280 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



entire, slightly-stalked leaflets are 4in. to 6in. long, and ^in. broad, and the 

 lowest of them are disposed about lin. apart ; they are of a somewhat leathery 

 texture, and naked on both surfaces. The very narrow spore masses fall short 

 of the points of the leaflets. — Hooker, Species Filicum, ii., p. 212. 



P. (Amphiblestra) latifolia — Am-phib-le'-stra ; la-tif-ol'-i-a (large- 

 leaved), Humboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth. 

 The fronds of this stove species, native of Venezuela, are 1ft. to 2ft. long, 



and are composed of a large terminal leaflet and a pair of lateral ones. The 



former has an oblong -triangular, waved, and pointed 

 extremity, while the latter, sometimes Iffc. long and 2in. 

 broad, are nearly entire ; all are of a soft, papery 

 texture, and have their principal veins running nearly 

 parallel, about lin. apart. The spore masses seldom 

 extend to the extremity of the lateral leaflets, while the 

 terminal one is usually barren. P. latifolia of gardens 

 is identical with Pellcea adiantoides. — Hooker, Species 

 Filicum, ii., p. 233. 



P. (Litobrochia) leptophylla— Li-tob-roch'-i-a ; 



lep-toph-yl'-la (slender-leaved), Swartz. 

 A very pretty and thoroughly distinct, delicate- 

 looking, stove species, of small dimensions, native of 

 Brazil, and, according to Lowe, raised in the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew, in 1834. Its finely-divided fi'onds, 9in. 

 to 12in. each way, are borne on erect, slender, straw- 

 coloured stalks Gin. to 9in. long. A few of their upper 

 leaflets are simple ; the largest of these are less than 

 lin. long, about |^in. broad, and strongly toothed 

 when barren, but smooth when fertile ; the central 

 ones (Fig. 78) are spear-shaped and deeply cleft into 

 narrow leafits ; while the lowest are deltoid (in form of the Greek delta. A) 

 and furnished with numerous leafits often 2in. long and again deeply 

 cleft. The fronds are of a soft, papery texture, greyish-green in colour, and 

 naked on both surfaces. The spore masses sometimes, but rarely, reach the 



Fii. 78. Central Pinna of 

 Pteris leptophylla 



(i nat. size). 



