ELAIMIOGLOSSUM. 23/ 



appressed and whitish the others large ferruginous and more 

 or less spreading both are ovate and more or less ciliated and 

 marked with a dark spot at the base ; sterile fronds 3 to 

 nearly 6 inches long 1-1 y inch wide thin coriaceous elliptical- 

 oblong obtuse subobliquely cuneate at the base very slightly 

 thickened and entire at the margin dotted with minute scales 

 whitish on the upper side beneath pale fuscous subovate 

 finely ciliated appressed rather unequal in size much larger 

 on the prominent costa beneath and marked with a dark 

 almost black spot in the disk, veins slightly prominent be- 

 neath subhorizontally patent ; fertile fronds 2-42 inches long 

 5-7 lines wide oblong obtuse a little attenuated at the base. 

 — Kl. in Liwuea, xx. p. 426. Kze. in Schk. Fil. Suppl. p. 37- 

 t. 116. Elaphoglossum, Moore. 



Hal). Columbia, Moritz, n. 259. Venezuela, Fendler, n. 270. — My specific 

 character is drawn up from a fine specimen of Fendler. 



86. A. (Elaphoglossum) obductuni, Klfs. ; caudex short 

 thick knotted or much incrassated about the stipites and 

 clothed with copious subulate bristle-like intensely black 

 glossy scales, the superior ones towards the apex with white 

 margins, stipites 3-4 inches long 6-10 inches of the fertile 

 fronds clothed in an early stage with white firm scales of 

 two kinds, small and appressed ovato-acuminate with a 

 black spot in the disk, others larger subulate with a black 

 line in centre, fronds rather thin-coriaceous ; sterile ones 

 10-12-14 inches long about 1-1 ^ inch wide oblongo-lan- 

 ceolate generally or acuminated attenuated at the base scale- 

 less or only clouded as it were with whitish patches which 

 appear to be the remains' of close-pressed whitish very in- 

 distinct scales, beneath subfurfuraceous with closely-pressed 

 tawny minute squamules close-placed and presenting no dis- 

 tinct form nor any fringed or ciliated margin, these are also 

 (though more persistent than the upper squamules) in time 

 deciduous ; fertile ivonds smaller and narrower but not other- 

 wise different, sometimes on the costa beneath exhibiting 

 white linear scales with an intensely black line in the centre. 

 — Klfs. in Sieb. Sj/n. Fil. n. 25, in Herb, nostr. Fee, Acrost. 

 p. 59. Olfersia, Pr. 



Ilal). Mauritius anil Hoinhon, Bory, Sicber, Bnjer, Bonton, Gardnpr. — This 

 has much in common with the A. heterolepix, and I have sometimes douhted if 

 this may not he an old state of the former; the scales, if such they may he 

 called, have nothini; of the perfectness of that species : but in all my specimens 

 the fronds arc here thinner and more acuminated. 



