116 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



Janeiro. The strap-shaped leaflets, 4in. to 6in. long, fin. to lin. broad, and 

 bluntly lobed, are short-stalked at the lower part of the frond ; they are 

 unequal at the base, the lower side being more wedge-shaped. The fronds 

 are of a moderately firm texture, bright green and smooth on both surfaces, 

 with the midribs below rather scaly ; their sori (spore masses) are disposed 

 near the main veins. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicurn, p. 305. 



P. (Goniophlebium) Catharinse — Go-ni-oph-leV-i-um ; Oath-ar-i'-nae 

 (St. Catharine's), Langsdorff and Fischer. 

 This easily -cultivated, evergreen, stove species, of medium dimensions, 

 which, according to Lowe, was introduced into the Royal Gardens, Kew, in 

 1841, is a native of Brazil. Its simply-pinnate fronds, 6in. to 12in. long and 

 3in. to 5in. broad, are produced from a wide-creeping rhizome clothed with 

 dark brown, spreading scales, and borne on erect, naked stalks 4in. to 6in. 

 long and of a glossy nature. The texture of their leaflets, which are ljin. 

 to 3in. long and Jin. to Jin. broad, is somewhat leathery, and their colour is 

 dark, dull green. The large, round sori (spore masses) are disposed in single 

 rows close to the midrib. P. Catherines of gardens is synonymous with 

 P. loriceum latipes. — Hooker, Species Filicurn, v., p. 20. Nicholson, Dictionary 

 of Gardening, iii., p. 188. Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, i., t. 44. 



P. (Phegopteris) caudatum — Phe-gop'-ter-is ; cau-cla'-tum (tailed), 

 Kaulfuss. 



This is a strong-growing, stove species, native of Cuba and Brazil. Its 

 ample, much-divided fronds, 2ft. to 3ft. long, 1ft. to ljft. broad, borne on 

 firm, angular, brownish stalks 1ft. to 1-Jft. long, are furnished with leaflets 

 Gin. to 9in. long, lin. to 2in. broad, of a soft, papery texture, and naked on 

 both surfaces. These leaflets are cut down to a distinctly -winged rachis 

 (stalk of the leafy portion) into oblong- sickle -shaped, distinctly -toothed lobes 

 of about equal size throughout. The sori (spore masses) are disposed close 

 to the midrib. — Hooker, Species Filicurn, iv., p. 241. 



P. (Goniophlebium) caudiceps — Go-m-oph-leV-i-um ; cau'-dic-eps 

 (tail-headed), Baker. 

 A stove species, of small dimensions, native of Formosa, with simple 

 (undivided), smooth, oblong- spear- shaped fronds 6in. long, lin. or more in 



