THE FERNS OF NORTH-WESTERN INDIA. 119 



21. A. nigripes Bl. MSS., Aspidkm nigripes Bl. Enum., p. 162. 

 Aspl. nigripes Mett., in Miquel's Anuales, Vol. II., 240, and Vol. IV., 1G9 ; 

 Syn. Fil. 227 ; 01. Rev. 490. AUynum nigripes Mett., Bedd. H. B. 166. 

 Blume's description, at p. 162 of his " Enumeratio," is as follows : — 

 *' A. fronde bipinnata membranacea glabri-scnla, pinnis petiolatis cblopgo- 

 larnooelafcis aoutis, pinnulis subdecurrentibus cuneato-oblongis obtusiu- 

 soulis, infimis sub-pefciolatis profunde pannatifid, is superioribus inciso-serratis 

 Gonfluentibus, sons oostulis approximatis, rachi glaberrima stipite trigono 

 iqferne paleaceo nigi'o." 



" Crescit in paludibus inter mortes Burangrang et Tankiwan — Prahu Javse 

 iasulEe. " 



Mattenius, after giving the reference to Blume's " Ennmeiatio, " says :— 



" Folia cum petiolo basi prsesertim dense paleato qnadripedalia ; pijince, 



inferiores 8 poll, longge, pinnidce, infimse 2-3 p'jll., pinKatifidse, segnieniis 



ovalibuw serrato-pinnarifidis. Prostat lusus joliis tri nee quadri-pinnatis 



oblongioribus augustioribus, pinnularum segmentis ovalibus, mucronato-denli- 



cularis AUantodia paludosa (Zipp.)" 



The type specimen in the Kew Herbarium, which has Blume's ticVet — 



Herb, Lugd. Batav. Asplemum nigripes, Java, Blume,"— is a small 



plant with erect black or dark-brown candex, black roots, and bases of stipes 



clothed with small brown scales : it has 8 fronds, with stipes 6-7 in. long, as 



long as or longer than the fronrls, straw-coloured, and naked except at base, 



bipiimate, pinnae few, secondary rhachises winged, lowest pinuse as lorg as any 



bub frond not deltoid, pinnee not acuminate, pinnules narrowest ai bast, bh.nt, 



rounded, very setulose. 



Some specimens from the Khasi Hills in Assam, 4-5000', from Clarke and 

 Mann, agree with Blume's type specimen, and are also somewhat like my next 

 species, especially in havuig seta, on the upper side of the costa ; but they have 

 much longer stipes than A. tenellum has, and the pinnae are short and not 

 much acuminate. Mr. Mann has named one of these A. solenopteris Kze., but 

 excapi for having more lamina it is identical with another he has named A. 

 nigripes Mett. and some high-level plants got in Sikkim, for which Mr. Clarke 

 has (in MSS) suggested a variety name, alpina, may be the type plant. But 

 the bulk of the material in herbaria from the north-east and south of India as 

 well as from the north-west, ticketed A. nigripes, is quite different from Blume's 

 plant. The type plant has not been got west of Nepal, that I know of. Most 

 of the N.-W. India specimens I originally had in my A. 7n gripes wrapper I 

 have removed to A. Mackinnoni, Hope ; and only Pve remain, of which only 

 one, from Kumaun, somewhat bears out Blume's name and description by 



