POLYPODIUM, § PIIYMATODES. 55 



Hah. Ecuador, about the suhiirhs of Ctienca, on walls and liedgchanks in great 

 abundance, Jawesnn. Near Bauos, " locis saxosis apricis ; frons valde coriacea," 

 Spruce, n. 5248. — I cannot tell what may be the exact nature of the venation of 

 this Fern, of which I have received only two broken specimens from Professor 

 Jameson, and three or four very i)erfect fronds from Mr. Spruce. It has all the 

 appearanc(! and the copious stellated tomentum, with the sori sunk or immersed, 

 of Niphoholun ; if of this group, it is remarkable as inhabiting the New World. 



§ 10. Phymatodes. — Sori round or oblong, terminal on free veinlets, or dorsal, 

 or frequently on the point of union of the anastomosing veinlets. Venation 

 copiously anastomosing, cosfules, when present, pinnated, the rest of the vena- 

 tion very irregular, often forming large areoles including numerous lesser ones, 

 and those generally including simple or branched uUimatc free veinlets, or not 

 ^infrequently the whole network forms areoles nearly uniform in size ivith in- 

 cluded free veinlets. — Caudex creeping. Stipites fur the most part jointed 

 near the base. Fronds often ample and coriaceous, simple or pinnatifid or pin- 

 nate, rarely snbdimorphous. Gen. Phymatodes, Pr. Microgramme, Pr. 

 Pleopeltis, Moore. Drynaria and Microsorus, Fe'e. Sp. 321-398. 

 * Fronds simple. Sp. 321-355. 



321. P. (Phymatodes) persicaricefoli ii in, Schrtid.; caudex 

 very long creeping or scandent branched clothed with imbri- 

 cated subulate scales, fronds distant generally arising from a 

 short paleaceous branch or bud subsessile firm-membrana- 

 ceous 5-8 inches long f-3 inches wide broad-elliptico-lanceo- 

 late acute or acuminate attenuated below into a very short 

 stipes entire, veins somewhat irregularly anastomosing form- 

 ing a series of o])long costal areoles then a series of large 

 areoles including a network of anastomosing veinlets in the 

 centre of which are the large or obliquely oblong or linear 

 sori on the apices of two or more free veinlets, costal and mar- 

 ginal areoles also have frequently free included veinlets. — 

 Schrad. Goctt. g. Anz. 1824, p. 867. Metten. Ft/. Hort. Lips, 

 p. 37. t. 25./. 20, Po/ypod., p. 98. Microgramme, Pr., Hook. 

 Gen. Fil. t. 72. A. Drynaria, Fee. Mecosorus, A7. Pleo- 

 peltis, Moore. Polypodium lycopodioides, Meyer, Schk. Fil. 

 J). I87. t. 8. c. Selliguea Sellowiana, A7. in Herb. Reg. Berol. 



ITab. Tropical America: Brazil, Guatemala, 5^-mH(?r,- Gn\?ina., Schomburgk,n. 

 301, Sayot, n. 1010; Or'moco, Spruce, n. 3218; Triniiiad, Ecuador, Guayaquil (on 

 the trunks of Theobroma Cacao), Spruce, n. 5735 (pale bright-green ; fronds 11 

 inches long, 2 inches wide ; " all the Ferns growing on Cacao-trees are notable 

 for their pale-green colour "). — I am aware this is generally considered a very 

 distinct Fern, yet it is very variable in the anastomosing of the veins and in the 

 form of the sori, and I have sometimes a difficulty in distinguishing it from some 

 forms of P. lycopodioides. 



322, P. (Phymatodes) percussum, Cav. ; caudex very long 

 creeping paleaceous with lanceolate scales, stipites 2-3 inches 

 long distant, fronds 4-5 inches to a foot long "f-l^ inch 



