450 37. BOTEYCHIUM LUNAEIA. [CL. XXIV. 



This plant grows with us in June, on stony, almost on 

 barren places, and woody lieights. The root consists of thick 

 brown fibres, of the thickness of a pack-thread. These send 

 out first two sheath-shaped leaflets, and from them a smooth, 

 round, herbaceous stem, a large span high at most, and of 

 the thickness of a pigeon's quill. This stem stands quite 

 erect, and is divided at about two inches high, pushing out 

 laterally a pinnated frond, about a small finger long. This 

 frond consists of nine or ten dull green, flabelliform (29.) leaf- 

 lets, which stand alternate, are irregularly crenated on their 

 convex margin, and penetrated by radiated fine nerves. They 

 are about the size of the nail on the little finger. Sometimes 

 the capsules shew themselves on the margin of these leaflets ; 

 not unfrequently the frond sends out, besides the principal 

 fruit-stalk, one or two subordinate stalks, which are formed 

 in the same manner. The principal fruit-stalk forms a branch- 

 ed, compound spike, with angular, somewhat open branches, 

 on which the yellowish brown, spherical, smooth fruit is placed, 

 without stalks, for the most part on one side. These sphe- 

 rules, of the size of mustard seed, split transversely when 

 they are ripe, and scatter their fine seeds. The plant springs 

 from these, like a green, lobed, cellular texture. 



Diagnosis and Affinity, 



This species is related to two others of more rare occur- 

 rence, — B. rutaceum Sw. and mairicariodes Willd. The for- 

 mer has a bi-pinnated frond, the extreme lobes of which are 

 obtusely dentated. In this species the frond comes along with 

 the stem out of the root-sheath ; the frond is tri-partite, bi- 

 pinnate, and the extreme lobes are oblong and obtuse. The 

 latter species is very rare : I have it from Courland. The ge- 

 Botrychium borders on OpMoglossum^ which is distinguished 

 by its simple spike : together they form the tribe of St^ichy- 

 opteridas, under the Pteroidae, (Anl. ii. 107.) 



Synonymes and Figures. 



Lunaria minor, Fuchs. 482. Dodori. 139. Matth. 647. Da- 

 lech. 1313. Ger. Em. 405. Pai k. 507. Moris, s. 14. t. 5. 



