40 



with query and asked his opinion about them. His answer was in the 

 negative. I have since endeavoured to collect fertile specimens, but with 

 no success until last year. Late in the surumar, I made an excursion to 

 the Province of Kadsusa and among my collections made there I found 

 many fructified specimens of the species. On studying these materials 

 many characters of the plant came to my notice which could not well be 

 brought into unison with Holmes 9 view. I have found that it ought to 

 be referred to genus Pachydictyon instead of Glossophora. Before 



proceeding further it will be necessary to describe this but little known 

 plant in detail. 



Description : Frond high, 30-40 cm. long, dichotomo-decompound, 

 shortly stipitate and stipose at base. At a height of some 3-4 cm. above 

 the base, the frond begins to divide repeatedly in dichotomous manner, 

 the ramification being more or less fastigiato-flabeilate. Segments are 

 iinear-cuneate, 7-15 mm. broad, with round axils and entire margin ; they 

 are usually separated by remote forks, but sometimes they ajjproach much 

 nearer to ^ach other. Terminal segments are ligulate and end . in either 

 a rounded or bilobed apex, the lobes being mostly parallel or a little 

 patent. Many proliferous segments are produced mostly from injured 

 ends of older segments. 



In the older portion, the frond evidently consists of three layers of 

 cells. The inner layer consists of large cells, disposed in a simple .layer 

 extending between both margins ; here and there some of them are divided 

 into two by a partition parallel to the surface. The wall of cells is very 

 much thicker in older than in younger portions. The epidermis consists 

 of a layer of cubical or low rectangular cells, subequal to the breadth or 

 twice as long as broad. They are arranged in a longitudinal row, as 

 seen in surface view. Below the epidermis, there is one or more layers of 

 small cells, which are slightly larger than the epidermal, but much smaller 

 than the cells of the inner layer. In the younger portion of frond, the 

 intermediate cells are often here and there interrupted ; but in older 

 portions, at least one layer of them is always present and even 4 or 5 

 layers in the marginal portion. The cell-contents are somewhat poorer 

 in these cells than those in epidermis. Pranemata are always present. 



Tetraspores are spherical, only one or two being found scattered at 

 the begining, but afterwards more and more collected into irregularly 

 oblong or linear sori, which are 2-4 mm. long or often much longer. The 

 sori are scattered over both surfaces, leaving sterile the narrow marginal 

 line and oasis-like patches of variable breadth. Tetraspores appear under 



