ASPiniUM, § POLYSTICHUM. l7 



green (when dry) pinnated, pinnae articulated upon the racliis 

 numerous approximate horizontal, from a broad sessile shortly 

 petiolated semicordate base oblong acuminate straight or fal- 

 cate entire or obtusely crenate (never spinulose), sori mostly 

 on the back of the veinlets in four series two on each side, 

 the inner one close by the costa the other between it and 

 the margin, veins fascicled, involucres orbicular slightly 

 convex depressed in the middle suberose. — a. Ainericanum ; 

 lobe or auricle of the superior base of the pinnae obsolete. 

 A. semicordatum, Stv. Syn. Fil. p. 45. IViild. Sp. PL v. 

 p. 222. Metten. Aspid. p. 36. Polystichum, Moore. Cy- 

 clopeltis, /. Sm, Lastrea, Fr. Polypodium, Siv. Fl. Ind. 

 Occ. iii. p. 651. Aspid. caducum, H. B. K. Nov. Gen. Am. 

 i. p. 12. Kaulf. Enum. Fil. p. 23.3. Polypodium, IVilld. Sp. 

 PL V. p. 193. Hemicardium Nephrolepis, Fee, Gen. FiL p. 

 262. H. macYosoYxxm, Fee, 3Iem. Fouff. win. p. 101. Lingua 

 cervinafoliis ensiformibus serratis. Plum. Fil. p. 98./. 113. — 

 /?. Preslianum; lobe or auricle of the superior base of the 

 pinna rounded, but smaller than the inferior one which is 

 falcate. Aspidium Preslianum, Metten. Aspid. p. 36. Las- 

 trea, J. Sm. in Hook. Joiirn. Bot. iii. /;. 462. Polystichum, 

 Moore. Nephrodium semicordatum, Pr. Reliq. Hank. i. p. 

 32 [the Luzon plant). Hemidictyon Cumingiaimm, Fee, Gen. 

 FiL p. 283. t. 22./. 2. Hemicardion subhastatum, Fee, Gen. 

 Fil. p. 282, name only (superior lobe a little more divaricated). 

 — 7. crenatum ; superior base of the pinna obliquely truncated, 

 lower lobe or auricle variable in size. Hemicardion crena- 

 tum, Fee, Ge?i. Fil. p. 283. t. 22 A, I. — 8. iruncatum ; pinnae 

 at the base on each side transversely truncated. 



Hab. a. Americanum. Tropical America : West Indian Islands, probably uni- 

 versal; throughout Venezuela, New Granada; Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Seemann ; 

 Central America, Cuminff, n. 1244 ; Panama, Sinclair, Hayes, n. 74 ; Galapagos 

 Islands, Capt. Wood. Valley of the Amazon, Rio Managuiry, Spruce, n. 1610, 

 and Tarapota, Eastern Peru. — yS. Preslianum. Luzon, Presl, Cuming, n. 68. 

 Solomon Islands, Milne, (superior basal lobe divaricated, as that from Amboyna, 

 Labillardiere, Herb. Hook, e.v Herb. Webb). — y. crenatum. Cochin China, Gaudi- 

 chaud ; Borneo, Wallace, Tlios. Lobb (Sarawak). — S. Iruncatum. Twa Kabin, 

 Moulmein, Rev. C. S. P. Parish. — This species has no near affinity with any of the 

 Poli/s/ichum-gTou]), but it is not therefore needful to constitute a genus: nor, 

 whether a genus or not, is there any need for constituting five species of the 

 original semicordafum. Presl was quite right in uniting the Luzon plant (since 

 called Preslianum) with the American semicordatum. Hemicardium crenatum 

 and subhastatum of Fee (both oriental Ferns) differ in nothing but the greater or 

 less development of the lol)es at the base of the pinnx, quite obsolete in those of my 

 var. Iruncatum (as indeed Plumierhas re])resented them in his American plant). — 

 H. Cochinchinense, Fee, is nowhere described or in any way characterized. My 

 VOL. IV. D 



