12 ANNUAL MAIDENHAIR. 



Genus. — Gyimnogeamma. Ultimate divisions of frond con- 

 tracted at the base but not stipitate, without a midvein : veins 

 dichotomously branched, branches free at the extremity : invo- 

 lucre not apparent : clusters of capsules linear, on both branches 

 of the vein, and therefore forked, finally confluent, and occupy- 

 ing almost the entire under surface. 



Species. — Leptophylla. Stipes brown, about the same 

 length as the frond : frond ovate-deltoid, pinnate : pinnte sti- 

 pitate, pinnate : pinnules stipitate, pinnate : lobes twice dicho- 

 tomously divided. 



Polypodium leptophyllum, Linn. SxJ. PI- 1553; Swartz, in 

 Schra.d. Journ. ii. 27. 



Grammitis leptophylla, Sivartz, Syn. Fil. 23 et 218; Woods, 

 Tourist's Flora, 424. 



Gymnogramma leptophylla, Dcsvaux, Berl. Mag. v. 305 ; 

 Neimn. Phytol. iv. 914 ; Moore, 62. 



Acrostichum leptophyllum, Flor. Franc, ii. 565. 



The figure of this fern in Schkuhr (t. 26) is admirable, and 

 leaves nothing to be desired : that in Swartz (Syn. Fil. t. 1, fig. 

 6) is good, but represents a weak plant. With regard to the 

 generic name, I adopt it to avoid confusion ; but in doing so, 

 must express my disapprobation of the association of such a 

 heterogeneous group of species as Presl and other authors have 

 placed under this genus. Neither do I see why the present 

 species has been separated from Grammitis of Swartz, whose 

 characters of the genus scarcely differ from those subsequent^ 

 given by Desvaux for the genus G3rmnogramnia, as under : — 

 " Capsulffi venis simplicibus furcatisve frondis insertee. Indu- 

 sium nullum. Frondes pinnatse, bipinnatte decompositseque. 

 Eadices ceespitosfe." — (Berl. Mag. v. 304). The typical species, 

 L. rufa, has little relationship with that now under considera- 

 tion, which stands the seventh in Desvaux's list. The name, 

 however, of Gymnogramma leptophylla, has become familiar to 



