28 POLYPODIUM, § GONIOPHLEBIUM. 



series, sori globose sunk forming pustules on the upper side 

 with frequently a cretaceous dot in the centre. — Langsd. and 

 Fisch. Fit. p.\\.t.\2 {verij good). IVilld. Sp. PL v. p. 189. 

 Metten. Polyp, p. 78. Marginaria, Pr. Goniophlebium, J. Sm. 

 Polyp, albo-punctatum, Raddi, Fil. Bras. p. 21. /. 30. Kze. 



Hah. Brazil, Langsdorff, Raddi. S. Gabriel, on the Amazon, rocks in the falls, 

 Spruce, n. 2269 (" exhales a strong odour of Anthoxanthum in drying"). Pa- 

 nama, on the trunk of an Oil-Palm, Sutton Hayes. Trinidad, C. S. Parker. — 

 I have never received this Fern from any authentic source, and must plead guilty 

 to my having till recently referred my specimens from Parker, Spruce, and Hayes, 

 to P. neriifolium, itself a very variable plant. This I find to have much more 

 membranaceous, greener fronds ; larger pinna3, rarely attenuated at the base ; 

 smaller sori, arranged in three to five or more series. Perhaps the white creta- 

 ceous dots are more distinct in the recent plant than in the dried, or Raddi's 

 name is rather deceptive. Both these species, as well as P . fraxinifolium and P. 

 adnalum, have peculiarly straight, costuliform, primary veins, and veinlets uniting 

 at an angle so as to form several seiies of areoles, of which those near the mar- 

 gin are rarely soriferous. P. menisciifolium has the longest and narrowest pinnse 

 of the three, the veins and veinlets are more elevated and conspicuous, and the 

 sori form more prominent warts or tubercles on the upper side. 



273. P. (Goniophlebium) neriifoUum, Sw. ; caudex stout 

 creeping knotted paleaceous with large brown broad-lanceo- 

 late acuminated scales paler and jagged at the margin, sti- 

 pites 4 inches to a span or a foot long reddish testaceous, 

 frond ovate a span to 2 feet and more long 8-10 inches wide 

 coriaceous generally very rigid brownish-green when dry 

 glabrous 0])aque but glossy on the surface distinctly veined 

 pinnate to the very apex, pinnae 4-8-12 inches long ^-1 and 

 rarely 1^ inch wide sessile from a more or less tapering and 

 unequally cuneated base oblong or linear-lanceolate gradually 

 and moderately acuminated narrow calloso-marginate entire 

 or subsinuate, primary veins straight costuliform prominent 

 on both sides, the veinlets forming six to eight series of uni- 

 form areoles with a free veinlet included, one to four of the 

 costal ones soriferous, sori large subglobose impressed form- 

 ing distinct pustules on the upper side. — P. neriifolium, Siv, 

 Syn. Fil. p. S'J. Schk. Fil. p. 14. t. 15 {very characteristic, 

 but the sori too small). Willd. Sp. PL v. p. 194. Raddi, 

 Fil. Bras. p. 22. ^.31 bis {very good). Metten. Polyp, p. 78. 

 Hook. Gen. Fil. t. 70 B {venation and soi'i very fait Iiful). 



Hab. Tropical America, Atlantic to the Pacific: Brazil, most abundant, Gard- 

 ner, 11. 26 a7id 1219, IJ'aUich, n. 307 ; Peru, Mathevjs, n. 3287; Ecuador, See- 

 mann (some pinna; 1| inch broad) ; Caraccas, Linden, n. 527, Morifs, n. 352; 

 Venezuela, Fendler, n. 240, 804; West Indies, L'Herminier, Lockhart, n. 41, 

 Dr. Imray, n. 70, M'Fadyen. — P. Preslianum, Lk., is probably not difl'erent 

 from this, and under that Rlettenius (Fil. Hort. Lips. p. 33) enumerates P. poly- 

 .stichum, P. disians, P. jnglandifolimn, P. jiustidalum, P. longifolium, and P. 



