118 NEPHRODIUM, § LASTREA. 



tile portion is bipinnate, as in our var. 7, with the pinnules contracted. Tt is 

 from East Florida, Buckley. The Asp. Ludovicianura, Kze., I have not seen (na- 

 tive of Florida to Louisiana) ; but since Mettenius places it with A. Canaricnse, 

 it is probably what I should call var. 7 of Filix-mas. Pursh's Asp. Filix-nias. (in 

 IJerh. nostr.) proves to be my N. GohUeanum ; his var. j3, from South Carolina, 

 is no doubt our var. 7. 



Tropical America. All my specimens from Mexico and Guatemala, from 

 Skimier, Harlweg, n. 570, Galeotti, n. G348, with the single exception of Lieb- 

 tnann's, which has narrower and distant segments to the pinnae, rounded at the 

 apex (which yet is his Aspid. parallelograninnim, Kze.) ; and all from Ecuador, 

 Sjjruee,n. b(HS, Jameson, Ilarttrcg, n. 1512; Vtvvi, Mathews, n. 1848, Zec^/er, 

 n. 2020 ; from New Granada, Iloltun, n. 68, Hartweg, n. 1512, Linden, n. 521, 

 Schlim, n. 311 (Aspid. crinitum, Mart, and Gal. Fit. Mex. t. 11. f. 2); and Brazil, 

 near the summit of the Organ mountains, n. 5944 : all are true var. 0, paralle- 

 logramnuim. Are., with long, crinite, paleaceous scales, and quite parallelogramic 

 close-placed segments and coriaceous fronds. 



East India, continental. The normal European form is perhaps the least 

 common, and mainly confined to North-west India, often at great elevations, Jac- 

 fjupni07it, Edgworth, Strachey and Winterbottom, Wallich (Aspid. patentissimum, 

 Wall. Cat. p. 340). Sikkim, alt. 8,000-10,000 and even 15,000 feet (and then 

 small). Hooker fil. et Thomson. Nilghiries, Wight, Beddome. Nepal, Wallich. 

 — Var. /3 is perhaps the next most common, and from localities too numerous to 

 be worth recording, generally in mountain and northern districts, yet by no means 

 confined to them. — The most abundant form of all is assuredly our var. 7, elon- 

 gafam, varying exceedingly in size and composition, and is Asp. marginatum, 

 Wall. Cat. n. 391 ; from the Nilghiries {Beddome, n. 127) to Khasya, and along 

 the Himalayas, most common, to Boutan in the East. But there is a peculiarity 

 in many of' their forms in the large size, and the great convexity of the rotun- 

 dato-cordate involucres, as above noticed under var. 5 (it should rather perhaps 

 be a subvar. of 7), not unfrequently produced on dimorphous fronds ; that is 

 the pinnules of the sterile fronds are unusually large, while those of the fertile 

 fronds are much contracted, or the upper half of the frond is fertile and the 

 pinnules there alone contracted, such plants at first sight remind one of 0*- 

 munda regalis. They seem not to be confined to any particular locality, and I 

 think it is Mr. Moore has suggested that the fructifications are in some degree 

 diseased. Even in Europe the involucres of Filix-mas are often larger and more 

 convex in some specimens than others. The Indian state with the large involu- 

 cres is Arthrobotrys avara, Wall. Cat. n. 1034, Nephrod. cochleatum oi Don, and 

 Arthrol)otrys macrocarpa. Wall. Cat. n. 3'Jb. 



China. Hongkong, Urquhart, Champion (Aspid. Championi, Benth. Fl. Hong- 

 kong, p. 456, and p. 30 of this volume). North China : Manchuria, Schrenck ; 

 Port Hamilton and Isle of Tsus-Sima, Wilford. 



Japan. I have fine specimens from Hakodadi, gathered by C. Wright, of 

 Filiv-mas in the really normal state, and I am tempted to bring hither the Las- 

 trea lacera. Eat. in the Proc. Acad. Sc. Philad. 1859. p. 110, which that able 

 pteridologist has ascertained to be the Polypodinm lacerum of Thunberg ; " fron- 

 dibus e caudice brevi crasso i)luribus stipite breviori valde paleaceo insidentibus 

 subcoriaceis glabris subtus albicantibus oblongis acutis bipinnatis; pinnis late 

 lanceolatis acuminatis pinnatis v. pinnatifidis, intermediis longioribus, superioribus 

 contractis fructiferis ; segmentis oljlongis vel falcatis acutis serratis, basilaribus 

 nunc utrinque subauriculatis ; soris confertis demuni confluentibus ; indusioorbi- 

 culari usque ad medium fisso sinu clauso lateribus inflexis. Simoda, Japan, C. 

 Wright " {Eaton). My specin^ns from Tsus-Sima are identical witlf these.— Mr. 

 Eaton has favoured me with two perfect specimens; both have the glossy palea- 

 ceous clothing of the handsomest states of Filix-mas. One has the pinnaj scarcely 

 more than pinnatifid, and the upper fructified portion slightly contracted ; the other 



