352 Transactions. — Botany. 



differences. The ultimate segments of the fronds are remarkably wide and 

 short, indeed, on some fronds, might more properly be termed lobes. The 

 few specimens brought away by Mr. Winkelmann this year (1883) from the 

 Great Barrier Islet, were also barren, and very similar. 



4. S. vulgaris, sp. nov. 



Plant terrestrial, gregarious, dioecious, stipitate, erect, arising from a 

 short stout rhizome, 2-3 springing together, or nearly so, 1J-2 inches high 

 including stipe ; fronds variously shaped, bat mostly broadly fan-shaped in 

 outline, 6-8 lines long, 9-10 lines broad at top, divided into two main 

 branches, each being dichotomous and sub-imbricate, angles of sinuses 

 very obtuse, spreading; segments 1 line broad, mostly dilated with very large 

 margins above forks, and deeply emarginate at tips, margins finely serrated 

 extending down the decurrent wings of stipe, nerves thick throughout, not 

 percurrent to tips ; colour a light reddish- or lurid-green, cellules large 

 oblong ; stipe l-l^ inches long, stout, sub-rrexuose, broad and compressed 

 and winged above, sub-cylindrical below, stoutly 2-nerved, sometimes 3- 

 nerved above ; fructification on upper surface of frond in the main forks ; 

 involucre a rather broad trifid or deeply 3-laciniate scale with jagged mar- 

 gins ; sometimes 3-4 observed on a frond, but invariably only one bearing 

 a calyptra ; calyptra large, tubular, 3-3^ lines long, slightly contracted at 

 base, dilated and fimbriate at mouth, of a similar dirty-reddish hue as the 

 frond ; anther idia on separate and narrower fronds, rather loosely scattered 

 in lines on both sides of main nerves under broad acuminate jagged scales. 



Hab. Clay banks lower sides of deep water-courses, shaded forests, 

 Seventy-mile Bush, Waipawa County, 1878-1881 : W.C. 



Obs. — This species is one of the largest and the coarsest-looking of all 

 our known stipitate New Zealand species. I have long known it, but 

 hitherto I have refrained from describing it in hopes of getting better speci- 

 mens, — i.e., more perfect in fruit. The calyptraa of this plant often seem as 

 if gnawed by some small insect. It appears to be pretty closely allied to 



5. hymenophyllum, Mont., and also to 8. rugulosa, mihi, in its general 

 appearance, but this latter species has entire margins, etc. 



5. S. simplex, sp. nov. 



Plant dioecious ; frond stipitate, erect, with no indication of a rhizome, 

 simple, of varied outline mostly linear and sublinear-ovate, sometimes 

 broadest at base and then deltoid-acuminate and subtruncate, 1-2J inches 

 long including stipe, 1|— 2 lines broad in the broadest part, slightly repand 

 and waved, very thin, pale green, margins entire, emarginate at apices, 

 mostly narrowly and very gradually decurrent half-way down stipe, midrib 

 narrow, very prominent and keeled on both surfaces, light yellow-brown, 

 not continued to tip, but continued downwards as a nerve within to the 



