rastrea.] poLYi'ODiACEiE. 631 



mill, opposite Knighton farm, between that and Hartsash, 1845. Boggy meadow 

 a little above Alverston mill, rather sparingly. In very small quantity on a ditch- 

 bank between Merry Garden and Ninham. Abundant and very luxuriant on the 

 Wilderness, amongst low willows and Sweet Gale ; also between that place and 

 Rookley. 



W. Med. — Abnndant in several parts of the marsh at Freshwater gate, on deep 

 bog, composed chiefly of comminuted shells. In a large willow-bed between 

 Compton and Dunsbiuy farms, a little N.E. of Compton grange, 1844. Toler- 

 ably plentiful in a boggy meadow by Cridmore, Godtnan Kirkpatrick, Esq. !.' 

 very large and luxuriant, some of the fi'onds being upwards of 15 inches long and 

 in fine fructification. 



Rhizoma creeping extensively. Frond subsolitary (?), lanceolate, erect, from 6 

 to 18 inches long, pinnate ; pinncB linear-lanceolate, a little curved backwards or 

 towards the base of the frond, and gradually diminishing in length towards each 

 extremity, the lowermost of all extremely short and often without a fellow, the 

 rest opposite, subopposite or alternate, distant, bright pale, sometimes dull green, 

 thin and delicate, without resinous glands, deeply pinnatifid, the segments (pin- 

 nules) opposite or subalternate, ovato-oblong, a little pointed and for the most 

 part slightly curved forwards, entire, their edges somewhat veined and usually 

 fringed with a few scattered and short hairs, and in the fertile fronds strongly de- 

 flexed and involute in fructification; the main central nerve sends off alternate 

 lateral nervures, directed a little towards the apex of the pinnule, and which 

 branch dichotomously a short distance from their origin, running straight and 

 nearly parallel to each other to the margin, rarely with one or other of the 

 branches again divided near its termination, and there is always one or more un- 

 branched secondary nerve near the apex of each pinnule. Rachis naked (desti- 

 tute of chaffy scales), very smooth and polished, with a pellucid horny aspect, and 

 a deep groove along its upper side, very slightly hairy sometimes on the frond, 

 mostly black at the base. Sori roundish, placed about midway in a single row 

 between each margin of the pinnules and their central nerve on the branches of 

 the secondary nervures.* 



Distinguished from A. Oreopteris, which it greatly resembles, by its long, 

 black, creeping roots sending out numerous fibres. Mr. Francis observes, on the 

 authority of Sprengel, that the plant is glandulose, which I find the case in my 

 specimens, though inodorous when bruised. The rachis is represented in E. B. 

 as scaly, though asserted in the text to be smooth or naked, as T find it; neither 

 are the segments of the pinnae with me at all fringed with bristles as there 

 drawn, but only obscurely crenate, with a very few scattered hairs on the under 

 side and about the main rib. 



2. L. Oreopteris, Presl. Mountain Shield-fern. " Fronds pin- 

 nate, pinnse lanceolate pinnatifid glabrous resinoso - glandulose 

 beneath the segments lanceolate obtuse entire, lowermost ones 

 longer, sori marginal." — Br. Fl. p. 569. Aspidium. E. B. t. 

 1019. 



On elevated boggy places ; very rare ? 



E. Med. — At Apse castle, but very sparingly, 1843, Dr.Bell-Salter ! On a 

 low wet bank by the roadside between Guildford and Lynn farms, sparingly, 

 1845, idem. The Wilderness, 1846, Albert Hambrough, Esq. 



3. L. Filix-mas, Presl. Blunt Shield-fern. " Fronds bipin- 

 nate, pinnules oblong obtuse serrated, sori near the central nerve, 

 stipes and rachis chaffy."— 5r. i?"?. p. 569. Aspidium. E.B.t. 

 1458 and t. 1949 (A. cristatum). 



Hooker says marginal, but this is surely a mistake ? 



