150 NEPHRODIUM, § LASTREA. 



Metten. — Aspidium, Metten. Asp'ul. ji. 69. Lastrea, Moore. 

 Aspid. Iffitum, Moritz {non Siv.). Aspid. melanostichum?, 

 Kze. in Limicca, xiii. |;. 148. Polystichum, Liebm. PH. Mex. 

 p. 124. 



Hab. Tro])ical America: Caraccas, A/orzYz, n. 433, Linden, 122; Venezuela, 

 Fendler, 330; Rio, Gardner; Jamaica, M'Fadyen; Culia, C. Wright, n. 831, 

 Linden, n. 1743 ; Peru, Mathews, n. 1830 ; Tarapota, Eastern Peru, Spruce, n. 

 4663; Ecuador, foot of Cliimborazo, alt. 3000 feet, 5>;?-Mce, n. 5722; Mexico, 

 Lieljmann, in Herb, nostr. (at least I cannot distinguish sterile specimens from 

 the author of Aspid. melanostichum, Kze., which is also proliferous at the apex, like 

 excultmn). — This, like our N. platypus and the following species, has quite the 

 habit of a Polystichum. Our specimens from Peru and Ecuador seem to attain 

 a much larger size than those from other parts of America. 



152. N. (Lastrea) hispidum, Hook.; caudex stout creeping 

 densely paleaceous with long subulate red-brown scales, 

 stipites distant stout a foot and more long hispido-crinite 

 with long deflexed bristles bulbose at the base and almost 

 black, the same but smaller and spreading bristles are con- 

 tinued up the main and secondary rachises and costae, fronds 

 a span to H foot long coriaceo-chartaceous ovate acuminate 

 3-4-pinnate subsericeo-pubescent beneath, primary pinnae 

 3-6 inches long ovate acuminate all petiolate, lowest pair 

 deltoideo-acuminate, secondary ones of the same shape or 

 narrower, ultimate pinnules narrow-lanceolate \-\ an inch 

 long deeply pinnatifido-serrate, the segments pungently 

 acute, all the ultimate rachises with a narrow wing so that 

 the pinnules are decurrently adnate, veinlets central solitary 

 in each division and segment, sori one to each ultimate seg- 

 ment, involucre dark-brown the disk almost black firm per- 

 sistent orbicular plane more frequently polystichoid than 

 lastreoid, the sinus very indistinct. — Aspidium hispidum, 

 Sw. Syn. Fil. p. 56. Willd. Sp. PI. v. p. 266. Metten. Aaind. 

 J). 70. Bclik. Fil. p. 49. /. 49. Polystichum, J. Sm. Hook, 

 fil. FL Nov. Zel. ii. p. 38. Polyst. Schkuhrii, Pr. Polypo- 

 dium setosum, Forst. Prodr. p. 82. 



Ilab. New Zealand, Forster, in Herb, nostr., Menzies, A. Cunningham, Colenso, 

 Fraser, J. D. Hooker ; Middle Island, Bidwill, Br. Lyall. — A very fine and very 

 distinct species, quite peculiar to New Zealand. 



Of the Aspidium-^i-ovi\^, including Eua.spidium, Polystichum, Nephrodium, 

 Lastrea, there are many imaginary and, no doubt, some good species found in 

 books more than are here noticed. Many of tliem could not be introduced with 

 any prospect of benefiting science, and the diflicnlty would be to know where 

 to stop — how to sift the cliaff from the wheat. 



