468 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 



gives A. rufo-harlatum (sp.) "Wall. Cab. 369, as var. 2 (out of 6 

 varieties), and says it is common from Kashmir to Bhotan, and 

 also in the Nilguis (but not from Khasia). Beddome, in his 

 Hand-book, says Polijstichum aculeatum Sw. is found " throughout 

 the Indian Region on the mountains,'' (also throughout the whole 

 world) ; and he gives (among 7 varieties) var. 7 rufo-barlatum 

 (Wall. Oat. 369), F. S. I., t. 121, with habitats— " Nilgiris and 

 Western mountains of South India ; Himalayas, from Kashmir to 

 Bhotan." 



As to the other varieties mentioned in the /S'2/wo;9S2s, Clarke gives as 

 his var. 1, " lobata (sp.) Engl. Bot., t.l563. Fronds narrowly lanceo- 

 late; pinnae hardly pinnate, the lower secondary pinnse sessile or 

 decurrent. Throughout the Himalaya, but much more rare than A, 

 amlmtum type." Beddome quotes verbatim from Clarke, but omits the 

 final remark as to rarity. These authors appear to limit the distribu- 

 tion of A, lolatum to the Himalaya. 



Var, -y angulare, Willd., of the Synopsis is not even mentioned by 

 Mr. Clarke, and this seems to have led Colonel Beddome to give merely 

 " Nilgiris and Western mountains of South India " as the habitats of 

 his var. a angulare (Presl., Newm. 173), which he thus describes : — 

 " Lax and of thinner testm'e " (than of what ?), '* pinnules smaller 

 more numerous, orbicular, rhomboid, mostly auriculate, the serratures 

 setiferous rather than spinulose." t.l22. This seems to apply to much 

 of the Himalayan material which Clarke seems to have considered as 

 typical aculeatum, but which is all quite different from what is considered 

 as A. aculeatum by European botanists. 



Clarke's var. 3 semifertilis (base of the frond fertile, upper ^ barren ; 

 Sikkim : not very common), which is adopted by Beddome as var. ^ 

 semifertile, is probably merely a local form of one of the soft Himalayan 

 plants. 



With var. 4 mucronifolium (sp.) Bl., — Beddome's var. x mucronifolia 

 Bl., — I need not concern myself, as it is not said to grow in North- 

 western India : nor, for the same reason, with Clai-ke's var. 5 — Bed- 

 dome's var. ■yi — Uaristatum (sp.) Bl. Clarke's var. 6, setosa, W^all. Cat. 

 37 1 — Beddome's var. 9 setosum — I give below as a distinct species ; and 

 Beddome's vars. 1 , anomalim and «, Travamcricimi, do not concern me 

 as they have not been recorded from N. India, Other two plants given 

 in the S/jnopsis as synonyma of A. aculeatum, namely, A. luciwsum 

 Kzc., and A. Tsus-Simense Hook., 1 shall give as good species under 

 the lirst of these names. 



