165 



there and stipitate, the lowest pair hardly reduced, and often deflexed, 

 9-15 in. L f-lj in. w.,pinnatifid to the narrowly winged costae ; segments 

 narrow, subfalcate, point subacute, ^-f in. 1. Jth. in. b., close or with 

 as much as their own width between them ; margins cartilaginous-edged, 

 even ; rachis strong, and with the costae stramineous and nearly or 

 quite glabrous; veins 15-20 to a side, simple, close, pellucid, lowest 

 pair curved and running together to the sinus ; sori medial ; involucres 

 as large, pale, or fresh-coloured, naked or puberulous. SI. t. 50. fig. 

 1 ; Herb. PI. Fil. t. 22 ; Atpidium invisum, Swartz. 



Common among the lower hills and widely spread through the 

 country, ascending to 5,500 ft. altitude, on banks and other open places. 

 A very fine species, the fronds however not erect but arching from the 

 base outwards. A much wider pinnaed plant than Serra, to which it 

 is closely allied. The texture is rather thin but hard, becoming rigid 

 when dry. The rootstock is very wide-creeping under the surface 

 of the ground, with the stipites scattered along it. Frequently the 

 fructification does not reach the outer part of the pinnae. N. 

 paucifugum, Jenm. of Jamaica may be a young state of this. The 

 specimen on which it is founded, has a creeping rootstock, naked 

 stramineous glossy petioles and rachises, pale green naked, bipinnatifid 

 fronds, truncate at the base, simple oblique veins, several to a side, 

 which run into the serratures of the segments. 



43. N. patens, Desv. — Stipites biserial along a subterraneous strong 

 horizontal creeping rootstock, erect, 1-2 ft. 1. not channelled, with a 

 few deciduous scales at the base ; fronds erect, 1^-3 ft. 1, 8-12 in. w. 

 papyraceous, rather flaccid, more or less pubescent throughout, paler 

 beneath tinged gray by the light coloured pubescence ; pinnae numer- 

 ous, spreading, distant or subdistant below, sessile, lowest 1-2 pair 

 little reduced usually and deflexed, acuminate, with a serrato-entire 

 point, 4-6 in. 1. § rds.-f ths. in. w., widest at the base and tapering out- 

 wards, or the lower ones of a uniform width along the inner half or 

 two-thirds, cut $ rds. or f ths. to the costae into entire close oblong, 

 bluntish segments, 2-3 li. L from the acute sinus, and nearly 2 L b. 

 a little dilated or not at the confluent bases ; rachis strong, not, or only 

 faintly, channelled, subangular, more or less pubescent and grayish ; 

 veins simple 7-9 to a side lowest pair meeting at or below the sinus ; 

 sori medial ; involucres as large, pale, freely ciliate. Aspidium, 

 Swartz ; Eat. Fern. N. America pi. 70 ; SI. t. 62, fig. 1. 



Common in open and bushy places and by way-sides ascending in 

 Jamaica to 5,000 ft. altitude. This is distinguished absolutely from 

 all its allies possessing the same aspect of frond, by its creeping hori- 

 zontal under-ground rootstock, upon which the fronds are arranged in 

 a bi-linear series. It is probably common all through the West Indies, 

 but in the absence of the rootstock other species are often mistaken for 

 it in herbaria. The plant figured by Eaton in his Ferns of N. America 

 is true and the figure well illustrates the species. 



44. iV. molle, Desv. -Rootstock erect, an inch or less thick ; stipites 

 erect, 1-2 ft. L, not or very slightly channelled, with a few deciduous 

 scales at the base ; fronds oblong, or ovate-lanceolate, 1J-2J ft. 1. 

 6-10 in, w., pellucid, papyraceo-herbaceous and flaccid ; pubescent, 

 light-green ; pinnae spreading horizontally, 4-6 in. L J in. w., sessile, 

 close or more or less distant, especially below, oblong-lanceolate with a 



