134 



sori copious, dorsal, biserial near the midveins, extending from the base 

 to the apex of the lobes. — PI. Fil. t. 16. 



var. a. megalodus. — Fronds much larger, pinnae 6-9 in. b. lj-l^ in. 

 w. ; lobes \ in. w. P. megalodus, Sehk. PI. Fil. t. 21. 



var. b. — Pinnae relatively fewer and longer, 6 in. 1. f in. w. lobed ^rd 

 deep or more ; colour dark gray green, the under surface microscopically 

 blistered, and costae and veins densely gray stellate-puberulous ; sori 

 with a gray rudimentary involucre. — Goniopteris quadrangular is, Fee, 

 Fil. Ant. t. 16. fig. 3. 



var. c. — Fronds much smaller; pinnae 2 in. 1. or \ in. w., often 

 passing gradually into the pinnatifid apex. 



var. d. — Fronds small, with a terminal rather larger pinnae as in the 

 type, lateral ones about 1\ in. 1. \ in. w. or less ; colour dark ; only the 

 basal pair of veins united. 



var. e — Stipites tufted, slender ; fronds relatively small ; pinnae re- 

 latively broad ; 1^-3 in. 1. \-\ in. b. costae and ribs ciliate beneath, tex- 

 ture thin and very pellucid, colour light or yellowish green ; sori often 

 not reaching the base of the inferior pinnae. 



Very common below 2,000 or 3,000 ft. altitude, growing in grassy 

 and open or half open and little shaded places. The sterile fronds 

 spread on shorter stipites, with fewer broader pinnae ; the much taller 

 fertile erect. A, regarded by Mittenius and Grrisebach as distinct, only 

 differs by its uniformly much larger size, Nephrodium brachyodon, Hk. 

 is often mistaken for this, c, d and e are reduced varieties. Fee de- 

 scribes five varieties, which apparently only vary within the limits of 

 what, taking the variation of aspect due to wide range and other condi- 

 tions, may be regarded as the type. Rudimentary involucres are detec- 

 table in young specimens, more often in some varieties than in others. 



57. P. incanum, Swartz. — Kootstock wide-creeping, as thick as cord, 

 densely coated with subulate dark-centred pale ciliate-eiged scales ; sti- 

 pites scattered, 3-4 in. 1., coated with appressed scales ; f ronds 3-8 in. 1. 

 1^-2^ in. w. elastic-coriaceous, opaque, oblong-lanceolate, as broad or 

 broadest at the base ; cut nearly or quite to the rachia into horizontal 

 linear-oblong rounded pinnae, which are f-l£ in. 1. 2-3 li, b. dilated at 

 the base, with a rounded sinus and 1-3 times their own width between, 

 densely coated and gray beneath with appressed imbricating peltate dark- 

 centred fimbricate scales, those of the rachis different, upperside sparsely 

 scaly, or at length naked and dark green ; veins concealed ; sori unise- 

 rial nearer the margin, protruding through the felt-like vestiture. SI. 

 Herb. P. 60. Acrostichum polypodioides, Linn. Eat. Ferns N. 

 Am. PI. 26. — Yolypodium minus, PI. Fil t. 77. 



Common on rocks and trees in open situations and forest of light 

 shade, ascending from the lowlands to 5,000 ft altitude. In dry wea- 

 ther the very elastical fronds involutely curl, and appear as if dead, ex- 

 panding again with rain. This is the smallest species of the group, 

 with scales less acuminate, and clearly distinguished by its very wide- 

 creeping rootstock, which branches and intercrosses freely forming a 

 network on whatever surface it is growing. 



58. P. thyssanolepis, R. Br. —Rootstock creeping, clothed with nar- 

 row acuminate pale-edged fimbriate scales ; stipites erect, usually con- 

 tiguous, 6-9 in. 1., and with the rachis freely scaly ; fronds 5-8 in. 1. 

 2£-3-£ in. w., much the broadest in the lower part ; pinnaj spreading, 



