257 



cordate, firm in textr-^e ; minor leaves but little smaller, ovate, acute ; 

 spikes short, 4-sticlious, square ; bracts ovate-lanceolate, strongly 

 keeled, Bak. Fern. Al. p. 55. Lyoopodium Willd. Jamaica ; collected 

 by Swartz. This I have not seen and the description is made up from 

 Mr. Baker's, in his synopsis of the genus, which again is made from 

 Spring's Monograph ii. 84. Grisebach supposes it to be a form of 

 confusa devoid of marginal bristles to the leaves, but in every species 

 almost these bristles are a varying character, and their absence, with- 

 out other characters, would not constitute a specific difference. 



4. S. confusa, Spring — Fronds 3-4 or 5 in. 1 f-lj in. w. pale green, 

 composed of the central axis and few or several distant alternate sim- 

 ple or again branched branches, which are J-1 in. 1., and 1 li. w. over 

 the leaves, below which is a slender decrescent stem 1-3 in. 1. very 

 laxly clothed downwards with decrescent minute leaves ; major leaves 

 lax, spreading with usually half or fully their own width between 

 them, flat, ovate rather pointed subcordate and ciliate on the rounded 

 wider upper base, f li. 1. rather less w., minor leaves ovate, aristate- 

 pointed. \ li. 1., the margin ciliate, reaching from one to the other al- 

 ternately, but not imbricating ; spikes 1-3 or 4 li. 1 , 4-stichous ; bracts 

 keeled loose, ciliate-margined ; sporangia smaller. Baker, Fern Al. p. 85. 



a var. densa Jenm. Fronds shorter, all pirts more compact, lateral 

 leaves raoher narrower both kinds closely imbricated. 



Frequent in forests at 5,000-7,000 ft. altitude on trees and rocks. A 

 slender weakly species of uniform width in all its parts, rather lax in 

 leafage and variable, but still well marked, in form. There is gene- 

 rally a slender threadlike stem bearing root-fibres at the base, the small 

 scattered leaves on which increase in size upwards towards the 

 branches. In branching it is variable. In some of the weaker states, 

 though regularly pinnate, the branches run together at the top, while 

 in others they spread laterally as regularly as in serpens. Perhaps 

 these are distinct varieties, as the leaves in the former are much 

 smaller and the general habit weaker. The spikes are often flattened 

 in dried specimens though strictly 4-stichous in life. Var a is much 

 shorter, very much denser in habit and a dark green. It is my n. 30 

 of 1876, in part in Herb. Kew. 



5. rotundifolia. Spring Fee. Fil. Ant. t. 34 is likely an inhabitant of 

 Jamaica, but has not yet been gathered there. It grows on stems of 

 trees and on logs. 



5. S. albonitens, Spring. — Stems short and threadlike if any clear 

 of the l^afy base of the fronds ; fronds delicate, pale or dark green, 

 spreading, from 1 in. each way rarely, 2 or 3 in., twice or thrice 

 pinnpoC, the lateral branches extending generally nearly or quite as much 

 as the central rr aking the outline more or less flabellate ; 1-1^ or rarely 

 2 li. w. over the leaves; leaves with a short space between them half 

 or fully their own width ; the major one spreading, oblong, obtuse or 

 rounded at the end, f-1 li. 1., barely J li b. ; minor very small, ovate- 

 lanceolate, with a long spinescent somewhat cuspidate point ; spikes 

 3-5 li. 1., hardly J li. w., 4-stichous; bracts ultimately loose ; sporangia 

 very minute. — Baker, Fern Al. p. 72. 



Infrequent on open banks at 3,000-5,000 ft. altitude. A very 

 small species, generally not much over an inch high, consisting of a 

 few irregular branches, nearly 2 li. w., with spoke-like, relatively long, 



