432 Ferns of British India and Ceylon. 



long, long-stalked, fructification often interrupted. Baker in Hook. 

 Syn. Fil. p. 523. Bedd. F. B. I. Sup. t. 389. 



Ceylon, southern provinces, Mooroowa, rocky ravines. 



4. Gymnopteris metallica. {Bedd.) Fronds quite sessile, 

 3-7 inches long, up to nearly 1 inch broad, of a deep shining metallic 

 blue ; main veins not prominent and often not distinguishable from 

 the others ; fertile fronds only soriferous towards the apex. Bedd. 



F. Sup. t. 390. 



Ceylon, Haycock Mountain near Galle, in dense forests on 

 rocks, 2,000 feet elevation. 



5. Gymnopteris spicata. (Z. /.) Rhizome woody, short, 

 creeping; stipes 1-2 inches long, firm; fronds 6-18 inches 

 long, \-\ inch broad, the upper part for 4-6 inches, suddenly or 

 gradually contracted and fertile, the edge entire, the lower part 

 narrowed very gradually, texture subcoriaceous, surfaces naked ; 

 no distinct main veins, areoles uniform, hexagonal, with copious 

 free, simple or forked veinlets ; sori mixed with peltate sporangiasters. 

 Linn. Fil. Sup. 444, under Acrostichum. Gymnopteris, Presl. Tent. 

 Pter. 244, /. 11. Acrostichum, Hook. Syn. Fil. 424. Hymenolepis 

 spicata, Bedd. F. S. I. t. 46. 



North India, Sikkim and Bhotan, 4,000-7,000 feet elevation, 

 Khasya 3,000-7,000 feet ; South India, on the Western mountains ; 

 Ceylon. 



(Hymenolepis has been proposed as a genus or subgenus for this 

 species, as the fructification is on the contracted apex of the fronds, 

 instead of being on a separate frond, the same peculiarity occurs 

 constantly in other species, and I have similarly contracted fronds of 



G. variabilis var. lanceolata, which if separated from their rhizomes 

 and other fronds could not be distinguished from this species, so I 

 do not think the genus can hold good.) 



6> Gymnopteris quercifolia. {Retz.) Rhizome stout, creeping, 

 scales linear, hair-pointed ; stipe of the barren frond 1-2 inches long, 

 clothed with soft spreading ferruginous hairs ; barren frond 3-4 inches 



