45 



"been placed, but its larger size, much longer petioles and dark nearly 

 metallic green colour and different habit quite distinguish it. The 

 much tapered sides of the fronds often somewhat expand at the very- 

 base. Near the margin the veins occasionally and casually unite. 

 From lati folium it diSers in texture, colour and shape. 



8. A pallidum, Baker. —Root-stock woody, very stout, cylindrical, 

 elongated, densely clothed with loose, undulated, narrow, glossy, dark- 

 coloured scales J-^ in. 1. ; stipites numerous, csespitose, rather slen- 

 der, 5-10 in. 1., scaly at the base ; fronds pendent or spreading, oblong- 

 lanceolate, -J-IJ ft. 1. in. w. the apex acuminate, the base round- 

 ed, or in the smaller stutes cuneate ; coriaceous, but pellucid, naked, 

 pale green, the margins repand, cartilaginous-edged ; veins forked, ^-1 

 li. apart, the bases dark-coloured ; fertile fronds smaller, the same shape, 

 on rather longer stipites. — Journ. Bot., 1879, p. 263. 



Abundant on open banks near the Government Cinchona Plantation 

 at 5000 ft. alt. The rootstock is an inch thick, increasing in diameter 

 as it elongates, erect or oblique (not at all repent) and densely clothed 

 with linear crispate or undulate almost blackish scales, with the fronds 

 caespitose at the apex. The fronds are as many as 1-2 dozen to a plant, 

 though fewer also in numerous instances. The largest ones are sub- 

 cordate at the base. The colour is unusually pale. 



9. A. conforme, Swartz. — Root-stock short-creeping, rather woody, 

 densely clothed with bright taiyny scales ; stipites approximate, 2-6 

 in. 1., straw coloured, nearly or quite naked except at the very base, 

 narrowly margined at the top ; fronds variable in size, 3-6 or more in. 

 1. J-IJ in. w. lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, erect, acute-pointed, the 

 base cuneate, very coriaceous and stiff, naked, pale green generally, 

 the rachis raised beneath ; veins close simple and forked ; fertile fronds 

 usually somewhat smaller, subrounded or less cuneate at the base, the 

 stipites rather longer. — Sw. Syn. t. 1. fig. 1. 



Common on decaying logs in forests and coffee plantations from 

 2000 ft. alt.upwards ; much smaller and stiffer than latifolium, which 

 in texture and shape it most nearly resembles. It varies in size with 

 the position in which it is found ; some specimens, which are fully fer- 

 tile, from exposed situations are only 2 in. 1. in the fronds. 



10. A. latifolium, Swartz. — Root-stock usually short-creeping, woody, 

 densely clothed with glossy bright or dark coloured scales ; stipites 

 few, contiguous or an inch or two apart, strong, J-1 ft. 1 , brown or 

 stramineous, slightly channelled, naked except at the scaly base; fronds 

 naked, very coriaceous, bright green, 1-2 ft. 1. 2-4 in. w., oblong- 

 lanceolate, tapering equally at both ends, the margins thin, and rachis 

 strong, and prominent beneath ; veins very close, mostly forked from 

 the base ; fertile fronds smaller, more rounded at the base, the stipites 

 as long or rather longer. — PI. Fil. t. 135. A. longifolium, Jacq. A. 

 alismifolium. Eat. 



a. var. A. crassinervum. — Fronds several, smaller, deeply and freely 

 undulated. 



Plentiful in forests chiefly on decaying logs and trees from 1,000 ft. 

 alt. upwards,but most abundant at the higher elevations. The habit of 

 growth is erect or suberect, but not straight and strict as in its near 



