Ferns of British India and Ceylon. 223 



varieties one of the other), are placed far apart ; it is a fact, however, 

 that most of the species have both orbicular and reniform involucres, 

 sometimes on the same individual, the involucres often varying much 

 more than this, being athyrioid and asplenioid. Mr. Clarke has 

 placed both Aspidium and Sagenia in Nephrodium, a genus widely 

 different in habit. 



GENUS LII.— PLEOCNEMIA. (Presl.) 

 {Pleos, full ; knemia, rays; in allusion to the venation.) 

 Only differs from Aspidium in its less compound venation, only 

 the lower veins anastomose arcuately forming one series of areoles 

 near the costa (as in Carhpteria), without any free veinlets within 

 them, the other veins generally all free, or some angularly anastomos- 

 ing; sori generally at the apex of the free -veinlets outside the areoles, 

 but sometimes some are on the netted veins, {i.e., compital). 



1. Pleocnemia Thwaitesii. {Bedd.) Stipes tufted i-if feet 

 long, shining blackish-purple as is the rach's and main cost a, basal 

 scales linear dark-brown ; fronds deltoid, i|-2 feet each way, tripin- 

 natifid; lowest pinnae largest deltoid stalked, with several large lanceo- 

 late deeply pinnatifid pinnules ; texture rather thick and opaque, the 

 veins not conspicuous, glabrous beneath, and also above except the 

 costa and veins which are scurfy or puberulous, lower veinlets forming 

 elongate costal arches, no free included veinlets, the rest free with 

 clavate apices, none reaching the margin ; sori rather large in a single 

 series on each side of the midrib of the segments, all at the apex of free 

 veinlets; indusium reniform, with the lobes of the sinus broad and over- 

 lapping, so that it looks orbicular. Sagenia Thwaitesii, Bedd F. S. I. 

 t. 244. Nephrodium (Sagenia) simulans (Baker), Hook. Syn. Fil. 300. 



Ceylon, southern provinces near Galle, abundant on the Hay- 

 cock Mountain. (C. P. 3331. Thw. En. p. 390.) 



2. Pleo< m.mia Trimeni. {Bedd.) Stipes tufted, i-i-| feet, 

 grey, basal scales linear; fronds 1^—3 feet long, deltoid or deltoid 

 lanceolate, pinnatifid at the apex, below pinnate with about 5-6 

 pair of lateral pinnae, which are more or less stalked, and all pinnatifid 



