FERNS. 



195 



or silver-coloured powder, as in Gymnogramma. 

 lu size, habit, and general aspect C'heilunthes ap- 

 proaches very closely to Nothochloena, the principal 

 difference- between the two being in the presence of 

 an indusium in the first-named genus, whilst in the 

 latter the sori are non-indusiate, or naked. Owing, 

 however, to the different degrees in which the 

 margin becomes attenuated or reflexed, it is at times 

 very difficult to draw the line between the two. 

 This will readily explain why in different gardens 

 some of the plants here mentioned are referred to 

 Nothochloena. As it would be useless to enumerate 

 a large number of 

 species, however 

 beautiful or interest- 

 ing many whose 

 names we omit may 

 be, only a selection 

 of those which have 

 already found their 

 way to cultivation is 

 given below. The 

 names adopted are 

 those contained in the 

 last edition of the 

 " Synopsis Filicum." 

 C. argentea has del- 

 toid, tripinnatifid 

 fronds, three to four 

 inches in length by 

 two inches in 

 breadth, surmount- 

 ing wiry, polished, 

 dark chestnut-bi'own 

 stipes, about six 

 inches long. The 

 upper surface of the 

 frond is green, the 

 lower is thickly covered with white waxy powder. 

 This species has a wide range, being found in 

 Siberia, from the Altai to Kamschatka, Japan, China, 

 the Malayan Archipelago, and Khasya. Taken as a 

 whole, there is a wide range of forms of this species, 

 the fronds differing a good deal in size and shape, 

 and in the thickness and colour of the ceraceous 

 coating. The variety chrijsojjhylla, from Khasya, 

 has narrower and longer fronds than the type, 

 densely coated with yellow povs^dcr on the under 

 side. C. chlorophylla, instead of being of a densely- 

 tufted habit, like the last-named species,' has a stout 

 ihizome covered with chaft'v scales, strong, erect, 

 glossy, dark chestnut stipes, twelve to eighteen 

 inches long, and ovate-lanceolate finely-cut fronds, 

 from twelve to eighteen inches long. by four to eight 

 inches broad ; it is c(mfined to South America, where it 

 occurs from New Grenada southward to Monte Video. 



C. farinosa is a near all} of the first-named 

 species (6'. argmtca) ^hwi luis lanceolate fronds of a 

 subcoriaceous texture, the under surface being 

 densely coated with a pure white powder ; in size it 

 is large, the fronds sometimes attaining a length of 

 twelve inches by a breadth of six inches at the 

 broadest part. As a mere list of the countiies in 

 which C. farinosa is found would occupy far t(^o 

 much space, its geographical distribution may be 

 summed up in the words " Everywhere in the 

 tropics." C. fragrans is so named on account of the 

 delightful odour of newly-mown hay given oft' and 

 retained for a long 

 time by the bright 

 green fronds when 

 dried. This also is 

 of tufted habit, with 

 wiry stipes, one to 

 three inches long, 

 densely clothed with 

 reddish-brown linear 

 scales, the ovate- 

 acuminate fronds be- 

 ing green on both 

 surfaces, and two to 

 three inches long by 

 an inch in breadth ; 

 it ranges from South 

 Europe to Afghan- 

 istan and North- 

 western Himala}a 

 (at elevations oi 

 5,000 feet above sea- 

 level). The South 

 African C. hirta has 

 strong, erect, tufted 

 stipes, two to four 

 inches long, densely 

 coated with spreading, bright reddish-brown, wooUy 

 hairs ; the ovate-lanceolate, finely-cut frond is more 

 or less hairy on both surfaces, and measures from 

 four to twelve inches long by two to five inches 

 broad. In C. lendigcra the upper surface of the 

 beautifully- cut fronds is smooth, and the lower 

 hairy ; the strong, erect, polished, chestnut-brown 

 stipes are from three to twelve inches long, and are 

 clothed with a copious rusty-brown tomentum ; the 

 lanceolate fronds are from four to twelve inches long 

 by two to four inches broad. This species is a 

 native of Mexico (where it ascends to elevations of 

 11,000 feet above sea-level), southward to the Andes 

 of New Grenada and Ecuador. C. microphylla has a 

 slightly-creeping rhizome, and wiry, zigzag, polished, 

 dark chestnut-brown stipes, two tc six inches long, 

 and ovate-lanceolate fronds, green and glabrous on 

 both surfaces, three to nine inches in length by two 



CHLILA^'THES AKGSiSTEA. 



