Ferns of British India and Ceylon. 63 



45. Lastrea Boryaxa. Chamba(Yl/<rZ?o //£//), Simla (Blanford). 



45A. Lastrea megaphylla. {Baker.) A large compound 

 fern, in cutting much like Boryana, but texture of Filix-mas 

 elongata ; fronds several feet long, bipinnate tripinnatifid, primary* 

 pinnae distinctly stalked, 16 inches or more long, secondary pinnae 

 on short distinct stalks, narrow lanceolate, about 3 inches long by 

 f— I inches broad, cut down to a winged rachis into oblong obtuse 

 \ inch broad lobes, which are irregularly and bluntly crenated, 

 texture subcoriaceous ; surfaces quite glabrous ; veins pinnate in 

 the lobes, veinlets forked towards their apices, or the lower ones 

 pinnate, terminating short of the margin ; sori medial on the 

 upper branch of the forked veinlets, 4-5 on each side of the lobes ; 

 indusium reniform, persistent. Baker, Jour. Linn. Soc. xxii. 227. 

 Larut, Perak, at 3,000 feet alt. (Dr. King's collector, Nos. 2,822 

 and 6,952.) 



(Also in Borneo.) 



NEPHRODTUM. 



The following key to this genus is given in hopes that it may 

 aid in the determination of the species of this difficult genus, and 

 stimulate the collection of better specimens showing the entire 

 stipe and rhizome ; the frond of a Nephrodium is of little value 

 as a specimen, unless the whole stipe is shown, and even the 

 rhizome is. very important. A larger suite of specimens of 

 some of the more critical species will probably prove that I have 

 wrongly lumped or divided some species, but I trust that my 

 labours will lead to a better, elucidation of the different species by 

 field botanists. No genus has, I believe, been less understood ; 

 owing chiefly to the want of perfect specimens, the lumping of 

 critical species has made the study of the genus very difficult. 

 Sir W. Hooker, in his "Species l'ilicum," included four or five 

 species under molle, and in the" Synopsis Filicum," multilincatum 

 < W'ull.). an auricled fern has been included under pennigcrum, 

 which I believe never has auricles ; and liucatu/n and asperum of 



