468 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



A. (Polystichum) Plaschnikianum — Pol-ys'-tich-um ; Plasch-nik-i- 

 a'-num (Plaschnik's), Kunze. 

 A stove species, of small dimensions, native of Jamaica. Its fronds are 

 nearly entire or slightly lobed at the base, and are seldom more than 6in. in 

 length and fin. in breadth ; they are borne on tufted, slender stipes (stalks), 

 scaly below, are of a coriaceous (leathery) texture, slightly scaly on both 

 surfaces, and possess the peculiarity of rooting at the point. The numerous 

 sori (spore masses) are scattered over the whole of the under-surface of the 

 frond. — Hooker, Species Filicum, iv., p. 7, t. 211. 



A. (Euaspidium) plat ani folium — Eu-as-pid'-i-um ; plat-an-if-ol'-T-um 

 (Platanus- or Plane-tree-leaved), Mettenius. 

 This stove species, of very singular appearance, native of the Malayan 

 Islands, is essentially distinct through the shape of its fronds, which are 

 borne on dark, glossy, smooth stalks 6in. to lOin. long. Their leafy portion, 

 6in. to 9in. each way, is heart-shaped, but palmately divided into three or five 

 lobes ; the terminal division ends in a long, tapering point ; the lateral lobes 

 are of similar shape but of smaller dimensions, the basal ones frequently being 

 blunt ; they are of a thin, papery texture. The small and very abundant 

 sori (spore masses) are scattered over the whole of the under-surface of the 

 frond. — Hooker, Species Filicum, iv., p. 44. 



A. plumosum — plu-mo'-sum (feathery). A name applied to varieties of 

 A. aculeatum and A. angulare. 



A. (Polystichum) Prescottianum— Pol-ys'-tich-um ; Pres-cot-ti-a'-num 

 (Prescott's), Hooker. 

 This greenhouse species, native of Northern India, Kumaon, and Bhotan 

 — where, according to Beddome, it is found at an elevation varying between 

 10,000ft. and 12,000ft.— is easily distinguished from all the other known 

 Himalayan forms by its long, narrow, finely-cut, flaccid fronds, borne on 

 tufted stipes (stalks) lin. to 4in. long and clothed with large, spear-shaped 

 scales of a light brown colour. These fronds, 1ft. to ljft. long by Sin. broad, 

 of a somewhat leathery texture and pale green colour, are furnished with 

 numerous spreading pinna; (leaflets) l£m. long and Jin. broad, cut down to 

 the rachis (stalk of the leafy portion) into several somewhat oblong pinnules 



