172 31. PTERIS, §§§§§§ LITOBROCIIIA. 



mosing once only between the midrib and margin ; sori not reaching the tip of 

 the segm. Hk. Sp. 2. p. 216. Gard. Ferns, t. 23. 



Hab. Brazil. 



81. P. (Lito.) incisa, Thunbg. ; st. stout, erect, polished, straw-coloured or 

 bright-brown, sometimes slightly muricated towards the base ; fr. often several 

 ft. 1., hi- or tripinnate, only the uppermost pinnce simply pinnate with entire 

 linear-oblong piiinl., those next iu order with numerous pinnatifid pinnules 

 2-3 in. 1., about | in. br., in opposite pairs, the lowest often quite close to the 

 stem, reduced in size and their segments dilated, the lowest pinnie often very 

 large and compound ; texture herbaceous or subcoriaceous ; under surface often 

 glaucous ; veins free or more or less anastomosing ; soi~i interrupted or con- 

 tinuous, often reaching the point of the segments. — Hk. Sp. 2. p. 230. P. Ves- 

 pertilionis, Lahill. P. sinuata, Brack. Hk. Sp. 2. p. 232. ^, P. aurita, 

 Blurae ; lowest pair of pinnules quite simple and closely adpressed to the stem 

 at the base of the pinnae. — Hk. Sp. 2. p. 231. 



Hab. Tropical America from West Indies and CoTumbia southward to Chili, Juan 

 Fernandez, and Brazil ; Polynesia ; Himalayas, and Formosa, southward to New 

 Zealand, Van Diemen's Land, and Ceylon ; Mascaren Isles, Cape Colony, West Tropical 

 Africa. — A very variable plant in size, cutting, texture, and venation. It is often 

 scandent, with long spreading rigid branches, and is said to attain a length of 10 yards. 

 In a form gathered by Capt. Carmichael in the isla-zd of Tristan dAcunba, the veins do 

 not anastomose at all ; often there is only a single arch on each side of the costa at the 

 base of a segment, and in specimens, otherwise quite similar, there is copious joining 

 towards the edge. Sometimes the sori are confined to the sinuses, as in Lonchitis. 



**•■=* Tripartitce. Sp. 82-87. 



82. P. (Lito.) marginata, Bory ; st. 1 ft. or more 1., strong, erect, naked, 

 polished, straw-coloured or brownish ; fr. tripartite, the central portion 2 ft. Lor 

 more ; terminal pinna 6-9 in. L, -^-l in. br., cut down nearly to the rachis into 

 numerous closely-placed linear lobes on each side, which are very slightly 

 toothed when barren ; lateral ^^innce very numerous, closely placed, all un- 

 branched ; lateral divisions similar to the central one but smaller, sometimes 

 forked again; rachis and both surfaces naked; texture usually herbaceous; 

 veins fine, anastomosing principally in arches against the midrib ; sori falling 

 rather short of the point of the segments. — P. tripartita, Sw. Hk. Sp. 2. p. 225. 

 excl. ^ and y. 



Hab. Polynesian and Malayan Islands from the Philippines southward to the Isle 

 of Pines, Erromanga, Queensland ; Malayan Peninsula, Ceylon, Sylhet, Seychelles, 

 Mauritius, Kaffraria, and West Tropical Africa. — P. heterophltbia, Kunze, Bot. Zeit. 6. 

 p. 197, is probably a foi m of this with the veins usually only anastomosing once between 

 the midrib and edge of the segments. 



83. P. (Lito.) Luschnathiana, Baker ; st. 2 ft. 1., strong, erect, naked, straw- 

 coloured ; fr. tripartite, with the three divisions nearly equal ; terminal pinna 

 6-9 in. L, \\ in. br., cut down to a broadly-winged rachis, into numerous 

 narrow falcate linear lobes with a broad sinus between them, which are finely 

 spinuloso-serrated when barren ; lateral pinnce numerous, similar, the lowest 

 2 in. below the next, not forked ; rachis and both surfaces naked ; veins fine, 

 scarcely anastomosing in the ultimate segments except in costal arches in the 

 lower half; sori falling short of the point. — Campteria, Klotzsch. 



Hab. Brazil, Luschnath, Seems a variety of aculeata. 



84. P. (Lito.) podophj/lla, Swartz ; st. 4 ft. I. or more, ^-| in. thick at the 

 base, muricated below, straw-coloured, glossy ; fr. ample, ternately divided ; 

 terminal pinna 6 in. 1. or more, 1-1^ in. br., cut down two-thirds of the way to 

 the rachis into numerous linear-oblong falcate lobes, which are finely spinuloso- 



