202 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



on slender, very short, hairy stalks. The closely-set, egg-shaped, blunt, entire 

 leaflets are of a soft, papery texture, and are clothed on their under- side with 

 soft hairs. The spore masses are disposed two to five in a row. — Hooker, 

 Species Filicum, iv., p. 222. 



P. recurYatum — rec-ur-va'-tum (recurved), Kaulfuss. 



A stove species, native of Brazil, and closely allied to P. pectinatum, from 

 which it differs principally in the nature of its scales and in the shape of 

 its fronds, the lower leaflets of which are not reduced. — Hooker, Synopsis 

 Filicum, p. 332. 



P. (Goniopteris) refractum — Go-ni-op'-ter-is ; ref-rac'-tum (broken), 

 Fischer and Meyer. 

 This very handsome, stove species, native of Brazil, and, according to 

 Lowe, introduced into England in 1837, produces from an upright-growing 

 rootstock its pinnate fronds, about 1ft. long, 6in. broad, and furnished with 

 spear-shaped leaflets. These leaflets are eared on both sides at the base, 

 sinuated (dented) on their edges, of a stiff texture, and glossy on both sides, 

 the lower ones being conspicuously deflexed (thrown back). The abundant 

 minute, black spore masses are irregularly scattered over the whole of their 

 under-side. — Lowe, Ferns British and Exotic, ii., t. 48. 



P. (Goniophlebium) Reinwardtii— Go-m-oph-leb'-i-um ; Rein-wardt'-i-i 

 (Reinwardt's). A synonym of P. subauriculatum. 



P. (Campyloneuron) repens — Camp-yl-on-eur'-on ; re'-pens (creeping), 

 Linnaeus. 



In this stove species, native of Mexico, the West Indies, and Brazil, and 

 which, Lowe states, was introduced into the Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1841, 

 the fronds are produced from a slender but firm, wide-creeping, tortuous 

 rhizome, and borne on firm stalks lin. to 5in. long. They are entire or 

 slightly undulated, 6in. to 18in. long, lin. to 3in. broad, sharp-pointed at their 

 extremity, and very gradually narrowed at the base ; their texture is some- 

 what leathery, their colour bright green, and their upper surface dotted over 

 with white scales. The round and conspicuous spore masses are disposed in 



