54 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



into segments |in. long, oblong, narrowed suddenly to a point and auricled at 

 the base above. Their texture is somewhat leathery, and the small, roundish 

 sori (spore masses), which are abundantly produced, are disposed round both 

 edges of the segments. — Hooker., Sj)ecies Filicum, ii., p. 73, t. 92a. 



C. persica — per'-sic-a (Persian). This is identical with C. Szovitzii. 



C. Preissiana — Preis-si-a'-na (Preiss's). A synonym of C. Sieheri. 



C. (Adiantopsis) pteroides — Ad-i-ant-op'-sis ; pter-6-i'-des (Pteris-like), 

 Swartz. 



This curious and pretty, greenhouse species, of somewhat robust habit, is 

 a native of the Cape of Good Hope, where it has been gathered up to 3000ft. 

 elevation, also of the Island of Java, where it is found at the summit of 

 Mount Grede. Its singular fronds, 1ft. to l|ft. long, 6in. to 9in. broad, borne 

 on strong, erect, naked stalks 6in. to 12in. long and of a dark chestnut-brown 

 colour, are deltoid (in shape of the Greek delta, A) ; their lower part is 

 tripinnate (three times divided to the midrib), being provided with several 

 opposite pairs of wiry branches growing gradually larger downwards, the 

 lowest often again branched ; their upper part is simply pinnate (only once 

 divided to the midrib) ; the segments are sessile (stalkless), oblong, and entire, 

 and are broadly romided at both ends. The texture is somewhat leathery ; 

 the copious small and roundish sori (spore masses) form a broad, marginal, 

 reddish-brown belt round the edges of the segments, and are covered by 

 a brown, contiguous indusium of membranous (parchment-like) texture. This 

 species differs in so many respects from all others comprised in the genus 

 Cheilanthes that it has been called Adiantum by Linna3us, Casseheera by Presl, 

 and Pteris by Houttuyn. However, as the plant has the true involucres of 

 Cheilanthes, Sir William Hooker has very properly placed it in that genus, — 

 Hooker, Species Filicum, ii., p. 80, t. 101. Nicholson, Hictionary of Gardening, 

 i., p. 308. Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, iv., t. 21. 



C. (Eucheilanthes) pulchella — Eu-cheil-anth/-es ; pul-cheF-la (neat), 

 Bory. 



A distinct and pretty, greenhouse sjDecies, native of Madeira and the 

 Canaries, with fronds 3in. to 12in. long and 2in. to 4in. broad, borne on 

 densely-tufted, strong, erect stalks Sin. to 9in. long, of a dark chestnut-brown 



