122 



CHARACTERS OF TRIBES AND GENERA. 



less contracted. Veins uniform, reticulated, immersed, 

 areolae narrow, oblique. Receptacles marginal, immersed 

 in an iudusioid g-roove, forming a continuous linear sorus. 



Type. ScMzoloma cordata, Gaud. 



niust. Fee Gen. FiL, t. 8, B, fig. 1 ; Hook. Sp. Fil. 1, 

 t. 66, A ; Moore Ind. FiL, p. 17, B. 



Obs. — This genus is founded on a very rare Fern, hitherto 

 only found in the Moluccas and New Guinea. On account 

 of the sporangia being seated in a marginal groove, analo- 

 gous to that of the tribe Lt'jiiiscEei^, consequently it has been 

 by authors placed in that alliance ; but it differs entirely 

 in habit and texture, and in having no membraneous 

 indusium. Fee has very properly characterised it as a 

 distinct genus, and places it in alliance with Tcenitis, with 

 which it has some points of affinity in texture and venation, 

 but it differs in the vernation being articulate, that of 

 Tcenitis being adherent. 



Sp. S. cordata. Gaud, in Frecen. Voij., t., 6, 18. 



Tribe 5.— PLATYCERIE^ (Plate 5). 



Fronds dimorphous, sterile depressed, conchiform, fertile 

 fronds broad, repeatedly forked, the upper portion of the 

 segments or lobes densely sporangiferous {amorphus). 



39. Platycekidm, Desv. (1827.) 



Boole. Sp. Fil. ; Acrosiichum sp., auct. 



Vernation articulate. Surculum short, scarcely evident. 

 Sterile fronds sessile, oblique reniform, round or elongated, 

 depressed, the new successively overlapping the old, form- 

 ing an epiphytal spongy convex mass, often 1 to 3 feet in 

 diameter. Fertile fronds stipitate, rising from the sinus of 



