ACROSTICIIUM, § RIIIPIDOl'TERIS. 25.3 



and undivided or flabellate or reniform rarely bipartite 

 or tripartite with the segments cuneate bi-trifid, the upper 

 margin dentato-crenate, veins dichotomous ; fertile fronds 

 small rarely more than 3 lines long orbicular or subreniform 

 rarely obscurely 3-loljed, the whole under side soriferous ex- 

 cept the narrow waved thin subdiaphanous margin. — Hunih. 

 and Bonpl. Nov. Gen. Am. \. p. 27- t. GG2. WiUd. Sp. PL v. 

 p. 110. Hook. Ic. PL t. 96. Rhipidopteris, Fee, Acrost. p. 

 78. R. sphoenophylla, Fee, Acrost. p. 7^. Acrostichum, 

 Kze. Analect. Pterid. p. 11. t. "J. A. flabellatum, /3, sphoe- 

 nophyllum, Kze. in Linncea, ix. p. 32. Acrostichum tripar- 

 titum. Hook, and Grev. Ic. FiL /. 118 {F fear only a more 

 deeply divided form of fertile fronds of this species) . Rhipi- 

 dopteris, Fee, Acrost. p. 79. 



Ilab. Tropical South America, but never, as far as I know, extending to the 

 West Indian Islands. Peru, Pappig, Matheivs,n. 1801, Spruce, n. 4635. Ecua- 

 (\or, Jameson, n. 1719 (and the form tripartita), n. 5227 {" fades PeperomieB 

 cujiisdam "). New Granada, Morit:, n. 313, Purdie, Fendler, n. 263.— Mr. 

 Spruce likens this pretty Fern to some Peperomia. In a dried state in the her- 

 barium the first sight reminds one of some Marsilea. The sterile fronds are 

 variable, and of the tripartite form there is a disposition in the lobes to be- 

 come dichotomous. 



116. A. (Rhipidopteris) fomiculaceum, Hook.; caudex 

 long-creeping filiform paleaceous, stipites slender paleaceous 

 H-3 inches long; sterile fronds 1 inch long broad flabelli- 

 form in circumscription copiously and repeatedly divaricato- 

 dichotomous, segments very numerous linear-setaceous 

 scarcely thicker than a line drawn with a pen, ultimate seg- 

 ments always dichotomous and the apices always acute ecos- 

 tate or in other words reduced to the costa ; fertile fronds from 

 ^-^ an inch long reniform bilobed, under side all soriferous 

 except the rather broad irregularly but sharply toothed dia- 

 phanous margin. — Hook, and Grev. Ic. FiL t. 119. 



Ilab. Ecuador : forest of Esmeraldas, alt. 2500 feet, on trunks of trees, Jame- 

 son : fool of Cliimborazo, alt. 3000 feet, on stones. Spruce, n. 5226. — M. Fee 

 considers this identical with A. pelf a/urn ; but no one who has seen the plant or 

 Dr. Greville's excellent figure in the ' Icones Filicum' is likely to do so. The 

 ramification of the most finely cut frond is quite different, divaricately dicho- 

 tomous, and tne segments as slender as the finest thread, exhibiting no trace 

 of costa, which is so conspicuous in the preceding species; or in other words, 

 the segments are reduced to costas. It is, I believe, very rare, only as yet found 

 in Ecuador and in the vicinity of Cliimborazo; firstly, more than thirty years 

 ago, by Professor Jameson, and recently, viz. in 1800, by Mr. Spruce. The sterile 

 fronds resemble some dicliotomous capillaceous seaweed. 



