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XXIV. 



THE GENUS TAENITIS, WITH SOME NOTES ON THE 

 REMAINING TAENIT1DINAE. 



By ELIZABETH J. LEONAED, M.Sc, 

 Botanical Department, University College, Dublin. 



(COMMUNICATED BY PROFESSOR H. H. DIXON, F.R.S.) 



(Plate XV.) 



i ■ 



[Read November 27, 1017. Published February 13, 1918.] 



The genus Taenitis Willd. was founded in 1804. In 1809 Schkuhr described 

 and figured the only species then known, namely, Taenitis pteroides, now 

 designated Taenitis blechnoides. This is a form with pinnate leaves ; but 

 later on the genus was extended to include species in which the leaves were 

 simple. In 1836 Presl (10) confined the genus to T. blechnoides and 

 T. interrupts,, both with pinnate leaves. The latter is now regarded as a 

 variety of T. blechnoides. So far, therefore, the only species with definite 

 claims to being called Taenitis is T. blechnoides, the pinnate form. Presl, 

 however, mentions seven other species once known as Taenitis, and all with 

 simple leaves. These he places under various other headings, reserving 

 Taenitis for the forms with compound leaves. 



Hooker and Baker (7) again, included forms with simple leaves, as does 

 Jenman (8), the three forms he mentions for Jamaica all being simple — 

 T, angustifolia, T. lanceolata, and T. swartzii. 



Diels (5) only mentions T. blechnoides without definitely stating the 

 number of species. Christensen (4) gives two species, T. blechnoides Willd. and 

 T. stenophylla Christ, both being forms with pinnate leaves. Christensen also 

 mentions thirty-five other different forms which were once kD own as Taenitis. 

 Of these four are now regarded as varieties of T. blechnoides, eleven are 

 regarded as Vittarieae, sixteen other Taenitidinae (Diels' classification), two 

 Polypodium, one Blechnum, and one Cyclophorus. 



One of the two species that Christensen mentions — T. stenophylla 

 Christ — has merely been recorded as a new species (3). The grounds for 



SCIENT. PEOC. R.D.S., VOL. XV., NO. XXIV. 2 T 



