34 
2. Group of D. hirta. 
A well-defined group including about a dozen of species, all from Central America _ 
(Mexico—Panama) and the West-Indies. They have an erect rhizome with the 
leaves fasciculated; most of them are small with a lanceolate, ovate or deltoid, 
bipinnatifid-tripinnate lamina, others are middle-sized or, especially D. melanosticta, 
rather large, tri-quadripinnatifid. These larger species resemble not a little D. ampla 
and its allies, but they are very well. characterized by their ovate lamina, i. e. the 
basal pinnz are somewhat shorter than those of the next pair, at least in fully 
developed leaves, and by the basal lower pinnula of the basal pinna being more or 
less shortened, rarely equal in length to the second pinna; as a rule the middle 
basiscopic pinnules of the basal pinnz are the longest, while in D. ampla the basal one 
is always the largest. — In all species, D. strigilosa and D. Hemsleyana exepted, the 
veins do not reach the margin. Lamina thin-leaved, rarely firm, (f. inst. 
D. lanceolata) more or less glanduloso-pubescent and scaly, always without dry, 
whitish hairs. Scales of coste and costules beneath of most species bullate, those 
of the stipe and rachis narrow-linear, entire, hairlike, rather rigid and most often 
black-brown, often retrorse, and they do not form a large tuft at the base of the 
stipe as in D. ampla and its allies (see, however, D. interjecta). Several of the species 
have persistent large indusia, which in D. nemorosa and D. melanosticta are subpeltatedly 
fixed and orbicular; for which reason these two species have often been referred to 
Polystichum; in some of the smaller species (D. hirta, crystallina) the indusia”are 
small, early deciduous, often missing. 
To this group it seems natural to refer some of the bipinnatifid species dealt 
with in the first part of this monograph, viz. D. strigilosa, Lindeni, Salvini, lanceolata 
and Hemsleyana, while the two species D. nigrovenia and D. Tonduzii, although 
having bullate scales, seem to be so closely related to D. falciculata that it would 
be unnatural to remove them from the group of D. submarginalis; they connect — 
however, that group with that of D. hirta. 
None of the five species named above shows all the essential character of this 
group, as do most of the more composite species. D. strigilosa has the characteristic 
glandulose pubescence and setose scales of D. hirta, but it lacks bullate scales and 
the veins reach the margin; D. Lindeni and D. Salvini have bullate scales and the 
veins do not reach the margin, but their leaves are firm and not glandulose-pubescent. 
D. lanceolata is by firm, thick texture and by its ligulate segments very different 
from all other species here grouped together; in the said characters it resembles — 
_D. protensa, but its small size, lanceolate lamina, bullate scales, small erect rhizome 
and large indusia indicate connection with D. Salvini. Finally, D. Hemsleyana looks 
_ very pecultar by its nearly tripartite lamina with a pair of very much developed 
basal pinnae, the: lower side of which is very produced, while the central part of 
| the leaf is regularly bipinnatifid. Also by its firmer texture, by its veins reaching 
