A SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS SELAGINELLA. 141 
enlarged specimens of the English mountain spleenwort, while 
others have broad oval or triangular pinne. Some forms of it also 
creep considerably, and produce fresh tufts along the ‘aides 
whilst the great majority never do so. Some forms of A. obtusatum 
again propagate themselves in the same way, and there is a great 
difference in plants of A. wnbrosum in the same respect, as well as 
in the character ana colour of the foliage. As a rule, non-creeping 
forms have broader Sinner foliage than creeping ones. In fact, if 
the various peculiarities of our New Zealand Ferns sufficed to 
constitute separate varieties, we should he aah we ands of names 
to designate the whole of them, and should to be constantly 
adding to the list as fresh forms a eased? or were noticed. 
slight difficulty in oe occasional plants is, to ay mind, a far 
less evil than this would and the more so as, even now, many 
persons are oteerell from Silging our ferns by the difficulty which 
they experience in riage the names of the several kinds. It 
ity t S of 
ough the country ig af red and brought into pat 
So ome kinds, formerly alpcoble plentiful here, are no longer to be 
found at all, the places where they grew being now idee | grass or 
crop, and no doubi this evil will increase as time goes on; a 
therefore anything which deters people from cultivating, and s 
saving, the plants is to be deprecated. 
A SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS SHELAGINELLA. 
By J. G. Baxer, F.R.S., &¢. 
(Continued from p. 100). 
45. §. revoluta, n. sp.—Stems densely matted, trailing, 1-2 
PR ely firm in texture, ‘pevolate; the midrib nearly Sat the 
upper margin a little more convex than the lower, the ie ciliated ; 
those of the upper plane a third as long, ovate, acute, much im- 
bao ke strongly ciliated. Spikes very short, square, + iin. diam. ; 
bracts ovate, acute, much imbricated, strongly keeled. 
Near Maypures and below San Fernando, on the banks 
of 7 Orinoco, Spruce 3621! hie S. aggesta of the Himalayas. 
S. paruta Spring Mon. ii. 97?; S. sarmentosa A, Br.— 
Ia cafe patulum Swartz ? ; Ae ge Hook. & Grev. — Ste 
er, pale, tr. aie reaching 6-9 in. long, angled on the ies, 
with a long whiplike tip and nate ae short alternate pinnately 
arranged branches, with 3-7 branchlets. Leaves of the lower plane 
crowded, erecto-patent, oblong- ianbdolats; subacute “e gota 
bright green, moderately firm in texture, the midri b distinct, 
at the base ; leaves of the upper plane a third as long, oblique ovate, 
