PLATYCERIUM. 283 



hexangular areoles with rarely free included veinlets ; fertile 

 fronds clustered erect narrow elongato-cuneate whitish and 

 downy beneath 1-3 times dichotomous, segments oblong 

 acuminate, ultimate ones chiefly soriferous, primary veins 

 dichotomous parallel elevated, here and there anastomosing 

 into very elongated areoles which are occupied by lesser ones. 

 — Desv. Journ. Bot. vi. p. 213. Acrostichum, hw. Sj/n, Fil. 

 p. 12 (m part). IVilld. Sp. PL v. p. 111. Br. Proilr. Nov. 

 HoU.p. 145. Gaivl. Bot. Reg. t. 262 and 2G3. Ncuroplaty- 

 ceros alcicornis, Fee, Acrost. p. 120. Alcicornium vulgare, 

 Gaudich. Platycerium angustatum, Desv. Turpin, in Did. 

 Hist. Nat. cum Ic. {very good) . 



llab. Considered to l)e abundant in tropical regions of the world, but I fear 

 other species have ijeen mistaken for it. Blurae records it in Java, but I have 

 never seen specimens from thence nor from any part of India proper. It abounds 

 in Australia: New South Wales, Brown, Sieber, Hooker fil., mid others ; Hastings 

 River, Dr. Beckler, " Tenterlield," lat. 29° S. ; Lord Howe's Island, Milne and 

 MacyUlivray. Madagascar, ZJobi;*. Johanna l%\dLn{\, Speke, Dr. Kirk (Zambesi 

 'E.rp.J, llutton (these specimens from Africa have much larger, almost flabelliform 

 fertile fronds, more compoundly dichotomous, and the areoles of the veins larger). 

 South America ! : Tarapota, Eastern Peru, Spruce, n. 4729 (fronds larger, seg- 

 meuts of the fertile ones much elongated). — This, the first species known to our 

 gardens, is best distinguished by the numerous erect fertile fronds. Its geogra- 

 phical distribution is imperfectly known ; possibly those who speak of it as in- 

 habiting Norfolk Island, King George's Sound, Timor, and Ombai, are correct. 



2. P. jFthiopicum, Hook. ; fronds ample when young ca- 

 nescent all over with stellated sessile and pedicellated hairs ; 

 sterile ones bifarious suborbicular imbricated variously lol)ed 

 and sinuated subcoriaceo-membranaceous ; fertile fronds pen- 

 dent carnoso-coriaceous cancscent beneath, shortly petiolate 

 broad-cuneate bifurcate, segments all divaricating, ultimate 

 ones sharply acuminate, sorus dark-brown nearly of the 

 shape of the letter V and usually situated beneath the sinus of 

 the ultimate fork, venation as in A. alcicorne but the primary 

 veins are more apart. — Hook. Gurd. Ferns, t. 9. Neuropla- 

 tyceros /Ethiopicus, Pliik. Almaf/est. p. 151. /. 429./. 2 {you/u/ 

 and very imperfect fertile frond). Fee, Acrost. p. 103. t. G 1 

 {sterile fronds erect instead of pendent). Acrostichum alci- 

 corne, Stv. Syn. Fil. p. 12 {in part). Schk. Fil. i. t. 2 {copied 

 from Plukenet). A. stemaria, Beam. Fl. d'Oware, i. p. 2. t. 2 

 {sterile fronds represented erect). Platycerium stemaria, 

 Desv. Journ. Bot. vi. p. 213. 



Hab. "/Etliiopia" (/'/«^pne/) ; tropical Africa, East and West, mainland and 

 islands, frequent on trees. — Extremely variable in the size both of the sterile and 

 fertile fronds, and in tlic size and form of the masses of fructification. 



