276 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



P. GHffithii— Grif-fith'-i-i (Griffith's), Hooker. 



A small-growing, stove species, native of Northern India, with broadly 

 spear-shaped fronds Gin. to Sin. long, borne on slender, erect stalks of the 

 same length and of a wiry nature. The upper lateral leaflets are simple and 

 not more than Jin. apart ; the lower ones are 2in. to 3in. apart and are 

 divided to the midrib, their lowest leafits being fre- 

 quently divided again 5 all are of a somewhat leathery 

 texture, naked on both surfaces, and the involucre 

 which covers the spore masses is narrow and of a 

 parchment-like texture. Fig. 76 is reduced from Col. 

 Beddome's " Ferns of British India," by the kind 

 permission of the author. — Hooker, Species Filicum, 

 ii., p. 170, t. 123a. Beddome, Ferns of British 

 India, t. 24. 



P. (Litobrochia) Meenkeana — Li-tob-roch'-l-a ; 

 Hamk-e-a'-na (Hsenke's), Presl. 

 A stove species, native of Guatemala, New Granada, 

 and Peru, with fronds only once divided to the midrib, 

 of a leathery texture, and naked on both surfaces. The 

 spore masses do not reach quite to the extremity of the 

 leaflets. This species is of little decorative value. — 

 Hooker, Species Filicum, ii., p. 213. 



Fig. 76. Pteris Grifflthii P» hastata — has-ta'-ta (spear-shaped). This is 

 (i nat. size). synonymous with Pellcea hastata. 



P. heterophylla — het-er-oph-yl'-la (having variable fronds), Linnceus. 



This stove species, native of Brazil and the West Indies, is of medium 

 size only. Its broadly-triangular fronds, 6in. to 12in. long, 3in. to 6in. broad, 

 and three times divided to the midrib, are borne on wiry, slender, naked stalks 

 of a peculiar straw-colour. With the exception of two or three of the 

 uppermost leaflets, all are compound, with leafits again deeply cleft, their 

 ultimate- segments being egg-shaped, sharply and deeply toothed, wedge-shaped 

 and entire at the base, of a thin, papery texture, bright green and naked on 



