CYATHEA. 



89 



C. pilosa — pil-o'-sa (hairy), Baker. 



This strong-growing, greenhouse species, native of the Andes of East 

 Peru, has ample fronds, borne on straw-coloured and densely-hairy stalks. 

 They are tripinnate (three times divided to the midrib), and their leaflets, 

 about IJft. long, are furnished with close, stalkless pinnules (leafits), cut 

 down to a narrow wing. The leafits are again cut into close, hgulate (strap- 

 shaped), blunt segments of a thin texture, while both surfaces of the whole 

 frond, but especially the lower one, are densely hairy on the ribs. The 

 small sori (spore masses) are covered by smooth involucres of a fragile nature, 

 which burst irregularly when ripe. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, i., p. 19. 



C. princeps — prin'-ceps (princely). Synonymous with C. insignis, which is 

 more extensively known in gardens as Cibotium princeps. 



C. SClerolepis — scle-roF-ep-is (having hard spuies). Baker. 



A stove species, from New Caledonia, usually found in gardens under 

 the name of C. fu7iehris, for which we can find no authority. Its fronds, 

 seldom more than 3ft. long and tripinnate (three times divided to the midrib), 

 are borne on greyish stalks, rough with hard and sharp points, and furnished 

 at their base with very firm, shining scales of a brown -black colour. The 

 leaflets are less than Ift. long ; they are furnished with sessile pinnules 

 (stalkless leafits) about Sin. long, cut down into blunt, entire, sickle- shaped 

 segments of a moderately firm texture. Both the surfaces are green and 

 smooth, and the small and abundant sori (spore masses) are covered by smooth 

 involucres of a parchment-like texture. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 453. 



C. sechellarum — se-chel-la'-rum (from the Seychelles), Mettenius. 



A stove species, native of the Seychelles Islands, much resembling in 

 habit the Indian C. spinulosa, though otherwise distinct from that species. 

 Its leathery fronds, dark green above and paler beneath, are borne on rough 

 stalks of a dark purple colour ; they are furnished with leaflets l^^ft. to 2ft. 

 long and Sin. to 9in. broad, divided into oblong and deeply-pinnatifid pinnules 

 (leafits), forming narrow-oblong, sharp-pointed, sickle-shaped lobes toothed on 

 their margin. The sori (spore masses), mostly disposed in the lower half 

 of the lobes and near the midvein, are covered by persistent involucres of 

 a parchment-like texture. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 22. 



