ASPLENIUM. 



659 



A. (Athyrium) umbrosum — Ath-yr'-T-um ; uni-bro'-sum (found in 

 shady places), J. Smith. 

 This very handsome, greenhouse species, of large dimensions, which is also 

 known as A. Broicnii and Allantodia australe, lias a very wide geographical 

 distribution, for it is recorded as indigenous in Madeira, the Canaries, the 

 Azores, Java, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, while on the 

 Himalayas it is found growing at various elevations from 6000ft. to 8000ft. 

 Its fronds, from 3ft. to oft. long and 1ft. to ljft. broad, are borne on strong, 

 erect stalks 1ft. or more long, of a brownish colour, and clothed below with 

 dark scales. The pinnae (leaflets), of a thin, papery texture and light green 

 colour, are somewhat ovate (egg-shaped) and are divided into closely-set, 

 spear-shaped pinnules (leafits) ; these leahts are again cut into numerous 

 linear-oblong segments which are deeply cleft. 

 The abundant sori (spore masses) are oblong 

 in shape and closely set. — Hooker, Species 

 Filicum, hi., p. 232. Nicholson, Dictionary of 

 Gardening, i., p. 134. Lowe, Ferns British 

 and Exotic, v., t. 41, 



A. (Euasplenium) varians — var' -i-ans 

 (variable), Hooker and Greville. 

 A very variable and widely-distributed, 

 greenhouse species, of small dimensions, native 

 of the Himalayas, Ceylon, Cape Colony, and 

 the Neilgherries, where, according to Beddome, 

 it is very common about Ootocamund. Its 

 fronds, 4in. to 6in. long, lin. broad, and borne 

 on slender, greenish stalks lin. to 3in. long, 

 are oblong-spear-shaped, and furnished with 

 from eight to twelve pairs of leaflets of a soft, 

 papery texture, mostly cut to the midrib into a few wedge-shaped pinnules 

 (leafits) that are sharply toothed on the outer edge. The abundant sori 

 (spore masses), when mature, cover nearly the whole under-surface of the 

 pinnules. Fig. 132 is reduced from Col. Beddome's " Ferns of Southern 

 India," by the kind permission of the author. — Hooker, Species Filicum, hi., 



4 q 2 



