40 
This very curious sjyecies is only to he found in fructification in the cold weather, the fertile Jronds, when they first appear in 
October or November, are quite contracted and covered tvith one mass of fructification ; they die off (ujain in January or February. I have 
never detected any appearance of fructification on tlie broader sterile leaves ivhich are growing all the year round, and it is quite an error I 
think to suppose, that the enlarged sorus is the effect of a disease. 
Wynad, Anainallays and other localities, very abundant from 2,500 to 4,000 feet elevation— Nilgiris 5,000 to 6,000 feet rare. 
PLATE No. CXV. 
The cdjove 5 species belong to the Filix-Mas group of Lastrea, and probably few Botanists ivould agree as to what are distinct 
sjwies, and what varieties only. Sir William Hooker considers them all (even the last ) as only varieties of the Euroix'an Lastrea Filix- 
3Ias." Mr. Moore looks upon them as different sjiecies, and Br. Wallich founded a new genus for the last curious species under the name 
of " Arthrobotrys." I have had most of them growing under cultivatio?i, and have found them constant ; whether they are distinct species, or 
only varieties, I have thought it less puzzling to figure them each tender a distinct name, than to give them two names such as " Lastrea 
Filix-Mas, patentissima" ct'c. 
{h) Indusia orbicular, 2^eltately affixed. 
* Veins reticulated, with free included veinlets. 
K^vimmiSwartz Schrad, Journ. 1,800. ii 4. 29 (reduct). 
(Bathmium, Presl ;— Proferea, Presl Podopeltis, Fee Polypodii. sp. Auct. Tectariea^ sp. Cavanilles Phymatodis sp. 
Pres] ; — Drynariaj. sp. Fde :— ) 
Sori indnsiate, rotundate, the receptacles conipital, i.e. produced on the points where several veins join, or medial, more rarely 
terminal. Indusium orbicular peltate. Veins pinnate from a central costa, prominent ; or rarely uniform : venules and veinlets com- 
poundly anastomosing in (about two or three series of) irregular or nearly eijual sided areoles, from the ultimate of which proceed free 
divaricate veinlets. 
Fronds simple, pinnate or tri-piunate, herbaceous. Rhizome short, erect, or decumbent. (Moore.) 
1. Aspidium jwl ymorpjhum, (Wallich) Caudex creeping, stipites from a few inches to 1-2 feet long, fuscous a little scaly at 
the base, fronds very variable in size, from 3-6 inches (when they are geneally cordate or 3-lobed, or tri-foliate) to 2 feet or more long, 
adult coriaceo-membranaceous, pinnated with 4-8 pairs of pinnae and terminated by an odd one, as large as or larger than the rest, (some- 
times confluent with the two below it) basal ones very large and long, and generally unequal, bi-fid or bi-partite, or more frequently bi-foli- 
ate the segments curved upwards, intermediate ones 5-6, or 8 inches long, oblong, acute or acuminate, sub-opposite, in distant pairs sub- 
petiolate, inferior base unequal, the lowest often dilated, primary or costal veins horizontally patent, slightly arcuate, these are connected 
by arched veins transversely, the meshes or areoles are occupied by copiously anastomosing veinlets, and their areoles with free sterile sim- 
ple or forked veinlets, sori copious, generally small, all compital ; involucres peltate, rarely present or very fugacious— i/ooA-er. Sp. Fil. iv. 
54. — Wall. Cat. n. 382. — Aspid. rostratum, Wall. Cat. n. 383.— Aspid. repandum, Willd. Sp. Fl. v., p. 216. — Bathmium. Fee. 
Nilgiris— very common in ravines on the Coonoor ghat, and other localities— Pulney Hills. 
PLATE No. Q'^W.—iFig A. a Juveline simple frond). 
PLATE No. CXVII, is a figure of a fern common on the Anamallay Hills, 3,000 feet elevation. It is, I believe, only a variety 
of A. polymorpkum, and I have called it pohjmorpihum 13. contractum ; it differs from the normal form in having contracted fertile fronds 
and very large sori. I have never been able to trace any sign of an indusium even on the youngest specimens, but that is very seldom 
traceable on the normal form — the sterile fronds do not seem to differ in any way from polymorphwn. 
2. Aspidium 1 pi. No. CXVIII. — This is a sterile frond of a species of Aspidium or Sagenia, it is probably an undescribed 
species. I procured it on the Ananiallays, and was not fortunate enough to find it in fructification, the fronds are perfectly glabrous and 
shining on both sides. 
