TAB. XC. 



Acrostichum (Elaphoglossum) dimoephum, Hk et Gr. 



Caudice horizontali vel ascendente crassiusculo radicante 

 apice imbricatim paleaceo, stipitibus copiosis approximatis 

 4 uncias ad spithamaeam longis subrobustis per totam lon- 

 gitudinem sparse paleaceo-squamosis, frondibus sterilibus 

 3-4-uncialibus oblongo-lanceolatis costatis obtusis coriaceo- 

 membranaceis margine lobato-pinuatifidis junioribus minute 

 squamulosis, venis oblique patentibus, costis subtus deci- 

 duo- squamulosis, fertilibus paulo minoribus subintegerrimis 

 vel sinuato-lobulatis dorso (ut videtur) toto capsuliferis. 

 Acrostichum dimorphum, Hook, et Grev. Ic. Fil. Tab. 145, 

 frons fertilis inclusa, (not " exclusa," Fee). Fee, Hist, des 

 Acrost. p. 40. 

 Olfersia dimorpha, Pr. Tent. Pterid. p. 235. 

 Elaphoglossum dimorphum, Moore. 



Hab. St. Helena, on rocks and walls, Genl. Walker, Dr. 

 Shuter (who also sent specimens from Madras, but they 

 were probably taken out thither from St. Helena) ; top of 

 Diana's Peak, very common, Dr. Hooker. 

 This and the subject of our following plate, Acrost. (Ela- 

 phoglossum) bifurcatum are very remarkable plants ; peculiar 

 to the island of St. Helena; and, as Dr. Hooker assures 

 us, growing apart from each other ; and, where he has seen 

 them, exhibiting no appearance of being forms of one and 

 the same species. Nevertheless, M. Fee, who does not admit, 

 in his Histoire des Acrostichees, the A. furcaturn, observes 

 at p. 40. under Acrostichum dimorphum, Hook., " cette espece 

 est parfaitement tranchee, et la dissimilitude des feuilles ne 

 permettra pas de la m^connaitre." He goes on to say "VA bi- 

 furcatum pourrait bien n' etre autre chose q'une forme tres- 

 divis^e de VA. dimorphum." Presl, having in the interim 

 established his genus Microstaphyla, with no character except 

 form, that I can see, to distinguish it from Elaphoglossum (his 

 Olfersia) ; (" sorus," he says " acrostichoideus"), founded on a 

 solitary species, the Acrost. bifurcatum, Sw., M. Fee in his 

 7me " Mem. sur les Fougeres," adopts the Genus, repeats his 

 views respecting the oneness of Acr. dimorphum and Acr. 

 bifurcatum, and asserts that our figure of the former " peche 

 par l'exactitude, la fronde fertile figuree n'appertenant pas 

 vraisemblablement aux frondes steriles." He describes and 

 represents the sori of Microstaphyla as " nervillaires," which 

 we cannot confirm by our specimens. We must refer our 

 readers to the next following description for further obser- 

 vations on these two Ferns. 



Tab. XC. Fertile and sterile fronds of Acrostichum (Ela- 

 phoglossum) dimorphum, Hook, and Grev. ; natural size. 

 Fig. 1. Portion of a sterile, and f. 2. portion of a fertile 

 frond ; magnified. 



Cent. 2. i. 90. 



