POLYPOUIUM, § DICTYOPTERIS. 101 



suberect or ascending copiously rooting partially paleaceous 

 with dark-brown subulate scales, stipites 6-12 inches long 

 fasciculate, fronds when young 4-G inches long simple pal- 

 mately 5-lobed with the lobes acute, lowest pair of lobes de- 

 flexed or (when mature) 1-H foot long subcoriaceous mi- 

 nutely pellucido-punctulate olive-l)rown when dry approach- 

 ing to glaucous broad ovate ternate or pinnate, pinna) distant 

 petiolate especially the lower ones 5-6 inches long, lateral 

 intermediate ones from a broad unequally cuneate base ob- 

 longo-acuminate entire or sinuato-sublobate, lowest ones 

 always the largest and always unequally bipartite, the inferior 

 segment deflexed sometinjes as large as the upper ones and 

 the latter are sometimes pinnatifid, terminal pinutc very large 

 long petioled acuminate deeply pinnatifid the lowest seg- 

 ments very long, venation manifest, the costules send out 

 veins which are united or confluent into variously-formed 

 areoles including numerous free straight veinlets, sori copious 

 dorsal or terminal on a vein or veinlet. 



Ilab. Malay islands: Pulo-Penang, WalUch (marked "P. confluens, Wall.;" 

 Tavoy, n. 379, Wallich (marked Aspidium variolosum, Wall.) ; Borneo, Barber, n. 

 276; Indian Archipelago. — These, from the several localities just mentioned, are 

 unquestionably one and the same species, and were they involucrate I should 

 be content to refer them to some of the forms of Dr. Wallich's Aspid. vario- 

 losum ; but such is not the case : and I can hardly think they could pass into 

 P. irregulare, though that is its nearest aftinity among the " nudisori." To the 

 late Mr. Barber, after whom 1 have named this species, if it be really such, 1 am 

 indebted for a very rich collection of Bornean plants. 



403. P. (Dictyopteris) irregulare^ Pr. ; caudex stout 

 ascending, stipites tufted 4 inches to 1| foot in length black 

 setaceo-paleaceous at the base, fronds subcoriaceo-membra- 

 naceous minutely pellucido-punctulate glabrous often sub- 

 glaucous beneath, pinnate witli very numerous pinuce from 6 

 inches to a foot long 1-3 inches wide more or less petiolate 

 broad-oblong acuminated the lowest pair half-ovate unequally 

 bipartite, lowest segments deflexed and sometimes free and 

 5-6 inches long all of them more or less deeply lobed often 

 to within one-third of the costa, the lobes oblong acute or 

 acuminate entire or sinuato-lobate, terminal pinna petiolate 

 pinnatifid, costule one to each lobe, the veins anastomose 

 copiously forming elongated areoles which are longest near 

 the costee and costules, areoles frequently including a free 

 veinlet, sori dorsal or compital or even terminal on the free 

 veins copious but rarely approaching the costa. — Pr. Reliq. 

 Hank. i. ;;. 25. t. 4./. 3. BL Fil.Juv.p. 164. t. 72 [very good). 



