Prats 56. 
TRICHOMANES (§ Pritopnyitium) Banororrir. 
Dr. Bancroft’s Trichomanes. 
Tricnomanss (§Ptilophyllum) Bancroftii, Hook. and Grev.; caudex often creep- 
ing and slender and filiform, hairy rather than scaly; stipites solitary or 
subceespitose, alate with a broad decurrent wing ; fronds three to four inches 
long, oblong or ovate, deeply pinnatifid; lobes or segments oblong or sub- 
ovate, variously lobedand pinnatifid or even sub-bipinnatifid, so thatthe frond 
is then tripinnatifid, with linear obtuse segments; veins pinnated, subflexu- 
oge, veinlets or branches one to each division or lobe; their veins and the 
rachises bear scattered clavate soft hairs beneath; involucres sunk in the 
substance of the frond at the apex of a lobe or segment, infundibuliform, 
with a spreading entire mouth; receptacles much exserted, very fragile. 
Tricnomanes Bancroftii. Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 204. Hook. Sp. Fil. v. 1. 
p. 128. Van den Bosch, Syn. Hymenoph. p. 16. Presl, Hymenoph. p. 16. 
Epim. Bot. \V. J. G. Sturm in Mart, Fl. Brasil. fase. 18. p. 259. 
TRICHOMANES coriaceum. Kze. Fil. Pepp. in Linnea, v. 9. p.105. Analect. 
Pteridograph. p. 46. 4. 29. f. 1. 
PrrLopHYLLuM Bancroftii. Van den Bosch, Gen. Hymenoph. p. 22. 
Has. Tropical America, but apparently peculiar to the West Indian Islands and 
the northern and eastern continent, south to Brazil. First detected by Dr. 
Bancroft in Jamaica, since found there by Wiles and Higson, by March, Wil- 
son, Purdie, etc.; St.Vincent, L. Guilding; Guadeloupe, LI’ Herminier ; Cuba, 
C. Wright, n. 955. Guiana, British, French, and Dutch, Hostmann, Schom- 
burgk, Appun, Sagot, C. 8. Parker, Le Prieur ; Payé, Brazil, near Collaris 
(not “ Peru,” as given by Kunze on the distributed specimens), Pappig ; 
Bafia de Rio Negro, Spruce, n. 871, and St. Gabriel, n. 2344: these seem 
to be the only localities known in Brazil; even Martius does not seem to 
have met with it.—Cultivated at Kew. 
A well-marked species, if general structure be considered, yet 
variable in composition, from pinnatifid with broad and sinuated 
lobes, as here represented, or tri-pinnatifid, as given in our prin- 
cipal figure in the ‘Icones Filicum.’ Kunze’s figure, above 
quoted, is bipinnatifid. In many states of this plant there is a 
decided creeping caudex, but in many of our own specimens (as 
the accompanying figure, and in Kunze’s), there are only tufted 
fibrous roots visible. 
Attempts have been made by Presl and Van den Bosch, to 
form many genera of Hymenophyllum and Trichomanes, the latter 
undoubtedly the most successfully, yet, I fear, with not very 
FEBRUARY Ist, 1862. 
