•*;6 CRYFTOGAMIA I-ILICLS. 



roys broad fufcous membranes, and the rib and 

 nerves have a (light hlniy down, ot the fame co- 

 lour. The primary pinna; are Jongell near the 

 middle of 'the rib, and from thence decreafe 

 gradually towards the top and bafe, from 30 to 

 40 pair in number. Thcfe are again pinnated 

 with about twenty pair of irregularly oval, acute, 

 nervous, auriculated pinnules, edged with Iharp 

 prickly dents. The firfl or lowell of thefe pin- 

 nules, on the upper fide, at the bafe of the 

 nerve, are larger than any of the reft ; and the 

 aur-cle or appendage of each pinnule is placed 

 at its bafe on the off fide from the middle ribo 

 I'he extreme pinnules are not diflin6t, but flow 

 , , together. The frudincations are difpofed, as 



ufual, in a double feries ot circular dots upon 

 the back of each pinnule, and covered with peU 

 rated fcales. Ten or more of the lowcft pair of 

 ^/»?/^ are generally barren. 

 - ■■- !. We have fometimcs gathered a variety of this, in 

 which the inferior pinnules were pinnatifid or fe- 

 mipinnate at their bafe, but in other rcfpc(^s 

 fimihr. 

 Tb.e young leaves alfo put on a very different ap> 

 pearance from the full-grown ones. They vary 

 from fix inches to a foot in height, and are only 

 f.mply pinnate, the pinna of a lanceolate and 

 falcatecj, form, Sirmvpinnate, and edged with 

 prickly fcrraiurcs. The auricles at the bafe of 

 she pinna are conjoin'd a: the top of the leaf, 

 but often feparate ar th*; bottom of it. In this 



ilate, 



