123 



33. P. aspleni folium, Linn. — Rootstock short, densely clothed with 

 ciliated brown acuminated scales, stipites curved, more or less tufted, 

 6-8 in. 1. wiry strict, dark brown, pilose villose with spreading brown 

 hairs ; fronds elastico-chartaceous fuscous- green, pubescent chiefly be- 

 neath and on the margins, pendent, f-1^ ft. 1, 2-3 in. b. the base re- 

 duced, cut to the dark, exposed, pilose rachis into close horizontal seg- 

 ments, which are broadest at the sub-equilateral and fully adnate base, 

 tapering thence to the rather bluntish point, 1-lf in. 1. J in. w. even 

 edged or faintly serrulate within ; veins oblique, close ; sori on a short 

 anterior spur, round, contiguous, forming a medial row on each side 

 the slender veinlike midrib of each segment. — PI. PiL t. 102. D. 



A large and much stronger plant than suspensum, with close hori- 

 zontal tapering pinnae which are broadly adnate and widest at the base, 

 with two rows of rather large circular medial sori. First gathered by 

 Swartz My desoription is taken from the specimens collected by Mr. 

 Syme at Jones' Gap, which are quite identical with those from other 

 countries in the Kew Herbarium. The segments are both shortly 

 surcurrent and decurrent at the base, and with an open but sharply 

 acute sinus, as in the larger states of suspensum, from which it is 

 hardly distinct. 



34. P. brunneo-viride, Baker. — Rootstock short or elongated, erect 

 or decumbent, densely clothed with subulate dark brown ciliated 

 scales ; stipites tufted, 3-5 in. L, few, stiffly erect, dark castaneous or 

 blackish, glossy, nearly or quite naked ; fronds suberect, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, 4-9 in. 1. 1-2 in. w., subcoriaceous, pellucid and dotted, naked or 

 with a few inconspicuous hairs on the margins, dark-green above, pale 

 beneath and tinged metallic brown, base truncate and not reduced, very 

 gradually narrowed upwards to the subentire-pointed apex ; cut al- 

 most to the black thread-like puberulous or slightly scurfy rachis into 

 close oblong-lanceolate, spreading pointed obliquely adnate confluent 

 entire even-margined segments which are J— 1 in. 1. and 1-3 li. b. at 

 the base, from which they taper gradually to the point ; veins forked, 

 not reaching the edge sori copious, terminal on the shorter ante- 

 rior branch, medial, a line or less apart to the rows: — Journ. Bjt. 

 1877, p. 265. 



Infrequent on trees ia forest at 6,000-7,000 ft. alt. along the highest 

 ridges. The lowest vein on the inferior side generally springs from 

 the rachis, and the sori are often rather oblong or oval at first. It is 

 perhaps, of local species, nearest suspmsum, from which it is distin- 

 guished by its stiff subulate scales of the rootstock, bright peculiar, lu- 

 rid colour, stiff erect habit, oblique piunoe, forked veins and naked 

 surfaces. It is one of the most beautiful of the high mountain tree 

 Polypods. 



35. P. finnum, Klotzsch. — Rootstock erect or suberect, often elonga- 

 ted, clothed with dark brown acuminate reticulated scales ; stipites 

 tufted l-l^ in. L, stiff dark coloured puberulous and dark ciliate down 

 the face, at length naked beneath, scariose or cartilaginous-margined ; 

 fronds lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, stiff, erect, 5-8 in. 1. 1^-2 in. b. 

 pinnate, reduced about equally to both ends, with a caudate, 1-2 in. 1. 

 subentire segment at the apex, toward which the lateral ones gradually 

 dwindle, rigid, coriaceous, opaque, very dark green above, the reverse 

 paler, naked except on the ribs beneath, and on both sides of the stiff 



