136 



small lobe, while in all the other species the passage is more or less* 

 abrupt into the terminal segment, which in these is much larger. Up 

 to maturity the fronds have a most beautiful silky lanate appearance ; 

 when older, tawmy. 



61. P. loriceum, Linn. — Rootstock as thick as a quill, firm, wide-creep- 

 ing or trailing, variegated with appressed, scarious and pale-margined 

 brown scales, stipites distant brownish, naked, 6-12 in. 1. ; fronds lan- 

 ceolate, ovate lanceolate or ovate, 1-1^ ft. 1. 5-10 in. w. chartaceous y 

 quite naked, brownish green, not or very little reduced at the base, 

 with a narrow acuminate subentire apex, pinnatifid to the narrowly 

 margined rachis ; pinnae numerous horizontal or subfalcate, the basal 

 ones deflexed or not, ligulate, acute, acuminate, or often attenuated, en- 

 tire crenate or serrulate-repand, 3-6 in 1. J-^ in w. contiguous, dilated 

 and surcurrent at the fully adnate and barely confluent base, the sinuses 

 upcurved, the lower ones most open ; veins evident, very pellucid, areola? 

 in 1-2 rows, f tee exterior veinlets thickened at the summit and entering 

 or not to the pellucid edged margin ; sori yellowish, 1-2 serial. — PI. 

 Fil. t. 78. 



Most abundant trailing over the forest floor and on banks and the 

 butts of trees in moist regions from 2U00-6000 ft aliitude ; variable in 

 the shape of the frond and pinme and in texture venation and sori, but 

 well distinguished by the very long slender cylin Trie rootsiook, the 

 peculiar scales, the pinnae surcurrent at the base, and the veiny looking 

 surface. Usually it has only a single row of areolae and s ri against 

 the midrib, and the margins o\ the pinnae are even. The rachis is 

 straw coloured in the upper part or throughout. Occasionally a frond 

 is found with the lowest or other pinna; forked and a form in which the 

 pinnae are broadened above the base, and deeply pinnatifid with nume- 

 rous lmear segments, bearing exactly the same relation to the type 

 that the variety cambricum does to P. vuUjare, L. 



62. P. chnondes, Spreng. — Rootstock | in. thick, fle>hy, creeping, 

 densely clothed with blackish hairlike attenuated and reticulated scales ; 

 stipites apart, slender, arching, Jf-1 ft. 1., stramineous and grayish- 

 puberulous ; fronds pendent, flaccid, ultimately chartaceous, pubescent, 

 grayish-green, 1^-3 ft. 1. 5-10 in. w , pinnatifid in the upper part, pin- 

 nate in the lower ; pinna? 3-6 in 1. in w., ligulate and generally 

 acuminate, horizontal or subfalcate, or the lower ones deflexed and re- 

 curved with the inferior side at the bas? free and auricled, the superior 

 partly or fully adnate on both sides, slightly dilated or shortly surcur- 

 rent and narrowly confluent, all more or less separated, most so to- 

 wards the base, margins entire ; the rachis slender, puberulous and 

 straw coloured ; veins fine, areolae 2-4 serial, reaching nearly to the 

 margin ; sori 2-4-serial, small. 



Common on trees and banks in open or shady places from 1000-1500 

 ft. altitude Very distinct ; characterized by the fleshy rootstock and 

 fine reticulated scales, pendent habit of the fronds, gray vestiture, soft 

 texture, copious areolae »nd small sori. The pinnae are mostly opposite, 

 and the 1-2 bottom pair a little reduced and narrowed at the base^ on 

 the underside. 



63. P. attenuatum, H.B.K. — Rootstock creeping, the advancing part 

 fleshy, \-\ in. thick, densely clothed with imbricating ovate-acuminate 

 bright brown scales; stipites erect, ^-1 ft. 1. naked, dark or light 



