Ill 



PTERIS AQUILINA, Var. Escdlenta. 



Hooker. 



Pteris — Brake. 



Aquilina — Eagle-like. 



Esculenta — Eatable. 



A PEETTY, narrow, slender variety of the Common Brakes, 

 more especially abundant in the southern hemisiDhere. 



Native of Australia, Ne^' Zealand, Society Islands, Tasmania, 

 Norfolk Island, Feejee Islands, Tropical America, Jamaica, Peru, 

 Venezuela, Guiana, Galipagos, Brazil, India, Borneo, and the 

 Indian Archipelago. 



In this variety the fronds are usually glabrous, the pinnules 

 distant, narrow-linear, the superior pinnules mostly decurrent 

 and confluent, the portion that is decurrent forming a shallow 

 rounded auricle. 



Length from twelve to twenty-four inches. 



For fronds my thanks are due to i\Ir. J. Smith, Curator of 

 the Royal Gardens, Kew, and to Mr. G. Norman, of Hull. 



