ADIANTUM. 



325 



rhizome (prostrate stem) about as thick as a goose-quill and covered with 

 dark brown hairs and dented scales of the same colour, grow from 3ft. 

 to 4ft. in length, nearly one-third of which is naked. These fronds, of 

 a very elegant character, are tri- or quadripinnate (three or four times 

 divided to the midrib) and 1ft. to ljft. broad. The ebeneous -black and 

 glossy character of the stipes (stalks) extends to the footstalks of the 

 numerous pinnules (leafits), and this produces a great and pleasing con- 

 trast to the brilliant green of the latter. These leafits are all borne 

 on short footstalks, from which they readily fall when dry : their upper 

 edge is rounded, broadly and often also deeply lobed ; the barren lobes 

 are finely dented, and the fertile ones are entire. The sori (spore masses) 

 are kidney-shaped, and disposed from ten to thirteen in roundish or 

 transversely-oblong patches in the lobes of the upper margin of each fertile 

 pinnule. This species makes a grand specimen for exhibition purposes 

 where sufficient room is allowed to it. — Hooker, Species Filicum, ii., p. 45. 

 Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, i., p. 28. Lowe, Ferns British and 

 Exotic, iii., t. 10. Eaton, Ferns of North America, ii., t. 77. 



A. t. Farley ense — Far-ley-en'-se (from Farley). 



For reasons previously stated, this magnificent Adiantum, although 

 given in the " Synopsis Filicum " as a variety of the foregoing species, has 

 been described under the name of A. Farleyense, by which it is nearly 

 always known. 



A. tetragonum — tet-rag-o'-num (having four angles), Schrader. 



A stove species, native of Brazil, with fronds pedato-tripinnate (three 

 times divided to the midrib, but of bird's-foot form), 1ft. long and ljft. 

 broad, which are borne on slightly hairy stipes (stalks) 1ft. or more long. 

 The terminal pinna? (leaflets) are spear-shaped, 6in. to 9in. long and 

 Sin. to 6in. broad ; while their pinnules (leafits), of a deep green colour 

 and equally spear-shaped, 2 Jin. to Bin. long, are slightly lobed, rounded on 

 their upper side, and cuneate-truncate (terminating abruptly in a wedge- 

 shape) on their lower side at the base. The sori (spore masses) are short, 

 very narrow, and disposed at the tips of the lobes all down both sides. — 

 Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 475. 



