﻿36 



MR 



SCOTT ON THE TREE FERNS OF BRITISH SIKKIM 



4 



glaucous hue of the fronds beneath will distinguish it {A. cantaminans, var. Brunoniana 

 from Hemitelia Walkerce, with which it has a very considerable resemblance in habit 



structure of stipe and rachis, form and texture of pinnae 



This 



ipecially the case 



when those forms of K. Walker ce with imperfectly developed involucres (scarcely cos- 

 tules) and elongated slightly falcate segments are compared with tlie less-feriile speci- 

 mens of A. contaminans, var. Brtmoniana. 



I was at first disposed to regard var. j3 as a good and distinct species, as it is always 

 readily distinguishable from var. a in Sikkim by its non-aculeate stipes. An examina- 

 tion, however, of an extensive suite of specimens 

 Bengal, Burmah, and the Malayan peninsula, clearly shows that they are but forms of 



The var. /3 is, I think, without doubt the A. Bnmoniana, Wall., as there 



from the hill-ranges of Eastern 



one 



species 



seems to be no other species at all approaching the description of the Sp. Fil. in the 

 Sylhet mountains. 



3. A. CRN ATA, 



sp 



Arborescent', stipes paleaceous at the base, slightly muricated 



and, as well as the main rachises, of 



glossy purplish brown colour ; fronds hi 



tripinnate, 7-9 feet long, 3-4 feet wide, herbaceo-membranaceous, upper surface 

 glabrous, brownish green when dry, lower pale green, sparingly scaly on the rachis 

 and costoD ; primary pinna oblongo-lanceolate, rather abruptly contracted into a short 



deeply pinnatifid apex 



cost a 



d costules 



slightly 



pinnules 3-5 inches long, 6-8 lines broad, sessile 



scaly below, glabrous above; 

 with one or more of the basal 



gments petiolate, and more or less lobato-serrate ; segments oblong, or lin 



oblong when fertile, slightly falcate, obtuse, crenato 



veins variable 



imple 



to thrice, usually once forked, or pinnate, with 3-5 veinlets ; sori between the costule 



the more fertile specimens to near the apex 



and the margin, small, extending on 



of the segments, with a few delicate caducous buUate scales at their base 



pash 



- - )j 



of the Lepchas 



Daug 



collected it tliere and on the banks of the Rungjo. 



2500 



Dr. Anderson and I have also 



It is an 

 feet high. 



rachises and costse, the latter being scaly belo'w, and "the more 



exceedmgly handsome species, with a somewhat slender caudex, from 20-40 



is allied to A. comosa, but easily distmguished by its nearly glabrous 



It 



which is nearly always simple in A 



and 



bifurcatin 



caudex void of those adventitious bud 



compound venation, 

 in the hving plants, by its 



Iw+L. f Tl 7""""/"^^ "^ ^^««^ aaventitious buds so copiously produce( 



by the former, and the large development of woody bundles in the interior of the stem 



In the latter character it resembles A. latehrosa 



native name 

 and " dau 



daug-pashln 



The Lepchas 



recognize its resemblance to A. comosa, theii 



indicated by their 



o 



ignifying warm, from its being found in tlie moist tropical valley 



med " siruh-nalfih." r.T. fL^ ^<\»r^. « ^xi,-i, »> "^ 



pashin 



jj 



also heard it called « siruh-paluh," or the black 



I have 



paluh 



4. A. coiiosA, Hook 



Unarmed 



pale brown, as 



fronds herbaceous and scaleless 



stipes paleaceous, with long linear-subulate scales 



well as the rachises, which are tawny-viUous 



on the upper side 



primary pmncB 14-16 inches long, 6-8 inches 



