PLATYLOMA. 65 



GENUS III. 



PLATYLOMA. J. Smith. 



This family takes its name from the broad sori, namely, 

 platys, broad, and loma, a margin. 



Fronds pinnate or bipinnate. Stipes usually ebeneous, smooth, 

 pillose, or squamulous. Pinnse articulated with the rachis. 



Sori linear-oblong, continuous, eventually becoming confluent, 

 and forming a broad belt round the margin. Indusium narrow, 

 and transversely attached to the outer margin of the compound 

 receptacle. 



Veins forked; venules direct, their apices being free and 

 sporangiferous. 



In habit they mostly vary but little from those of Cassebeera 

 and Adiantum, agreeing with the former in the ebeneous 

 character, yet differing from it in the broad sorus; and differing 

 from the latter by the compound receptacle of Platyloma not 

 being so much changed in its texture, nor reflexed, as is the 

 case with Adiantum. 



Although a small genus, still it is as interesting as perhaps 

 any other of the tribes of Ferns. Some authors adopt the 

 name of Pellcea instead of Platyloma. Fee enumerates a score 

 species, whilst Moore gives eight as cultivated in this country. 

 Kunze, who places them as Allosorus, gives fifteen species, 

 and in these he' includes the British A. crispus. 



Amongst Platyloma, no one can help being struck with the 

 beauty of calomelanos of Presl, Jlexuosa of Kaulfuss, the rotun- 

 difolia of Kunze, or the ternifolia of Kunze. 



This family are very subject to the attack of thrips, more 

 especially the species falcata and rotundifolia. 



We have no British example. 



VOL. III. R 



