101 
Trine VIIIL—AspLenin& 
Indusium- linear or oblong or horseshoe- 
shaped, sometimes double; sori attachéd to 
the veins. 
GeNus XX.—THAMNOPTERIS PRESL. , 
(Deriv. Thamnos, a thicket ; pteris, a fern.) 
Sori linear; veins forked, more or less 
parallel, connected just within the margin by 
a transverse vein. (This connection is not 
quite constant.) Fronds simple. 
Thamnopteris nidus Pres]. 
Rhizome erect. Stipes short, scaly. Fronds 
up to 6 feet long and 6 inches broad, linear- 
lanceolate, margin entire. The fronds are 
arranged symmetrically on a crown forming a 
circular, deep, vase-shaped hollow. Sori-along 
the veins, not reaching the margin. [Fig. 37-a.] 
Cultivated. Known in gardens as Asple- 
num nidus, Asplemum mdus-avis, and Bird’s 
Nest Fern. - ‘ 
The fern occurring wild in the Presidency is 
what would come nearest to Beddome’s variety 
phyllitidis, but this, we think, is merely a size- 
form of the species. 
