6 



minal segment, and several usually shorter spreading lateral ones, the lower one or more pair of 

 which are again similarly pinnate, the ends rounded and the points apiculate, in. 1. \ in. w. the 

 margins even or crenulate, and cartilaginous edged; rachis slender, pale, narrowly winged in the 

 upper part ; veins open, dichotomously forked ; sori marginal, falling a little short of both apex and 

 base ; barren fronds with shorter stipites and broader segments. — Hook. Sp. Fil. Vol. 2 t. 131 A. 



Var, P. concinna, Hew. Stipites 1-1^ ft. 1. ; fronds £-1 ft. 1. 5-8 in. w. bi-tripinnate, formed of a 

 terminal pinnae and 2-4 similar, but usually narrower and shorter, lateral ones 2-6 in. 1. and 1-1| in. 

 w. the lowest pair of which are branched at the base and petiolate, all slightly echinate on the costae 

 above : final segments f-1 J in 1. 2-3 li. w. decurrent on the inferior side, a notch on the superior, the 

 point blunt, often slightly apiculate, the sinuses more or less obliquely open ; veins forked, the lowest 

 pair springing from the costse. — Plum. Fil. t. 51. 



Plentiful on calcareous rocks and banks at 2,000-4,000 ft. alt. in dry woods ; gathered by Mrs. 

 Seed Roberts above Prospect, St. Andrew. It possibly attains a larger size than I have described. 

 The variety concinna, first described by Heward in 1838, (Mag. Nat. His. new series, p. 435), is com- 

 mon about Christiana, Manchester. It looks very difi"erent at first sight, and shows a tendency to- 

 wards Stcartziana, the pinnae being similarly notched and decurrent at the base, with the lowest vein 

 springing from the costae, but the smaller fronds gradually pass into the type. 



6. P. Swartziana, Agardh. — Stipites caespitose, 1^-2 ft. 1. glossy light or dark brown, channelled 

 slightly scaly at the base, arising erect from an oblique or upright rootstock ; fronds bi-tripinnate, 

 1-2 ft. 1. f 1 ft. w. thinly chartaceous, naked, light or dark green, composed of a long terminal 

 pinna and few or several similar opposite erecto-spreading sub-distant lateral ones, 5-. in. 1. l-lf 

 in, w. sessile, or the lowest pair which are once forked at the base, very shortly petiolate, terminating 

 in a narrow linear acuminate sharply serrated segment ; in. 1. the slender costae echinate on the 

 upper side ; final segments oblique, linear oblong, bluntish, broadened and rather decurrent at the 

 base, the narrow cuneate sinus obliquely cut through the centre ; veins simple, or forked from the 

 middle, the lowest pair from the base, and springing from the costae in the shortly decurrent mem- 

 brane ; sori of contiguous segments separated by the incision of the sinus, and falling more or less 

 short of the serrated apex. — Hook and Grev, Icon. Fil. t. 142. P. Jiawri^a, Swartz. 



Infrequent in damp mountain forests at 2,000-3,000 feet alt, in the eastern parishes, A strictly 

 forest plant, not very common, distinguished from its allies by the more slender stipes, rachis, &c,, 

 the simple or forked from the middle, viens, serrated segments, the oblively inscised sinus, and the 

 lowest pair of veins springing from the costa instead of the midrib from which the rest spring, and 

 thinner and more pellucid texture. 



7. P. longipinnula, Wallach — Rootstock erect, the nascent fronds bud-like and coated with small 

 appressed gray scales ; stipites erect, channelled, naked or with a few of the bud-scales at the 

 base, straw-coloured, 2-3 ft. 1. ; fronds bi-tripinnate, 2-4 ft. 1., 1^-3 ft. w., pale green, naked char- 

 taceous, with a terminal pinna and 6-12 opposite or sub-opposite distant spreading lateral ones, f- IJ 

 ft. 1., 2-3 in. wi., spinulose on the costae above, the lower petiolate, the lowest pair once forked at the 

 base, terminating in a caudate segment, and cut down almost to the costas into linear-oblong entire 

 segments, rounded at the point, straight or slightly falcate, l-lj in. 1., \ in. br., cartilaginous edged, 

 the sinuses sharp or rounded ; veins close, spreading, forked ; sori falling short of both apex and 

 base,— Hook. Sp. Fil, vol. 2 t. 134, 



Common in the moist forest on the banks of St. Q-eorge's Spring, Chesterfield, St. Mary. In the 

 form and other characters of the fronds it is absolutely identical with the Indian and Malayan plant of 

 the name and differs from quadriaurita by the sori falling short of the base as well as the top of the 

 segments, its ampler size, different colour, and chiefly in the character of the rootstock. 



8. P. quadriaurita, Retz. — Stipes caespitose, 1 2| ft. 1, slightly scaly and occasionally rather as- 

 perous at the base, channelled, pale or dark glossy brown, arising erect from a» upright rootstock ; 

 fronds 1^-2 ft. 1. f-^ ft. w. bi-tripinnate, chartaceous, light or dark green, rachis and costae coloured like 

 the stipes, with a terminal pinnae and several similar pairs of spreading or erecto-spreading lateral 

 ones, which are 6-8 in. 1. 1^-2 in. w. rather widest at the usually sessile base ; final segments lenear- 

 oblong, straight or subfalcate, obtuse, f-1 in. 1. 2-3 li. br. and a longer straight terminal one, the 

 sinuses acute or rounded ; veins close, forked, all springing from the rib ; sori falling short usually of 

 the apices, which are not serrated. — Hook. Sp Fil. vol. 2. t. 134. B. 



Var, P felosma, J, Sm. — Fronds as large and parts as broad, but stipites, rachis, &c., more slender, 

 texture thinner, segments close, with no open space between, costae with larger echinaa on the upper 

 side. — P. asperula J. Sm. 



Var. P. nemoralis, Hook. — Fronds much smaller, pinnae more numerous, 3-5 in. 1, ^-3 in. w. 

 branches to the lowest pair 1-2. 



Var. B. affluentus, Jenm, — Fronds 2-3 ft. 1. 1-2 ft. w, on stipites 2-4 ft, 1. ; pinnae throughout fully 

 pinnatifid, the lowest 2-3 pairs with 2-3 branches similar to the lateral pinnae on their under sides. 



Common in one form or another throughout the country from sea level up to 6,000 ft. alt. in- 

 habiting chiefly open or half shaded situations and waysides. The colour of the stems, &c., varies 

 from a light straw to dark chestnut. The first variety is a weaker, but not smaller plant, with closer 

 segments, and emits while fresh a strong feline smell. The last is found at the higher ranges, has 

 numerous pinnae, marked by the 2-3 lower ones on each side having 2-3 deflexed branches each. The 

 second, a mountain form too, is only marked by its smaller size, numerous pinnae, firm texture and 

 compact habit. 



9. P. biaurita, Lin. — Rootstock upright; stipites caespitose, erect, 1^-2^ ft. 1. naked or slightly 

 scaly, channelled, bark-brown or light-green; fronds erect, bi-tripinnate, 1^-2^ ft 1. f-l;ift. w. naked, 

 chartaceous light green ; pinnae in 6-16 opijositc, sessile, erecto-spreading pairs, with a similar termi- 

 nal one, the lowest pair once forked on the lower base, 6-9 in, 1. 1^-2^ in. w. deeply pinnatifid through- 



