ACBOSTICIIUM, § ELAPIIOGI.OSSUM. 215 



terminating more or less suddenly upon the short stipes 1-2 

 inches long, the margin slightly thickened and undulato- 

 crenate, costa prominent beneath, veins approximate united 

 to the thickened margin ; fertile fronds always longer than 

 the sterile ones 1-H foot and more long 4 lines wide at the 

 utmost linear tapering into a stipes 2-3 inches long often 

 sterile below, contracted upwards and there widening and 

 soriferous beneath. 



H.-iI). Banks of the Onitoha, Niger Exp., Barter, n. 1452, and Sierra Leone, 

 Barter. In swamps, Ambus Bay, tropical West Africa, G. Mann, n. 785. — 

 Quite different from A. apodum in the caudex, fertile fronds, and in the entire 

 a!)sence of villosity tliroughout the whole fronds. It has quite the apjiearance 

 of a swamp-loving plant. Sterile fronds have great resemblance to the figure of 

 J. melanontictum of Blume (of which the fructification is unknown) ; but that, 

 though it has been referred by Ft'e to the American A. apodum, is a coriaceous 

 species and is probably identical with our next species, A. Norrisii. 



42. A. (Elaphoglossum) Norrisii, Hook. ; caudex subre- 

 pent (possibly subscandent) clothed with rather large oblong 

 entire ferruginous scales, fronds sessile or nearly so hard- 

 coriaceous glabrous opaque dark-brown when dry ; sterile 

 ones 10-18 inches long | to rather more than 1 inch broad 

 above the middle lanceolate obtusely acuminate gradually 

 attenuated downwards from the broadest part and decurrent 

 upon the broad stipes nearly or quite to the caudex, near the 

 base on the under side minutely furfuraceous or subglandu- 

 lose and on the same part of the frond may generally be 

 seen extremely minute pale dots as if glands had fallen away, 

 the margin entire not thickened but slightly reflexed, costa 

 strong broad and elevated towards the base, veins patent very 

 obscure and only seen on the under side in the younger spe- 

 cimens ; fertile fronds 6-10 inches long 4-6 lines wide linear 

 very obtuse tapering down upon the stipes as in the sterile 

 fronds. — A. melanostictum, Bl. Fil. Jav. p. 26. t. 7 ? 



Hah. Penang, -SVr Wm. Norris. J a\ a?, Blume. — I should certainly have re- 

 ferred this well-marked species to Blume's A. melanosficton (of which the sterile 

 fronds are known), were it not that Fee says be has seen an authentic specimen of 

 Blume's plaTit in tlie Paris Herbarium, that the black dots which gave rise to the 

 name are a parasitic fungus ; and he unites the plant with the South American A. 

 apodum, horn which its "coriaceous" (Bl.) texture would, I should have thought, 

 alone distinguish it. It is true that Blume's artist has represented the veins too 

 distinct for our plant, but Blume himself says " venaj supra vix conspicua-, subtus 

 paululo <listinctiores." 



43. A. (Elaphoglossum) micradeimim, Fee ; caudex very 

 long creeping paleaceous with rufous-brown subulr.te scales, 

 stipites nearly uniform 3-6 inches long distant stramineous 



