284 THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



naked, straw-coloured or brownish stalks Gin. to 12in. long, are from lft. to 

 3ft. long. The terminal leaflet is cut down nearly to the rachis into several 

 deeply waved and toothed, oblong lobes on each side ; the lateral leaflets are 

 numerous, the upper ones being Sin. apart at the base and cut down quite to 

 the rachis below into deeply-lobed, triangular leafits, while the lower ones are 

 lft. long and very compound ; all are of a thin, papery texture, and pale 

 green in colour. The spore masses do not reach quite to the point of the 

 leafits. — Hooker, Species Filicum, ii., p. 2.19. Nicholson, Dictionary of 

 Gardening, hi., p. 243. 



P. (Litobrochia) macroptera — Li-tob-roch'-i-a ; mac-rop'-ter-a (large- 

 winged), Link. 



A somewhat coarse-growing, stove species, native of Brazil, with fronds 

 2ft. or more in length, lft. to lift, broad, cut down very nearly to the rachis 

 in the upper part into numerous narrow lobes, the lowest of which are 6in. 

 to 9in. long, with about lin. between them at the base, the point being very 

 gradually narrowed. The lateral leaflets are few (often a single pair only) 

 and resemble the terminal one, but are smaller. The fronds are of a soft, 

 papery texture, bright green in colour, and naked on both surfaces. The 

 spore masses do not reach to the extremity of the leafits. — Hooker, Synopsis 

 Filicum, p. 169. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, hi., p. 243. Lowe, 

 Ferns British and Exotic, iv., t. 7. 



P. madagascarica — mad-ag-as-car'-ic-a (Madagascarian), Agardh. 



A strong-growing, stove species, with ample, bipinnate fronds composed 

 of a terminal leaflet and of several pairs of stalked lateral ones furnished with 

 stalked leafits 2in. long and deeply toothed towards the point. The texture 

 is leathery, and the involucre covering the spore masses is narrow and of 

 a firm nature. — Hooker, Species Filicum, ii., p. 171, t. 122a. 



P. (Litobrochia) Mannii— Li-tob-roch'-i-a ; Man'-ni-i (Mann's), Baker. 



This stove species is of little decorative value, though of very distinct 

 appearance. Its fronds, lft. to ljft. long, 6in. to 9in. broad, and of a soft, 

 papery texture, are borne on slender, zigzag stalks 3ft. or more in length and 

 of a downy nature. It is a native of Fernando Po. — Hooker, Synopsis 

 Filicum, p. 168. 



