282 C. SKOTTSBERG 



fern" {dp. 211; see above p. 223); it was at that time supposed to be circum- 

 polar, but is replaced in S. America by P. magcllanicnni. As mentioned above, 

 I believe that if a genus Syitammia with Polypodium Fciiillei as the typical species 

 is accepted, the endemic P. interjiiedumi finds its place with this, but I fail to see 

 why COPELAND [68) regards 5. FeidlUi-As "clearly Antarctic", whereas the nearly 

 related Go7iiop}ilebium is called "a northern genus". Of the remaining species 

 P. Masafuerae and P. (Xiphopteris) trichouuvioidcs are neotropical and P. (Pleo- 

 peltis) lanceolatiun pantropical but not reported from Australia and not indicating 

 an Antarctic origin. 



We have no good reason to look for an Antarctic ancestry of ElapJioglossuui, 

 though CoPELAND thinks that it "may have come from the south" [6y. 185), and 

 E. Lhidejiii is a neotropical species. 



The species of Gleichcnia occurring in Juan Fernandez belong to Stichcnis, 

 a genus segregated by some modern authors; 11 species are scattered over the 

 austral zone, and in Copeland's opinion Gleicheniaceae are "obviously and en- 

 tirely of Antarctic ancestry" [6g.26), or "entirely Antarctic at some stage of its 

 history" [dj . 173); how this should be explained I cannot tell unless he means 

 that the family characters first evolved in the Antarctic, secondary centres of 

 evolution having become established in the tropics. The genetic relations between 

 the species inhabiting the three sectors (see above p. 224) should be studied. 

 Meanwhile I shall refer the 5 species occurring in southern S. xA^merica to the 

 Antarcto-tertiary element. 



The Ophioglossaceae are an ancient iamily, "scattered with remarkable uni- 

 formity over the habitable globe" (CoPELAND dg.12). In ^7.167 he paid special 

 attention to Boirychimn atisiraleR. Br. which has the peculiar distribution Argentina, 

 Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand and "may be regarded as an obvious immi- 

 grant from the south". It is surprising that the species found in Patagonia and 

 Fuegia is not this, but the northern B. lunaria L. We have no reason to regard 

 Ophioglossuui feynandezia)2nm as coming from the south. 



Lycopodium was not discussed by CoPELAND. L. magellauicuDi is subantarctic- 

 circumpolar, and part of the history of the genus may have been enacted in Ant- 

 arctica, the more so as L. scariosuDi, which belongs to another section, is bicentric. 



With reference to the discussion above the Pteridophytes are arranged as 

 follows. 



I. Antarcto-tertiary element, — 32 s]). (60.4%). 



1. Distribution pattern austral-circumpolar, bicentric or tricentric. — 20 sp. 



a. Endemic species (2): Hymenophyllum rugosum, Polystichum berterianum. 



b. Species also found in S. America (Chile), many of them with a wider 

 distribution (w) in the S. hemisphere (18): Hymenophyllum secundum, plicatum, 

 tortuosum, ferrugineum and falklandicum (w), Polystichum vestitum (w), Asplenium 

 obliquum (w) and dareoides, Blechnum valdiviense and chilense, Hypolepis rugosula 

 (w), Histiopteris incisa (w), Polypodium magellanicum (w), Gleichenia pedalis, 

 quadripartita and cf. litoralis, Lycopodium magellanicum (w) and scariosum (w). 



2. Species belonging to genera endemic in S. America but supposed to be 



