52 
veins of tertiary segments above and margins with some scattered, similar hairs; 
upper surface besides more or less glanduloso-pubescent by short cylindrical hairs 
(very slightly so in the type-sp.). Scales of the midribs of pinnz beneath similar 
to those of the stalks of the pinnze but smaller, generally. numerous, rather appres- 
sed, antrorse, those of the midribs of pinnules and tertiary segments more ovate- 
acuminate, divaricating, often a little darker in colour (Fig. 10a); under-surface 
throughout glandular by small cylindrical hairs, most densely so on midribs and 
veins. — Veins of a* middle-sized tertiary segment about 6-jugate, those of the 4—5 
lowest pairs furcate in the marginal teeth, reaching the margin; midvein of a po- 
sterior basal, adnate or decurrent segment springs out from the midrib of the secondary 
pinnula above its base and is equally pinnate to both sides. Sori small, consisting 
of scarcely a dozen of sporangia, near the very base of the anterior branch of the 
furcate veins, about medial between midrib and edge; commonly the whole leaf is 
soriferous from base to the very apex of frond and pinne (in type-sp. the outer 
two thirds of the pinne is without sori). Indusia very small, very early fugacious, 
pale and thin, often not found, glanduloso-ciliate (in type-sp. small, reddish). Spor- 
angia few, easily falling; spores echinulate. 
D. ampla, as here interpreted, has a rather limited distribution: the northern 
Andes of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador to Costa Rica and Guatemala, Jamaica 
and Cuba, from where it has found its way to Florida, and the southern Lesser 
Antilles from Trinidad to St. Vincent, where it is perhaps not indigenous but escaped 
from cultivation, at least in Trinidad; Galapagos is a more remote locality. Speci- 
mens from other regions, previously referred to D. ampla belong to other species; 
those from the middle Lesser Antilles to D. ewcelsa and D. meridionalis, from Northern 
Central America with Mexico to D. equestris, from Bolivia-Peru to D. nemophila; the 
Bermudan »D. ampla« is my D. meridionalis vy. speluncae. — The species is not 
subject to greater variations; it varies, of course, in size and subsequently in the 
degree of cutting, in colour that is sometimes, although rarely, fresher green, 
in the number of scales and in the density of the glandular, cylindrical hairs. 4. 
culcita Christ was based on old leaves of the typical form, and Pol. paleaceam of Hook. 
fil., at least of ANpERsson, from Galapagos is scarcely to be separated even as form. 
It was suggested by Baker (Syn. 285) -that it might be a form of Aspid. furcatum KL, 
which is certainly wrong; unfortunately I have (Ind. Fil.) followed BakER and re- 
ferred it to D. furcata as a variety, and Stewart (loc. cit.) calls it D. furcata. He 
enumerates a long series of specimens, so that it seems to be frequent on most 
of the islands. The largest specimen seen is exactly a middle-sized D. ampla, but 
other specimens are smaller and most of them have a more scaly rachis than is 
common in the species. At best it is a dwarfy form developed in exposed localities 
on the high mountains of the islands. 
I regard the following specimens as typical: 
