ACROSTICHUM, § EL APIIOGLOSSUM. 231 



Ilal). Pern, on trees, Mathews, n. Gil, "in crevices of rocks," Maclean. 

 Pililiiin and Andes of Ecuador, /«>wpao?*. New Granada, Purdie. — " Tiiis species 

 is very reniarkalile ; it ranks next to A. Ilarhvecjii, from wliich it differs by the 

 ciliated scales, fronds uniform and linear, l>y the nature of the scales, the dimen- 

 sions, consistence," etc. {Fee.) Having original si)eciinens of both, I confess that 

 neither in size, consistence, form, and certainly not in place of growth, do 1 find 

 any valid difference between the two. I fear tlie scales are as liable to vary in the 

 margin or outline as are the fronds. 



74. A. (Elaplioglossum) mnscosum, Sw. ; caudex thick as 

 a goose or a swan's quill paleaceous with rather short glossy 

 black-brown ciliated imbricated subulate or ovato-subulate 

 scales, stipites 5-8 inches in length, generally more of the/er- 

 tile fronds, subsquarrose with pale ferrugineous ovate lax 

 deciduous tawny finely ciliated scales mixed with lesser ones 

 which are paler-coloured whiter and appressed ; sterile {xorxds 

 firm-coriaceous varying greatly in size generally 6-8-1.3 inches 

 long and from h an inch to nearly 1 inch wide oblongo-lan- 

 ceolate bluntly acuminate obtuse or subattenuated at the 

 base clothed on the upper side with copious closely pressed 

 subovate small whitish or rarely tawny deciduous scales 

 mixed with others especially on the costa much larger more 

 lax with a deep-brown stain in the centre (these are appa- 

 rently the first to be deciduous), beneath much more densely 

 paleaceous with generally pale ferruginous scales all rather 

 lax though still closely im])ricated more permanent and 

 equally of two kinds ; fertile fronds 4-6 inches long 3-6 

 inches wide linear or linear-oblong obtuse at both extremities 

 all beneath soriferous except on the costa which is concealed 

 by imbricated narrow-lanceolate ciliated scales. — Siv. Fl. Incl. 

 Dec. p. 1591. &ijn. Fit. p. 10. IVilld. Sp. PL v. p. 104. 

 Fee, Acrost. p. 54. Elaphoglossum, /. <S'w. Moore. Olfersia, 

 Fr. — Yrt. ^, latifolium ; caudex much thicker and knobbed 

 about the caudices clothed with very long narrow-linear su- 

 bulate bright-chestnut scales or blackish, sterile fronds 

 broader and subelliptical. A. plumosum, Metten. Fil. Lechl. 

 p. 4. 



Ilab. Jamaica, Swartz, Bancroft, U'tlnon, n. 743 (Blue Mountain Peak, 

 Alexander Prior), etc. St. Domingo, Schomburyk. Quitinian Andes, Jame.ion, 

 n. 234. Andes ot Peru, Maclean. — Var. /3, latifolium. Jamaica, M'l'adi/en, Ban- 

 croft. Andes of Peru, Maclean, Lechler. — Fee remarks, " \JA. mmcosum, de 

 Swartz, n'a ete vu que par cet auteur ; Willdenow ne I'avait otudic que sterile ; 

 tous les auteurs qui ont adopte cette espeee n'ont pas cte a meme de voir le spe- 

 cimen autographe." Very many of the more modern species are in the same 

 predicament. Unfortunately there is not even a figure to have recourse to in the 

 present case. I have derived my characters mainly from a plant commonly re- 

 ceived from botanists of Jamaica, which is probably the true plant. It seems pe- 



