1953] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NY AS ALAND 



205 



Asplenium aethiopicum (Burm.f.) Bech. Candollea 6: 23. 1935. 

 Asplenium praemorsum Sw. Nov. Gen. & Sp. PI. 130. 1788. 

 Asplenium furcatum Thunb. Prodr. Fl. Cap. 2: 172. 1800. 

 Asplenium filare (Forsk.) Alston, Jour. Bot. 72: Suppl. 4. 1934. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, occasional on ground in riverine rain-forest; 

 60-80 cm. high, leaves arched, very dark green, rhizome horizontal, 1400 m., May 

 28, 1946, 16053; ibid., common epiphyte in rain-forest, small clumps, 50-60 cm. 

 high, 1450 m., June 3, 1946, 16191; ibid., terrestrial in riverine rain-forest, one 

 clump seen, 50 cm. high, 1400 m., May 28, 1946, 16063*. Mlanje District: Mlanje 

 Mountain; Luchenya Plateau, terrestrial in rain-forest regrowths, 40-70 cm. high, 

 rhizome erect, I860 m., June 26, 1946, 16440; ibid., 1890 m., June 30, 1946, 

 16530. Cholo District: Cholo Mountain, epiphytic, high on a rain- forest tree, 

 1350 m., Sept. 20, 1946, 17675. A confusing species known from tropical America, 

 Asia, and Madeira in addition to Africa and the Mascarenes. The Madeira form is 

 known to be a polyploid with n ■« 144 (Manton, Probl. Cytol. Evol. Pterid. 283. 

 1950). 



Asplenium cristatum Lam. Encyc. 2: 310. 1786. 

 Asplenium cicutarium Sw. Prodr. 130. 1788. 



Cholo District: Cholo Mountain, low epiphyte in rain-forest, 30-40 cm. high, 

 1400 m., Sept. 27, 1946, 17838, Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Luchenya 

 Plateau, under dense shade on forest floor, apparently rare, 30-40 cm. high, 1890 

 m., July 7, 1946, 16715. There seems no doubt that the African specimens fall 

 within the ambit of the tropical American A. cristatum. Specimens have been seen 

 from the Transvaal, S„ Rhodesia, as well as from Nyasaland. Sim in the Ferns of 

 South Africa (1915) confused the Transvaal plant with Loxoscapbe nigrescens 

 (Hook.) Moore, to which, when infertile, it bears some resemblance. Of the speci- 

 mens quoted above, 17838 has a tripinnate-pinnatifid frond whereas that of 16715 

 is bipinnate-pinnatifid. The last also possesses proliferation buds at the frond 

 apices. 



Asplenium dregeanum Kunze, Linnaea 10: 517. 1836. 



Kota-kota District: Nchisi Mountain, gregarious on rocks in rain-forest, 20- 

 30 cm. high, leaves spreading, fleshy, 1500 m., July 29, 1946, 17028. Zomba 

 District: Zomba Plateau, massed on trunk of a rain-forest tree overhanging a 

 stream, 30 cm. high, leaves somewhat fleshy, proliferous, 1400 m., May 28, 1946, 

 16052. Mlanje District: Upper Ruo River, rain-forest, 850 m., July 4, 1946, Vernay 

 16660*. Cholo District: Cholo Mountain, common gregarious low epiphyte in rain- 

 forest, 1350 m., Sept. 20, 1946, 17673; ibid., epiphyte on lower trunks of trees in 

 rain-forest, leaves pendent, 1300 m., Sept. 20, 1946, 17686. Tropical and South 

 Africa and Mascarenes. Probably a dareoid or dissected state of A. sandersoni 

 Hook. 



Asplenium friesiorum C. Chr., Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berh 9: 181. 1924; F. Ballard, 

 Hook. Ic. pi. 3366. 1938. 

 Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Luchenya Plateau, common in forest open- 

 ings, height 1-1.5 m., leaves very dark green, stipes and rachis black, 1820 m., 

 July 1, 1946, 16582. North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, montane forest borders, 

 1.5-2 m. high, 2250 m., Aug. 16, 1946, 27273. Tropical east Africa, South Africa, 

 Mascarenes. 



Asplenium gemmiferum Schrad. Gott. Gel. Anz. 1818: 916. 1818. 



'Kota-kota District: Nchisi Mountain, common on rocks in rain-forest, 50-70 cm. 

 high, leaves spreading, fleshy, proliferous, 1500 m., July 28, 1946, 17011. Cholo 



