ASIMDIUM, § POLYSTICHUM. 29 



E.vpl. Ejp. 1853-56. India (i/rverall;/ larijer than from the preceding countries, 

 and approaching \ AY. ^). iiwa., lilume,Lobh. Www&o, Wallace, hm.on, Cuming, n. 

 262. Nilghiri, Wight, n. 109, M'lvor, lieddome, n. 131. Nepal, Wallich. Khasia, 

 Sikkim,etc., Ilook.Jil. and Thompnon, ii. 273. Ceylon, General Walker, Gardner, 

 It. 1373, Thwaites, n. 33H1. — ^. Nejjal, Nilgliiri, Kumaon, Wallich. Monntains, 

 N. i^engal, frequent, Ilook.fl. and Thomson, n. 273 b. I5hotan, Griffith. Ceylon, 

 General Walker. Moulmein, Pariah (ultimate pinnules very narrow). Raoul Island, 

 S. Pacific, Macgillivray {approaching var. 7). — 7. Nepal, Wallich ; Khasia, clev. 

 4500 feet. Hooker fil. and Thomson, n. 275. Ceylon, Mrs. General Walker, n. 

 212 (in aspect approaching Aspid. sti-amineum, Kaulfs. pinnules broad, sori de- 

 pressed and forming corrcsjioiiding elevations on the superior surface; some of the 

 pinnules slightly distorted); Nepal, 1820, Jl'alltch (many pinnules abnormal); 

 Piipulath and Nepal, 1821, Wallich (pinna; coriaceous very abnormal, all cuneate 

 eroso-laciniate. As])id. Cornu-Cervi, Don). 



A widely dispersed species in India and the Indian Pacific Ocean, and I fear very 

 variable ; but much misunderstood, and mainly so perhaps in consequence of the im- 

 perfect character given by its discoverer (Fors/er), and from Swartz having given 

 New Zealand as its native country. There is reason to believe that Schkuhr's 

 plant is a true and authentic one, most probably derived from Forster himself, and 

 the locality there given (for it is omitted in Forster's Prodromus) is not New 

 Zealand, but the Pacific Islands ; nor, familiar as I am with the Ferns of New 

 Zealand, have I ever seen a specimen from that country. With regard to the 

 synonyms, Mr. Moore is the first to unite the A. coniifoUmn, Wall, with A. aris- 

 tatum, correctly so, I believe. Some of the forms of this gradually pass into what 

 I take to be Aspid. Hamiltonii, and some forms of this approach the less robust 

 states of Aspid. coriaceum. 



33. A. (Polystichum) biai'istatmn, Bl. ; caudex erect?, sti- 

 pites tufted a span to a foot long stout very paleaceous below 

 with long subulate castaneous scales (sometimes having a black 

 central line) mixed higher up with large Ijroad-lanceolate in- 

 tensely ])lack glossy ones, the rest of the stipes with more or 

 less deciduous and copious crinite scales at length glabrous, 

 fronds 1-2 feet high very lirm-coriaceous glossy from a broad 

 base ovate-oblong suddenly acuminated "at the apex (hence 

 subcaudate) bipinnate, pinnoc sessile or nearly so oblong acu- 

 minate (acumen serrated) lowest ones often G inches long, 

 pinnules oblique semiovate or rhomboid rarely sublanceolate 

 subfalcate acute serrate sublobate at the superior truncated 

 base ^ an inch to an inch long, terminal serratures chiefly 

 raucronato-spinose, veins more or less forked, sori copious 

 on the upper half of the frond general marginal, involucres 

 rather small orbicular peltate soon becoming cup-shaped. — 

 BL En. Fil. Jav.p. 164. 



Ilab. Tropical India, Java, Blume, in Ilerh. Nostr., Thos. Lolh, Be Vricse and 

 Teijsmann, n. 595. Singapore, .S'ir W. Norris ; Moulmein, Thos. Lohb, C. S. P. 

 Parish, n. 72 (very coriaceous, large scales of the stipes castaneous). Silhet and As- 

 sam, Griffith. Khus'in, GriJ/ilh. Bhotan, Grijith, Booth. Ceylon, Gardner, a. 1009, 

 1102, 13C7, Thv-aites, n. 3275, Hooker Ji I. and Thomson, n. 276 c, Simon.s. — 

 1 long hesitated whether to unite this with A. aculcalum, or to keep it separate 



