, and Fl. 

 Mixta, n. 321. Bourbon (e.t- Ilvrb. Mas. Par.). — A most distinct and very hand- 

 some species, peculiar (as far as at present known) to Mauritius and Bourbon, and 

 there very plentiful. The glossy (when dry dark-brown) papyraceous pinna; are 

 remarkable, and, however variable in breadth towards their base, from half an inch 

 to an inch, the two lowest and remote pair of pinna; are always quite altered in 

 form, short, sessile, cordate- or orbicular-rhomboid, sterile, and with flabellate 

 venation. Anpl. Serra, in some of its states, has much resemblance to A. niten^, 

 i;nt the pinn;e are more coriaceous, more strongly serrated, and it altogether 

 w ants the peculiar inferior pinna; of the frond. 



128. A. (Euasplenium) 5mi/f, Bl. ; *' fronds pinnate coria- 

 ceous glabrous, pinnre petiolate elongato-lanceolate long-acu- 

 minated subunequally cuneate at the base unequally and 

 sharply serrated striated, rachis and stipes subterete gla- 

 brous." Bl. En. Fil. Jew. p. 181. Metten, Asplen. p. 153. 

 Brack. FiL U. S. ExpL Exped. ^. 152 ? 



