350 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



green, borne on stipes (stalks) of a shaggy nature on account of their 

 being densely clothed with long, narrow, hair-like scales of a pale brown 

 colour, which also extend all over the rachis (stalk of the leafy portion 

 of the frond) • the pinnules (leafits) are oblong, acuminate (terminating in 

 a tapering point), and their lobes, deeply serrated (toothed like a saw), are 

 closely set. The orange-coloured sori (spore masses) are placed a little 

 distance apart, between the costule (midrib) and the margin of the fertile 

 lobes. — Hooker, Species Filicum, p. 53, t. 20a. 



A. COncinna — con-cin'-na (neat), Baker. 



A stove species, which in cutting and texture has a close resemblance 

 to the American A. aculeata : it is a native of the Louisiade Archipelago. 

 The ample fronds are tripinnate (three times divided to the midrib), with 

 spear-shaped pinnae (leaflets). The pinnules (leafits) are short-stalked, ligulate 

 (strap-shaped), 2 Jin. to Sin. long and Jin. to fin. broad ; they are again 

 subdivided into segments of the same shape, blunt-toothed, and about one 

 line broad, of moderately firm texture, bright green on both sides, and 

 smooth, although the lower side is slightly rough on the main ribs. The 

 abundant sori (spore masses) fill up the whole of the fertile segments except 

 their extremity. — Hooker, Synopsis Filicum, p. 459. 



A. COnjugata — con-jug-a'-ta (coupled together), Spruce. 



This greenhouse species, of gigantic dimensions, native of Chimborazo, 

 where it is found at elevations varying between 3000ft. and 4000ft., is very 

 remarkable for the exactly opposite primary pinnae (principal leaflets), the 

 secondary ones being alternate (not disposed face to face). Its trunk or 

 stem, 40ft. high and 3ft. in circumference, is prickly, but destitute of scales. 

 The fronds are 9ft. long, of a coriaceous (leathery) texture, and borne on 

 stipes (stalks) oft. long, lin. or more thick, and furnished with short, stout, 

 and not very sharp spines ; they consist of twenty-three pairs of primary 

 pinnae 2ft. to 3ft. long, all of which are disposed exactly opposite, except at 

 the very point ; the pinnules (leafits) are quite sessile (stalkless), 4in. to 

 5in. long, 6in. to 7in. broad, and deeply pinnatifid (divided nearly to the 

 midrib), thus forming thread-like, pointed lobes, toothed like a saw at the 

 margin, which is slightly recurved. The rather small sori (spore masses) 



