NOTHOCHLfENA. 31 



GENUS II. 



NOTHOCHLCENA. Robert Brown. 



The genus Nothocliloena is scaixely inferior in interest to that 

 of Gymno gramma. These Ferns are on the whole, small, elegant, 

 and compact plants, and most of them are natives of warm 

 climates. There is no British representative of this family, one 

 species, however, the NotJiochlcena vestita, from North America, 

 is sometimes sold by the smaller Nurserymen for the English 

 Woodsia ilvensis. 



The derivation of the word Nothocliloina is from nothos — 

 spurious, and cJilaina — a cloak. A name given on account of 

 several of the species appearing to have an involucre. 



The veins of the frond are either forked or pinnate, the venules 

 being free. The spore-cases, (or sporangia,) terminal. The sori 

 are circular and solitary, ultimately becoming confluent; they 

 are situate near the apex of the venules, producing a linear, 

 continuous, or interrupted marginal belt. 



The fronds are pinnate, or bi-tripinnate, some of the species 

 hairy, others woolly, densely scaly, or covered beneath with a 

 farinose powder, through which the sporangia protrude; usually 

 there are but few spore-cases to each sorus. In some species 

 the margin of the frond is slightly reflexed. 



The rhizoma is cajspitose. 



Most of the plants in this genus are difficult to 'cultivate, 

 requiring great care, especially in winter, to keep water off the 

 fronds, as, from their construction, they have the property of 

 retaining moisture, and are therefore apt to decay. 



The Ferns in Nothochlmna differ from Gijmnogramma in the 

 form of the sori, otherwise, the species with farinose powder 

 and those which are hairy, indicate a certain degree of affinity 

 with this genus. The free veins and terminal sori place them 

 near the Poly podium, from which, however, they differ in the 

 sori being mostly confluent, and the margin slightly reflexed. 

 They also approach Cheilanthes, in having the margin of the 

 frond reflexed. 



VOL. I. G 



