129 181 
of the rhizome; they are narrow-linear, thin, glossy castaneous, ciliated and hairy 
on the surfaces. A single scale is generally sufficient for determination. Compared 
with D. patens the leaf of D. normalis show some peculiarities, which are however 
not very constant. The lamina is rarely over 4—5 dcm long, gradually narrowed 
into the pinnatifid apex, pinne 10—12 cm long by 1'/»—2 cm broad, firmly her- 
baceous or membranous. Segments acute or rather obtuse, a little oblique but not 
falcate, the basal onles generally enlarged, especially the upper one, which is pa- 
rallel to rachis but rarely lobed; the lower one as a rule not very enlarged and 
forming an angle of 45° with rachis. Upperside glabrous or sparsely pubescent, 
the coste softly hairy, underside rather densely and softly pubescent on costae and 
veins, and generally glandulose by shining glands, which are most numerous on 
the veins. 
Veins 8—10-jugate, not prominent, the lowest pair meeting at the sinus, where 
they are not separated by a hyaline membrane. Sori as a rule supramedial; indu- 
sium shortly pubescent. 
Although D. normalis by most authors is believed to be a near relative of D. 
patens I am inclined to believe that it is more closely related to D. mollis, which 
it resembles in the structure of the scales and also in venation; it is, namely, not 
rare to find truly anastomosing veins as in D. mollis, but the lower pinnz of D. 
normalis are not gradually reduced as in D. mollis. To the other side D. normalis 
is through D. augescens by intermediate forms connected with D.serra and through 
D. Feei with D. oligophylla. 
JENMAN (W. Ind. & Guiana Ferns 240) says that D. normalis is distributed 
from Florida and Texas to Brazil and in the West-Indies from Bermuda and Ba- 
hamas to Trinidad and Dominica. I have examined hundreds of specimens but I 
have seen none from the Lesser Antilles or South America. As far as I have lear- 
ned the species is distributed from Porto Rico to Mexico and Guatemala, Texas 
and Alabama. It is rather variable and below I describe a couple of varieties. 
Here I enumerate the more important collector-numbers of specimens, which I 
refer to the type. 
Porto Rico: Mr. and Mrs. HELLER nr. 82 (W); G. P. Gorr nr. 120, 896, 897 (W). 
Jamaica: Maxon nr. 713, 1005, 1503, 1703, 1782, 2100, 2366, 2536 (W); UwpEnwoop nr. 128, 2568, 
2761 (W); FREDHOLM nr. 3346 (W); CrLuTE nr. 100 (W); Levison nr. 2 (Rg); Day (B). 
San Domingo: L. A. PnENLELOUP nr. 724 (C); M. Fuerres nr. 780 (B). : 
Cuba: Prov. Habana, Baker and Wirsow nr. 309 (W); H. Leon nr. 142 (W); ABARCA and O'DoNovAN 
nr. 4095, 5395 (W); van Hermann nr. 3304 (W); A. H. Curtiss nr. 696 (W); Baker and 
O'DoNovaN nr. 4107 (W) - Prov. Santiago, PoLLarp and PALMER nr. 96 and 315 (W) — 
Prov. Pinar del Rio, PALMER and RHirEvy nr. 106, 294, 624 (W); CarpwELL and BaAKER 
nr. 7107 (W). 
Florida: S. M. Tracy nr. 6630, 7632, 9142 (W); F. RucGEL nr. 254 (W); Geo. V. NasH nr. 840, 861 
(B, W); UNpEnwoop nr. 181 (W); A. H. Curtiss nr. 3743 (B, W), 4810 (W). 
Georgia: HR. M. Harper nr. 1062 (W), 1192 (B, W), 1924 (W). 
Alabama: Harper nr. 131 (W). 
Mississippi: S. M. Tracy nr. 8634 (W); J. Donn. SwrrH nr. 672 (W). 
D. K. D. Vidensk. Selsk, Skr., 7. Reekke, naturvidensk. og mathem, Afd. X. 2. 24 
