12 ASPIDlUMj § I'OLYSTICHUM. 



<|uently assiiniiiig other forms. — Var. coriacca. Nepal, Kumaoii, Wallich, eiev. 

 9000 ft., Devali, Slrachey and U'interbotiom ; above Simla, Col. Bales, Edywurth; 

 Sikkim-llimalaya, Hook. Jjl. and Thomson (some with the lower scales on the 

 stipes larger and intensely black) ; Bhotan, 9000 ft., Griffith, Boolh.—\i\r. 

 subbipinnalum, Nepal, Wallich, n. 360; Kuniaon, elev. 2G00 ft., Slrachey a,id 

 U'interbotiom. Khasya, Griffith, Hook. fil. and Thomson, often mixed with the 

 true auriculalum, Thos. Lobb ; N. W. Himalaya, Harabagh, Edyworth. — The 

 earliest certain authority for this little-understood but common Indian Fern, is 

 Burmann's figure above quoted ; and that, thougli only exhibiting the apex of a 

 frond, is so characteristic, that we feel confident of its identity with the normal 

 state we have here fii;ured, and which is particularly common in Ceylon and 

 the adjacent Madras Peninsula, where it seems to be pretty constant to its type; 

 but in the Bengal Pi esidency, Northern Provinces, it is so variable that we do not 

 wonder Dr. Wallich and others constituted new species. The difficulty indeed is 

 to know where to stop, for in several the fronds become more compound, more or 

 less bipinnate to an extent which almost unites our original type vi'iih Aspid. acu- 

 leatum, especially the least compound state of that, the var. lobatum. 



12. A. (Polystichum) lepidocmilon, Hook. ; stipites 6-9 in- 

 ches and as well as the rachis densely clothed with brown 

 membranaceous broad ovate scales of two kinds the one small 

 and ajjpressed the other large and more or less spreading, 

 fronds 8-10 inches long ovate acuminate broad and truncated 

 at the base pinnated, pinn£E not numerous (10-12 pairs) 

 chartaceous 2-2 5 inches long sessile or shortly petiolate from 

 a broad cuneate base truncated and distinctly and sharply 

 auricled aI)ove, lanceolate gradually acuminated scaly be- 

 neath entire or obscurely crenate the inferior base rounded, 

 uppermost pinnaa short and confluent into an acuminate 

 pinnatifid apex, sori in two or more series near the costa, 

 involucres brown membranaceous deciduous, veins fascicled 

 rarely here and there anastomosing. (Tab. CCXVIL) 



Hab. Near Simoda, Japan, /. Small; Ringgold and Rogers, U. S. N. Pacif 

 Eirpl. Exped. (from the herbarium collected by C. Wright). Tsus Sima, Strait of 

 Corea, Vi'ilford. — A very distinct and well marked species, with a habit and texture 

 somewhat approaching narrow pinnated forms of Cyrlomiumfalcatum; but with 

 the almost entirely free venation of true Polystichum. The two sets of broad scales 

 copiously clothing the rachis as well as the stipes, and less numerous on the under 

 side of the pinnae are very peculiar. 



13. A. (Polystichum) stimulans^ Kze. ; caudex short stout 

 oblique very scaly, stipites densely tufted 2-4 inches long 

 often chaffy flexuose slender and tawny as is the rachis, 

 fronds subcoriaceous 4-6-8 inches long linear or oblong-lan- 

 ceolate acute pinnate, pinnae lax distant distinctly petiolate 

 from an oblique truncate cuneate base rhomboideo-triangular 

 with generally a spinose auricle at each base and with two or 

 three large sharp serratures which as well as the apex are termi- 

 nated with a spine, rarely one of the auricles becomes a free 



