61 
PLEOPELTIS ANGUSTA. 
Narrow-leaved scaly-Fern. 
CRYPTOGAMIA FILICES.— Nat. Ord. FILICES, Div. Gyeat^, Br. 
Gen. Char.— iSori subrotundi, dorsales. Invducra plura in quolibet soro, 
orbicularia, peltata.— JfiiMnfA, in Humb. et Bonpl. Nov. Gen. 
Pleopeltis angustar, frondibus longe stipitatis squamulosis profunde pin- 
natifidis, segmentis paucis lineari-lanceolatis nunc dichotomis, margi- 
nibus subrepandis. 
Pleopeltis angusta, Humb. et Kunth, in Nov. Gen. p. 9. tab. 1.— Willd. Sp. 
PI. V. 5. p. 211. 
Polypodium pleopeltifolium, Raddi, Si/n. Filic. Brazil, p. 8. 
JBoo/j numerous, brown, thrown out from a creeping, cylindrical, BCsAy caudex. 
Stipes from 2 to 5 inches in length, glabrous. Fronds 3 or 4 inches high, 
deeply cut into about 5 long, narrow, linear-lanceolate, at the margins 
somewhat repand, rather obtuse, segments, the upper segment gene- 
rally dichotomous. These have, both on their upper and imder sides, 
numerous small, scattered, ovate, orbicular, peltate scales, dark in the 
centre, pale at the margins, and rather deeply cut, reticulated, membra- 
naceous. The rackis or midrib is zig-zag, prominent, especially be- 
neath. 
The under sides of the segments, from the extremity to the base, have, on 
each side of the midrib, a row of closely placed, roundish-oval, promi- 
nent, brown sori or spots of fructification, of which I have not seen the inv<M 
lucres; but which latter are figured and described by Humboldt, as si- 
milar to what I have represented as one of the scales at Fig. 3. " Indu- 
sia plura in quolibet soro, peltata, margine fimbriata, fusca."— HmwiJ. 
Capsules very numerous, brown, as well as the seeds. 
If this be not a Pleopeltis, then is the genus not founded 
on Nature, for between the plant here figured, and the one re- 
presented under the same name (P. angusta), in Humboldt's 
grand work, there is no difference whatever, except in the ab- 
sence of the involucres, — a circumstance which, I think, may 
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