ACllOSTICHUM, § ELAPIIOGLOSSUM. 203 



Fee, Acrosf. p. 33. Olfcrsia, Pr.—Plum. Fif. t. 135.— Var. 

 cloiigata ; sterile fronds i a foot to 2 feet long by 2-2:2 inclies 

 wide; fertile fronds long and narrow in proportion. A. Sar- 

 torii, Liebm. Fit. Mex.p. 19. A. Tovarense, Metten. in Eat. 

 Fit. Wright, et Fendl. p. 194 {name onhj). 



Ilab. Tropical America and West Indies. I shall here refer to a fev\- of the 

 native specimens that have been widely distributed with numbers. Cuba, C. 

 Wright, n. 790 and 791. Dominica, Imray, n. 82. Guadeloupe, L'llenninier, 

 n. 10. Jamaica, JFilnon, n. 746. New Granada, Venezuela, Fendler, n. 285, 

 287, 279 (small, very coriaceous and almost sessile), 293, 290. 290 (small and 

 much acuminated). Elaph. !itten\i!Ltum,Met(en. ms. in Eat. Fit. Wright, et Fendl. 

 p. 194), »j. 294. E. sporadolepis, A'^re. and Metten. m.i. in Fit. Wright, et Fendl. 

 Santa .Martha (2| feet long and 4^ inches broad), Purdie, n. 294. Ocaila, Schlim, n. 

 832. Brazil, Raddi, Gardner, n. 96, 97, 592G. Mexico, Liebmann, Galeotti, n. 

 6342. Ecuador, Jameson. Peru, Tarapota, Spruce, n. 4723, 4734. — Var. elon- 

 gala. Me.xico, Liebmann (A. Sartorii, Liebm.). Cusapi, Mathews. Venezuela, 

 Fendler, n. 292 (A. Tovarense, Metten. ms.). — I have here confined myself to the 

 generally acknowledged A. latifolium of the New World ; but it may easily be 

 gathered from what I have said in my'Filices Exotics,' and in the jjresent 

 volume, that I am greatly tempted to unite with this or with A. conforme many 

 supposed species of other authors. The notion is still too prevalent that species 

 of Kerns are very local, and the imagination will then raise up characters not 

 warranted by nature. 



16. A. (Elaphoglossum) decurrens, Foe (an Desv. ?) ; cau- 

 dex creeping ferrugineo-paleaceous, stipites subterniinal ag- 

 gregated 1-4 inches long sparsely paleaceous, fronds [sterile 

 only 2-2^ inches long and 1 inch broad and then elliptical- 

 spathulate) or 15 inches long 3| inches broad firm-coriaceous 

 very opaque dark-brown (probably carnose when recent) spa- 

 thulato-oblong long-attenuated and decurrent upon the stipes 

 smooth above beneath finely granulated with minute elevated 

 points giving the appearance of young fructification bor- 

 dered by a pale-tawny distinct subpellucid scariose margin 

 fringed with close-placed lanceolate ciliated rufo-ferrugine- 

 ous patent scales, venation quite obsolete from the thickness 

 of the su1)stance. — Desv. Journ. Bot. 1813. p. 273 ? Fee, 

 Acrost. p. 34 {a, junior, ornatum). Elaphoglossum, Moore. 

 E. obtusifolium, /. Sm. {name only), an of IVilld., Bl. Fil.Jav. 

 p. 32. t. 10 ?, Brackenridge, etc. 



Hab. Luzon, Cuming, n. 144 (sterile specimens only). — This is a very remark- 

 able Acrostichnm, and perhaps different from what authors have descrilicd as 

 A. decurrens and A. obtnsifolium ; for none of them notices the beautiful fringe 

 of coi>ious scales which borders the frond, nor the granulated apjjearance of 

 the under side. It is true Fee makes two varieties -. one, o, junior, ornatum, 

 Cuming's plant ; and j8, senior, nudum, Blume's plant. But my smallest fronds 

 and my very largest one (which has every appearance of being well advanced) are 

 alike fringed. 



