Ferns of British India and Ceylon. 261 



nearly 3 feet long ; texture herbaceous, pinnate above, with the pinnae 

 6-9 inches long by ij inch broad, pinnatifid two-thirds towards 

 the rachis, bipinnate below, from some- of the lower basal pinnules 

 of the lowest pinnae being stalked and much elongated and deeply 

 pinnatifid, and equal to some of the upper primary pinnae ; ultimate 

 segments crenulate, a little hairy above (on the lamina, not the veins), 

 with scale-like hairs, quite glabrous below in South Indian examples, 

 but with scale-like hairs in specimens from Ceylon ; veinlets forked, 

 always free, a forked veinlet often proceeds from the costa to the 

 margin of the sinus, between the segments ; sori apical on the 

 superior veinlet, forming a single row on each side of the segments 

 nearer the margin than the midrib, involucre reniform, glabrous ; 

 fertile portions of the frond often much contracted and frond often 

 only partially seeding. Lastrea membranifolia, Bedd. F. S. I. t. 102, 

 a small fro?id. 



The descriptions of Lastrea dissecta in Hooker s Syn. Fil. and 

 of L. membranifolia in Hook. Sp. Fil. includes this species, the variety 

 ingens and Pleocnemia membranifolia. 



Madras Presidency, Western mountains, common up to about 

 5,000 feet elevation ; also in the N. Arcot and Vizagapatam Hills; 

 Ceylon, up to 5,000 feet; Birma. 



(Also in Malay Islands and Polynesia.) 



Var. ixgexs. {Clarke.) A very large fern, stipe and main ra- 

 chis pubescent, and with lax narrow-lanceolate sparse brown deciduous 

 scales ; fronds up to 9 feet long, the lower pinnae 2 feet and more 

 long, bipinnate above, the pinnae about 1 foot long by 6 inches broad, 

 the secondary pinnae quite distinct but sessile from a very broad 

 base and deeply pinnatifid, tripinnate below, the lower basal pinnules 

 of the lowest pinna; being stalked, elongated and again pinnated, 

 their pinnules (tertiary pinnae) being deeply pinnatifid, and equalling 

 the secondary pinnae above ; ultimate segments entire, nearly 

 glabrous above except on the costa, and costules, but there are a few 

 scale-like hairs on the lamina, costa, costules and ofcen the veins 

 beneath furnished with white glistening multicellular patent hairs ; 

 texture, venation and sori exactly as in dissecta ; involucre reniform, 



