70 I. — FiLiCEs. [Lomaria 



This species is allied to L. Jluviatilis, and is intermediate in habit 

 -J. between it and L. lanceolata. It is exclusively confined to New 

 ' Zealand, and has a wide range in both islands, though it is not an 

 abundant species. It is tolerably common from the Thames north- 

 wards to the Bay of Islands, also in various other parts of the North 

 Island. In the South Island it occurs very locally, being found in 

 many spots from Nelson to Otago. It is rare down the whole West 

 Coast. 



14. L. frazeri, A. Gunn. 



Rhizome slender, erect, often lengthened into a trunk 2-3 ft. high, 

 clothed at the top with linear, dark-brown scales. Stipes 4-6 in. 

 long, strong, erect, scaly at the base, glabrous above and more or less 

 interruptedly winged with triangular lobes, as is the rachis. Fronds 

 numerous, tufted, glabrous, membranous, 10-18 in. long, 4-6 in. 

 broad, ovate-acuminate, 2-pinnatifid ; pinnse linear-lanceolate, the 

 lower ones 2-3 in. long, -|^-f in. broad, cut down very nearly to the 

 rachis into linear-oblong mucronate slightly-toothed pinnules, which 

 have decurrent bases. Fertile fronds similar to or narrower than 

 the sterile. 



This is a very remarkable species, differing in habit from all the 

 others of the genus, and is only found in New Zealand. It is par- 

 ticularly characteristic of the northern portion of the North Island, 

 being common from the N. Cape to the Thames, but becoming rare 

 further south. In the South Island, it was gathered by Lyall during 

 the cruise of the Acheron, about the year 1848, at Massacre Bay, in 

 the Nelson disti-ict ; \m.% I am not aware of any other habitat, nor 

 does it seem to have been gathered there since. According to Mr. 

 Potts, this fern is very much eaten down by cattle, whenever they 

 meet with it. 



Genus XVIII.— DOODIA,* R. Brown. (PI. II. fig. 9.) 



Rhizome short. Fronds tufted, pinnate or pinnatifid; veins forming 

 one or two series of arches between the midrib and edge, on which 

 the sori are placed. Sori oblong or slightly curved, in one or more 

 rows parallel with the midrib ; involucre of the same shape as the 

 sorus, membranous, opening inwards. 



1. D. media, B. Br. 



Stipes 4-6 in. long, black, with subulate scales at its base, some- 

 times scabrous, usually smooth above, as is the rachis. Fronds 

 tufted, 6-12 in. (rarely 2 ft.) long, lanceolate; pinnae numerous, 

 spreading, linear, acute or obtuse, toothed or sharply serrate, the 

 lower more or less rounded or auricled, those in the upper part of 

 the frond more or less connected at the base, the apex of the frond 



* In honour of Saml. Doody, an English cryptogamio botanist. 



