66 DESCRIPTIONS OF N.Z. FERNS. 



the ends of the lobes, and have their edges prickly or toothed. There are a great 

 many forms of this fern. One known as " Cupressiforme " has larger fronds, with 

 longer lobes than ordinary, and the pinnae are deflexed downwards and outwards. 

 Another called " Hymenophyllum minimum " (Plate XVI., No. 5) is altogether a 

 smaller plant than ordinary, and has prickles on the faces of the involucres as well as 

 on the edges. An extremely minute form of even this, with only one or two pairs of 

 pinnae to the frond, and these short and broad, is called by Mr. Colenso " H. 

 pygmceum." It occurs on the Port Hills, between Lyttelton and Christchurch. 



Another (Plate XIV., No. 8), is classed as " unilaterale " or " Wilsoni." It has its 

 lobes so long and narrow as to be merely linear, and they are, as well as its sori, on the 

 upper side of the pinnae only. The involucres also are often without teeth. It only 

 occurs at high levels, 3000 feet or more above the sea, and I only know for certain of 

 its having been found on the Ruahine Mountains. Another, not uncommon near 

 Wanganui, has a sort of tail of sori (sometimes as many as ten of them) arranged 

 along both sides of the rachis, above the barren portions of the frond. Van den 

 Bosch, the Dutch Botanist, reckons no less than fourteen different varieties, which he 

 considers sufficiently distinct to entitle them to be classed as species, and probably all, 

 or nearly all of them occur in New Zealand, and possibly others which he did not know, 

 yet the two figured in Plate XIV. are the only ones which are noticed in the Synopsis, 

 as presenting special peculiarities worthy of attention. It is interesting to find 

 specimens of the various forms of a fern and place them in one's herbarium ; but it 

 would make the list an endless one to give separate names to them all, as there are a 

 host of links connecting them, and scarcely any two plants, or even two fronds, are 

 exactly alike. Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense is a favourite fern for cultivation in 

 England, and grows well in a case, or under a bell glass, or even in a very damp shady 

 place in a fernery. It is found all over the Colony, and indeed all over the world, 

 from England to here. 



HYMENOPHYLLUM MULTIFIDUM. (Hi-men-o-fil-lum mul-tif-id-um.) 



PLATE XIX., No. 8. 



This is a very beautiful fern which grows in similar positions to the last, but often 

 in more exposed situations. I found it among moss in the crevices of the scoria rocks 

 not far below the snow line on Ruapehu, and even on their faces ; of course much 

 stunted, but quite unmistakable, and nearly or quite as perfect in the form of its fronds 

 as at low levels. As a rule, however, it does not occur at less than 500 feet or so 

 above sea level, and curiously enough, when it does so, it is in deeper shade than usual. 

 It also occurs in the islands of the Pacific. It has creeping, slender, wiry rhizomes, 

 and its fronds usually form a dense mat. Stipes variable, but generally rather short, 

 dark brown, and shining. Rachis smooth and slightly winged above only. Frond from 



