86 Christmas Fern 



sometimes short-acuminate, linear-lanceolate or oblong-lanceo- 

 late, often somewhat falcate, half-halberd-shaped at base, occa- 

 sionally serrate or obliquely incised or pinnately parted into oval 

 or ellipsoidal or roundish -oblong sometimes distant segments, 

 which are often auricled on the upper side, only upper pinnae of 

 sporophylls, or in sporophylls with cleft pinnas the tips or more 

 of the lower pinnae also, soriferous; soriferous parts of blade 

 somewhat contracted: margins serrulate with appressed spinu- 

 lose teeth: rachis chaffy with pale brown, lanceolate or linear or 

 sometimes ovate, acuminate, ciliate scales : lower surface more or 

 less paleaceous, especially along midveins, the upper somewhat 

 so: color deep, lustrous green: texture subcoriaceous. 



Venation pinnate, free or with occasional areolae: primary 

 branches of pinnae's midveins mostly simple at apex with two 

 simple alternate branches below, the basal one on upper side; 

 or bearing a few branches which are commonly simple or, in basal 

 lobes of pinnae, once-forked or at apex simple with two simple 

 branches below: primary branches of midveins of cleft pinnae 

 more complex; in pinnatifid pinnae constituting midveins of 

 segments,' their branches simple or once-forked or the superior 

 basal sometimes bearing a few simple or once-forked branches. 



Sori small, apical or sometimes dorsal on the simple branches 

 of primary branches of pinnae's midveins, or on the inner or 

 both of basal veinlets of the compound, mostly becoming con- 

 fluent, an oval spot visible beneath each sorus: indusia orbicular, 

 subentire or partly crenulate or suberose. 



Spores ovoid or bean-shaped, with conspicuous, irregular, 

 wing-like borders. 



Habitat. Woodlands, especially open woods, wooded banks 

 and stone walls: often among rocks. 



