4 POLYPODIUM, § GOMOPTERIS. 



Klf. En. Fil. p. 109. Phegopteris, Metten. Phegopt. p. 24. 

 Polvp. affine, Loioc\ Fil. 2. t. 50, and to this Mettenius refers 

 as his Phegopt. obliterata, Melien. Phegopt. p. 46. 



Hat). Tropical America, most abundant in the West Indies and on the main- 

 land from Brazil and Guiana to the Pacific, and in Central America.* — Swartz 

 says most justly of P. megalodus, Schk., " liujus {P. tetrag.) non nisi varietas:" 

 both forms are well represented by Schkuhr himself. Willdenow takes no notice 

 of P. megalodus, and does not refer to Schkuhr's figure of P. tetragonurn, and he 

 places it in his section "frondibus bipinnatifidis." His remark, " species admo- 

 dum varians," is correct, more so than what follows, " sed facile stipite tetragono 

 laevi agnoscenda." Its cliief distinguishing characters are perhaps the attenuated 

 base of the lower pinnae and the terminal petiolated one ; but the latter is by no 

 means to be depended upon, for the petiole is not always present, and the apex be- 

 comes gradually or suddenly pinnatifid. Some specimens, too, very much resemble 

 forms oi Nephr odium molle ; in which, however, independent of the presence of 

 involucre, there is seldom more than one pair of veinlets united. 



229. P. (Goniopteris) /ra,ri;??'/b^mm, Jacq., Kaulf. ; caudex 

 " ascending," stipes 1-2 feet long glabrous, fronds 1-2 feet 

 long ovato-lanceolate glabrous subcoriaceo-membranaceous 

 dark-green now and then gemmiferous pinnated with a ter- 

 minal pinna generally longer than the rest, pinnae subpetio- 

 late all of them 3-6 inches long from a subcuneated base 

 lanceolate finely acuminated, the margins entire or subcre- 

 nato-sinuate, lowest pair of veinlets patent connivent at a 

 very acute angle w'hence the veinlet is continuous towards 

 the margin the rest of the veinlets also directed towards the 

 margin free or here and there connivent within the margin, 

 sori dorsal on the veins copious forming about 4 series be- 

 tween the costa and the margin on each side, of w^hich those 

 of the costal series are generally the largest. — Jacrj. Ic. Bar. 

 t. 6.S9. Siu. Syn. Fil. p. 38. fViUd. Sp. PL v. p. 19.5. Go- 

 niopteris, Pr. P. proliferum, Kaulf. En. Fil. p. 107- Phe- 

 gopteris, Metten. Phegopt. p. 24. Pol. \\\\Y>axum,Raddi,Fil. 

 Bras. p. 22. t. 32 [very good). Goniopteris, Brack. Pol. 

 diversifolium, Sw. Vetensk. Acad. Hand. ISl'J.p. 60. 



* As this is a species often misunderstood and very common, I may here refer 

 to some specimens in my herbarium which have been circulated with numbers: 

 — Var. a. Amazon, ^rwce, n. 1107. New Granada, Z?nrfen,«. 1011, /^oWom, n. 44. 

 Guiana, Schomburgk, n. 135. Ecuador, Spruce, n. 5258. Peru, Mathews, n. 

 1845. Panama, Fendler, n. 403, Cuming, n. 1301 (very large and passing into 

 var. 13), Martinique, Sieher, Fl. Mixt. n. 332, " P. concinnum," Sieber, Otto, n. 

 119. Cuba, C. Wright, n. 817, and n. 1109, " Aspid. tetragonurn," Metten. fide 

 Eaton, (Neplirod.,/;. 103 of our last vol.), but it .surely is our Pol. tetrag., large spe- 

 cimen. — Var. p. Venezuela, Fe?idler, n. 200. New Granada, Linden, n. 20 1 and 

 1011. Cuba, C. Wright, n. 1010 (pinnules 10 inches long, If inch broad). Ecua- 

 dor, Spruce, n. 5719. 



