442 Ferns of British India and Ceylon. 



Tidal backwaters throughout the Indian region. 



(Also throughout the world in warm countries near the sea.) 



GENUS LXXXVIL— PHOTINOPTERIS. ( J. Sm.) 

 (Photeinos, shining ; pteris, a fern.) 



Veins copiously anastomosing, forming numerous areoles with 

 free included veinlets, the primary veins costaeform ; fronds pinnate, 

 the upper pinnae much contracted and wholly soriferous on the under 

 side ; stipe adherent to the rhizome, pinnae articulate with the rachis. 

 (Very like Drynaria in its pinnae and venation, but the vernation is 

 adherent not articulate.) 



i. Photinopteris rigida. ( Wall.) Rhizome repent or scan- 

 dent, paleaceous, with elongated brown subulate fringed scales mixed 

 with hair-like ones in age, white glaucescent ; stipes short, nearly as 

 thick as a writing pen ; fronds i|— 3 feet long, broad-lanceolate, very 

 hard-coriaceous glossy, pinnate ; sterile pinnae long-petiolate, distant 

 3-6 inches and more long, broad ovate, acuminate, the apex gene- 

 rally caudate and curved upwards ; venation manifest, elevated on 

 both sides, costules subflexuose, united by transverse veins into four- 

 angled areoles, which are again divided into lesser areoles including 

 branched free clavate veinlets ; petioles articulated on the rachis and 

 dilated into a large orbicular scutiform base ; sometimes these sterile 

 pinnae occupy the whole frond, more frequently the rachis is suddenly 

 elongated at the apex, and bears 1-13 distant very contracted nar- 

 row-linear and fertile pinnae, 5-12 inches long, soriferous except on 

 the costa and on the slightly revolute margin. Wall. Cat. n. 27. 

 Hook. Sp. Fil. v. 281. Bedd. F. B.I. t. 211. 



Malay Peninsula ; Singapore. 



(Also in the Malay Islands, and Philippines.) 



2, Photinopteris drynarioides. {Hook.) Fronds subsessile, 

 several feet long, 1 foot or more broad, the upper part with numerous 

 distant Lomarioid pinnae, sometimes 1 foot long, 1 line broad, below 



