Ferns of British India and Ceylon. 43 



however, I have not seen with the frond less than ij inch in 

 width. Franchet considers it intermediate between Prescottianum 

 and auriculatum. 



8. POLYSTICHUM ACULEATUM. 



Var. acaxthophyllum. (Franchet?) Rhizome short erect, 

 trunk-like ; stipes 3-4 inches long, numerous stramineous palea- 

 ceous, scales tawny, some narrow-linear, others broadly ovate, 

 cuspidate jagged or fimbriate at the margins ; frond narrow 

 lanceolate acuminate, somewhat attenuated below (rachis fur- 

 nished with linear setaceous scales), 4-10 inches long, |— 2 inches 

 broad ; pinna? sessile, or nearly so, oblong, mucronatsly pointed, 

 lobed \- § way down into very prickly-pointed more or less falcate 

 segments, the superior basal one being the largest. Aspidium 

 acanthophyllum, Bull. Soc. Bot. France, 1885. 



Near Simla, 7,000 feet alt. at Mashobea (BTopc)) Sikkim ; 

 Gharwal ; Naini Tal (Dyas), Yunan (Dclava)*). 



Very variable in the size and cutting of its pinnules, running 

 in its smallest forms near typical iliccefolium, and in its larger 

 ones approaching rufo-barbatum, it has generally been sorted with 

 one of these two by Indian botanists ; it is entitled, I think, to a 

 variety name, Mr. Hope having proposed this long ago. 



Var. 1 anomalum. Add as synonym Aspidium aristatum 

 var. Thwaitesii. Baker and Clarke, Jonr. Linn. Soc. xxiv. p. 414. 

 The pinnules vary from quite entire to deeply pinnatifid or even 

 pinnate. 



9. Polvstichum Prescottianum, 

 (Also in Afghanistan.) 



Var. Bakerjanum. Mr. Baker has made this a species, but I 

 cannot say that I agree. 



1. < ''. RTOMIUM PALCATUM. 



Var. ,> CARYOTIDEUM, Simla (Blanford), Chumba (Trotter), 

 Kashmir ( '1 rotter). The Ceylon locality is an error. 



