158 



Fertile and barren fronds or portions of fronds difform ; capsules at- 

 tached by the base, biserial on the face of naked flattened short ultimate 

 segments. 



2. Anemia 



Sporangia attached by the side, solitary at the base of shell -shaped 

 imbricating scales, biserial in short 4-gonal marginal spikes. — 



3. Lygodium. 



Genus XXXIX. Schiz^a, Smith. 



Fronds with or without a distinct leafy division ; fertile portions dis- 

 tinct, borne at the apex of the rachiform frond, or fringe-like, on the 

 excurrent veins along the outer margin of the leaf -blade, pinnate or 

 pedato-digitate the segments linear and costaeform, with membranous 

 folded or sub-revolute margins, bearing 2-4 series lengthwise of small 

 crowded capsules, which are attached by the base aod have long flex- 

 uose ferruginous scales mixed with them. 



This is a very peculiar group, generally of a stifE grass or rush-like 

 habit, though two or three possess broad fan-shaped lamina. They 

 grow in shady places or deep forest, two or three of the mainland species 

 sometimes inhabiting, as well, the trunks or branches of trees. About 

 a score of species are known, occupying tropical or warm temperate 

 regions Tropical America and Australia are the chief centres. 8. 

 pusilla, Pursh, found in the pine barrens of New Jersey, U. S. A., is 

 the only northern species. 



Fertile appendages pinnate ; sporangia biserial in the segments. 

 Blade palmate-flabellate. 



Blade dichotomously divided. 



' 1. S. elegans. 



S. elegans Sw. — Rootstock horizontal, shortly repent, clothed with 

 soft hair-like ferruginous scales ; stipites tufted, few or several, erect, 

 strong, channelled, stramineous or light brown above, darker at the 

 base and deciduously scaly-furf uraceous ; fronds spreading, fan-like, 

 dichotomously flabellate, 5-10 in. w. 3-6 in. d , the divisions wedge- 

 shape ^-3 in. w., at the truncate outer margin which is erect and 

 often deeply incised, coriaceous, glossy, striated, glabrous ; veins free, 

 dichotomously forked ; fertile appendages terminal on the incisions of 

 the outer margin, fringe-like, the segments spreading and 10-18 to a 

 side,linear, 2-3 li. I. J li w. ; capsules biserial, mixed with undulate 

 castaneous hairs. — Hk. & Gr. Icon. Fil. t. 54. 



Gathered by Purdie in 1844, in the Bluefield mountains, Westmore- 

 land, in dry marly woods, at 2,000 ft. altitude. The fronds are the 

 shape of a partly folded fan, but are cut dichotomously into several 

 nearly parallel divisions, the fertile appendages forming a chestnut- 

 brown fringe along the outer margin. It varies greatly in the number 

 and breadth of the divisions of the fronds, and the various forms present 

 a gradual passage so that aU might be regarded as varieties of a single 

 plastic type. 



