LYGODIUM. 



425 



Principal Species and Varieties. 



L. articulatum— ar-tic-ul-a'-tum (articulated, jointed), A. Richard. 



This is a very well-marked, greenhouse species, native of ^^ew Zealand, 

 with primary petiole (first stalk) lin. to Jin. long, the . secondary petioles 

 being lin. or more long, and with barren and fertile leaflets totally distinct. 

 The former, of a somewhat leathery texture and naked on both surfaces, are 

 twice forked, and are composed of four ligulate- oblong (broadly strap-shaped) 

 segments Sin. to Sin. long, about Jin. broad, blunt at the point, and very 

 distinctly articulated -at the base of a short stalk. The fertile leaflets are 

 many times forked, and have their fructification in dense clusters, forming 

 short spikes of spore masses. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 437. 



L, Boivini — Boi-vi'-ni (Boivin's), Mettenius. 



A native of the Island of Nossibe, near Madagascar, readily distinguished 

 by the winged and continuous nature of the petioles (stalks) of its barren 

 leaflets, which are of a parchment-Hke texture, smooth on both surfaces, 

 6in. to 7in. long, lin. broad, and have three or four strap-shaped, generally 

 blunt segments on each side. The fertile leaflets are shorter, about Jin. 

 broad, and are furnished with narrow, more or less closely-set lobes. — Hooker, 

 Synojjsis Filicum, p. 525. 



L. Circinatum— cir-cin-a'-tum (circinate, rolled inwards). Synonymous 

 with L. dichotomum. 



L. dichotomum — dich-ot'-om-um (dichotomous, repeatedly torked), 

 Swartz. 



This very beautiful species, which is also known as L. circinatum, 

 L. flexuosum, and L. pedatum, is a native of Chusan, Hong-Kong, Ceylon, 

 and the PhiUppine and Malayan Islands. It deserves to be extensively 

 grown, for it is perhaps the finest of the whole genus. The very long shoots 

 are well furnished with repeatedly -divided fronds, which are disposed in 

 pairs, opposite and somewhat distant. The primary petiole (first stalk) is so 

 much reduced that the fork seems almost to spring from the main rachis or 

 shoot ; the secondary ones, lin. to Sin. long, are firm and naked. The 



