2IO 



Ferns of British India and Ceylon. 



Travancore and Tinnevelly mountains, 4,000-5,000 feet eleva- 

 tion. A distinct variety, but evidently a form of aculeatum, the more 

 entire pinnules are nearest in shape and cutting to those of 

 anomalum and biaristatum ; the same frond will often have some 

 pinnae with the pinnules short and only slightly lobed, and others 

 with them all elongate and pinnate or deeply pinnatifid. 



Var. A mucronifolium. (Bl. En. PL Jav. Fil. 164.) 

 Fronds 3-pinnate or sub-3 -pinnate. [Clarke, I. c. 509.) 



Khasya and Assam ; this is very distinct looking, it is tripinnate 

 ]ike the last, but very different, being 

 finely cut with small pinnules. 



9. POLYSTICHUM PRESCOTTIANUM. 



( Wall.) Stipes short, thick, flaccid, 

 with many straw-coloured scales and 

 fibrillae ; fronds from narrow to broad 

 lanceolate, tapering at the base ; pin- 

 nae either short oblong, f-i inch long, 

 more or less divided, but not to the 

 rachis, or elongate, 2-3 inches long and 

 deeply pinnatifid to the rachis or even 

 pinnate; segments with the margin 

 serrate and often hair-pointed, more or 

 less fibrillose beneath. Wall. Cat. 

 363. Bedd. F B. I. t. 34. Hook. 



' N°i05. ^' S y n - FiL 2 53- 



polystichum prescottianum. Himalayas • from Kashmir to 



{Wall.) Bhotan, 10,000-13,000 feet elevation. 



Var. /3 Bakerianum. {Clarke}) Fronds large, very flaccid, 

 broad-lanceolate, (9-10 inches broad), truncate at the base. Clarke, 

 F. N. I. t. 66. 



Sikkim ; Yakla, 12,000 feet; very distinct-looking at first sight, 

 but evidently only a flaccid variety of the above. 



Var. y castaneum. (Clarke.) Stipe round, naked, scales on 

 the rachis blackish, pinnae little pinnatifid. • 



Sikkim, 15,000 feet elevation. 



