46 POLYPODIUM, § NIPHOBOLUS. 



and free veinlets). — Metten. Tolyp. /?. 131. Niphobolus, Kze. 

 in Linneea, x. />. 501, and in Schk. Fil. Si/ppl. p. 67- t. 33. 

 Pappe and Raivs. En. Fil. S. Afr. p. AX. Gynosorum, Fr. 



Hab. South Africa: Natal, Dre^e,- British Cafraria, D' Urban; Anibas Bay, 

 Cameroons, G. Mann. — This species appears to be as peculiar to the warm parts 

 of South Africa as P. Americanum is to the tropical regions of the New World. 



303. p. (Niphobolus) rupesire, Br. ; caudex rather slender 

 creeping branched tortuose paleaceous with narrow acumi- 

 nated scales, stipites remote \ ^'^ '\r\c\\ to 3-4 inches long 

 jointed upon a short scaly branch of the caudex, fronds di- 

 morphous carnoso-coriaceous above partially clothed with 

 stellated hairs or tomentum beneath densely so and some- 

 times quite white or cinnamon-colour with them ; sterile 

 fronds 1-2-3 inches long ^—1 inch wide obovate elliptical 

 spathulate or even orbicular ; fertile ones 4-6 inches long 

 \-% of an inch wide linear-oblong or -lanceolate obtuse gra- 

 dually tapering into the petiole, venation quite immersed 

 very irregular as represented by Mettenius and subcampylo- 

 neuroid, sori large and in my specimen very irregular, par- 

 tially sunk yet very convex and prominent often confluent 

 frequently confined to the superior half of the frond. — Br. 

 Prodr. p. 136. Metten. Fil. Hort. Lips. p. 33. /. 24./. 9, 10 

 [venation), Polyp, p. 125. Niphobolus, Hook, and Grev. Ic. 

 Fil. t. 93. Hook. Fil. Fl. Nov. Zeal. p. 44. N. serpens, Endl. 

 Fl. Norf., Pr. Polyp. Forst. P. stellatum. Rich. P. eleeagiu- 

 folium, Bory, in Duperry Voy. Bat. p. 259. t. Sl.f. 1. Niphob. 

 bicolor, Kaulfs. En. Fil. p. 128. Hook, and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 

 44 [wanting the sterile fronds) . 



Hab. Australia, as far north as Moreton Bay, New Zealand, as far south as 

 Banks's Peninsula, and the intervening adjacent islands of the South Pacific, 

 Fiji and Kermadee Islands, etc., Milne and others. Society Islands, Bidwill. — 

 This is a species, though of extended, yet Hmited distribution. It does not ap- 

 pear in West Australia, nor in any part of India ; and is best distinguished from 

 P. adnascens by the large and irregularly-disposed sori. 



304. P. (Niphobolus) confiuens, Br. ; caudex long slender 

 filiform creeping much-branched paleaceous with subulate 

 finely acuminated scales like slender hairs, stipites 1-4-5 

 lines long from a paleaceous base squamulose, fronds dimor- 

 phous carnoso-coriaceous (probably very thick and fleshy 

 when recent) above glabrous or sparsely stellato-pubescent 

 beneath farinaceous and almost silvery with minute scales 

 mixed with copious stellated hairs ; sterile fronds \-\ an inch 



