396 Transactions. — Botany. 



crowded appearance, caused by the overlappiug of the pinnte and segments. 

 In small specimens the rachis and stipes are often winged nearly to the 

 base ; in the circinate state the fronds are densely clothed with ferruginous 

 hairs ; fronds are occasionally found with the lowest pinnse undeveloped, as 

 in H. midtijidum. In its most luxuriant state H. villosum is quadrip innate, 

 and in habit resembles the European Trichomanes racUcans, Swartz, when 

 growing in luoist situations. 



The affinities of our plant 'are with H. i^olyantlws, Swartz, and H. 

 deniissuni, Swartz ; from the former it differs in possessing longer and 

 narrower segments and terminal orbicular sori ; it may readily be dis- 

 tinguished from the latter by its small size and orbicular involucres, which 

 have entire lips and are broader than the segments. In colour, texture, 

 and the presence of hairs, it approaches H. scahnan, A. Eich., and in the 

 position of the sori and their relative breadth as compared with the seg- 

 ments, it resembles H. javanicimi, S^Dreng. From all the species here named, 

 except H. scahnun, it is distinguished by its villous character. 



Mr. Colenso describes the involucres as "ovate, '■'• * pedicelled." 

 I find these characters only in small and imperfectly fruited specimens; the 

 apparent pedicels are simply contracted segments. 



Art. LVIII. — On Lindsaya viridis, Colenso. By T. Kiek, F.L.S. 



[Read before the Otago Institute, Ylth January, 1878.] 

 This elegant fern was originally discovered at Mangarewa, in 1842, by 

 Mr. Colenso, and described by him as Lindscsa viridis three years later, but 

 owing to its having been referred to L. trichomanoides by Sir W. J. Hooker, 

 in 1846, it is only after the lapse of thirty years that its specific validity 

 has become recognized in Europe, although it is separated from its nearest 

 allies by strongly marked differential characters. Without doubt this long 

 neglect is in part owing to the rarity of the plant itself, for, although 

 occurring in both islands, it is remarkabl}^ local, and for the most part its 

 habitats are far apart. The few New Zealand botanists who have collected 

 it are unanimous in their opinion as to its specific validity. 



In the first edition of " Synopsis Filicum," published in 1868, Mr. Baker 

 separated our plant from L. trichomanoides and united it with the Australian 

 L. wicrajdiylla, Swartz, but two years ago was led to reconsider the question 

 through Wanganui specimens transmitted to Kew by Mr. H. C. Field, under 

 the idea that it was still considered a form of L. trichomanoides. Mr. Baker 

 adopted the view held by botanists in the colony and published our plant as 



