248 ACROSTICHUM. 



destitute of scales except on the nascent fronds which ex- 

 hibit an appearance of scurfy scales, stipites articulated upon 

 the caudex a span to a foot and more long stramineous and 

 as well as the rachis terete glalirousand glossy ; s^m/> fronds 

 firm-membranaceous darkish-green H-2 feet and more long 

 oblong-ovate bipinnate, primary pinnee articulated rather 

 remote 4-6-8 inches long pinnated at the apex, pinnules 

 numerous but rather distant articulated |-1 inch long scarcely 

 petioled ovate and acute or acuminated or lanceolate, su- 

 perior base often truncated a little produced but not auri- 

 cled, inferior base more or less excised coarsely but sharply 

 serrated, the rachises with a narrow green wing on each 

 side (on one of my specimens the upper portion of the 

 frond is simply pinnated for the length of 8 or more inches, 

 the pinnffl, 11 in number, are rather petiolate of a firm texture 

 3 inches long by f of an inch wide oblongo-lanceolate acumi- 

 nate cuneate at the base strongly costate, costa testaceous), 

 veins copious close-placed forked, terminal pinna equal in 

 size to the rest ; fet't He frond similar to the sterile but the pin- 

 nules all contracted narrow-linear soriferous on the under 

 side.— Polybotrya, Brack. Fil U. S. Expl. Exp. p. 80. t. 10 

 {excellent). P. articulata, J. Sm. in Seem. Fl. Vit. n. 713. 



Hah. Society Islands, Bidwill, Brackenridge. Fiji Islands, Seemann, n. 713 

 (the leaves more lanceolate, more obtusely serrated, only found sterile). New 

 Caledonia, Vieillard (but Mettenius unites it with A. articulata). — This is a very 

 interesting plant and very distinct, but unquestionably allied to P. articulata, J. 

 Sm. The two kinds of primary pinnje, the one simple the other wholly pinnated, 

 on the same frond, render it doubtful which should be considered the normal state 

 of the plant ; in the former case (simple pinna;), we have a perfect Lomariopsis 

 of Fee. Something of the kind takes place in L. ludens (of which sterile 

 plants only are known), but th.ere there are two kinds of sterile fronds from the 

 same caudex; and, again, in the L. variabilis of Fee is an abnormal state with 

 the lower portions of the fronds pinnated below, the rest of the frond simple ; 

 or we have an Egenholfia of Schott (§ of Polybotrya, Fee), but wanting the re- 

 markable spiculas in the sinuses of the lobes or serratures. Such anomalies should 

 make us cautious in forming genera on feeble grounds. 



108. A. (Polybotrya) apiifolium, Hook. ; caudex subtube- 

 riform rooting below ; sterile fronds, stipites tufted 2-4 

 inches long and as Avell as the rachises ferrugineo-tomentose 

 mixed with a few small subulate blackish scales, fronds mem- 

 branaceous 4-5 inches long with a fevv soft subulate hairs on 

 the surface and the margin subtriangular ovate bipinnate be- 

 Iow,towards the apex pinnato-pinnatifid,pinnatifid at the apex, 

 ultimate pinnules or segments \ an inch long obovate obtuse 

 decurrent at the "coarselv dentato-serrate or entire marain : 



