138 



form a second row of sori. It is very near P. remotum, Baker, of 

 New Granada and British Guiana, which has thinner texture, ciliate 

 surface, repand margins, and peculiarly long scales to the rootstock. 



66. P. aureum, Linn — -Rootstock an in. or less thick, branched and 

 free creeping, very densely clothed with long soft reddish narrow at- 

 tenuated scales ; stipites scattered, strong, glossy, with a tuft of scales 

 at the base like those of the rootstock, 1-2 ft. L ; fronds pendant, or 

 arched, 2-3J ft. L ft. w., cut down to within a \ in. of the re- 

 pandly winged strong glossy rachis into numerous spreading sub- 

 drooping pinnae with open rounded sinuses their own width, less or 

 more, between and with a similar more or less developed terminal 

 pinnae ; chartaceous or subcoriaceous, naked, dark or light green pinnae 

 ligulate, 6-10 in. 1., in. w., gradually tapering outwards to the 

 narrow acuminate point, or often contracted just above the dilated 

 base, lowest ones not reduced, repand cartilaginous-edged, entire, or 

 with faint, broad, appressed dentations ; veins very slightly raised, 

 without stronger primary ones, areolae copious ; sori ruddy, in a sin- 

 gle or double usually medial series, sunk, the upper surface more 

 or less distinctly papilose. — PI Fil. t's. 76 and 8u. Eat. Ferns N. Am. 

 PL 16. 



a. var. reductum.- — Fronds much smaller, but pendant, and conform 

 in colour ; pinnae J— J in. w., with an open rounded sinus between ; vena- 

 tion rather more prominent ; sori copious, in a single medial series 

 reaching down to the stramineous rachis ; margins not (or very little) 

 repand. 



b. var. areolatum, H. B. K. — Fronds smaller, stiff and often erect, 

 surfaces glaucous ; stipites and rachises usually dark coloured and polish- 

 ed ; pinnae closer, not contracted near the base, J— § in. w. ; venation 

 stronger and more prominent ; sori larger, 1 serial, on simple or united 

 veinlets ; margins less repand. 



c. var. pulvinatum, Link. — Fronds large. 2 or more ft. 1. 1^ ft. or 

 more w. ; pinnae closer, contiguous in the upper part, broad, acute- 

 pointed, 1^ in, w. ; surfaces rather glaucous; stipites and rachises dark- 

 brown, polished ; venation prominent, with stronger primary veins 

 running to the margins, areolae often containing free sterile veinlets ; 

 sori in two or three series on each side the midrib. 



Common at low elevations and among the lower hills and mountains, 

 growing on banks and the stems of palms, and branches of cotton and 

 other very high trees, where it luxuriates among wild pines. It pre- 

 sents considerable variety in size, width of pinnae, sori, habit &c. a is a 

 pendant variety, large, but much smaller than the type, with pinnae 

 only ^— \ inch wide, b is very abundant in the midregion of the great 

 mountain range between 2,000-4,000ft. alt., growing on trees and de- 

 caying logs on waysides and in coffee fields, and is much stiffer than 

 any of the rest, being generally erect or sub-erect in growth. It is pe- 

 culiarly glaucous. There are reduced states of this, hardly larger than 

 one's hand, with few short close pinnae, more or less fertile, c approaches 

 the type in size but the pinnae are close and the sori constantly multise-. 

 rial. It is found on rocky banks at 2,000-4,000 ft. alt. 



67. P. decumanum, Willd. — Rootstock creeping, an inch or more thick, 

 fleshy, densely clothed with long soft linear subulate reddish or fulvous 

 undulate ciliate-edged scales; stipites l£-2£ ft. 1., strong naked, glossy; 



