62 
PLEOPELTIS ENSIFOLIA. 
Sword-leaved scaly-Fern. 
CRYPTOGAMIA FILICES— Nat. Oed. FILICES, Div. Gyeat^, Br. 
Gen. Chir Sori subrotundi, dorsales. Involucra plura in quolibet soro, 
orbicUaria, peltata.— jKmw/A, in Humb. et Bonpl Nov. Gen. 
PleopeltB ensifoUa; frondibus indivisis lanceqlatis rigidis squamosis, 
basi n stipitem attenuatis. 
Pleopeltii ensifolia, Caem. MS. 
Caudex lather thick, creeping, covered with small brown scales, and throw- 
ing oit numerous downy roots, principally from its under side. 
Fronds nany, 5 or 6 inches in length, lanceolate, more or less approaching 
to limar, attenuated at the base, and there terminating in a stipes about 
2 incies high ; the margin is slightly waved or repand, the anterior and 
posterior surfaces are alike beset with numerous minute, peltate, reticu- 
lated membranaceous scales, some of which are orbicular, others ovate 
and Tcry acute, the whole dark brown in the centre, paler towards the 
margn, and dentato-ciliate. The texture of the frond is rigid and co- 
riaceous ; a strong midrib or rachis passes through its centre, but there 
are n> lateral nerves. 
Sori or spots of fructijication, confined to the upper surface of the frond, 
roundish or oval, at first nearly plane, afterwards remarkably prominent; 
in ar early stage all the capsules are concealed by the numerous peltate 
involicres (Fig. 1.), which are similar in every respect to the scales just 
described upon the fronds, except that they are larger, uniformly orbi- 
cular, and their stalk is longer. In age, these involucres are either thrown 
off, or become so pressed and injured by the prptrusion of the capsules 
as to be indiscernible, and then the plant assumes altogether the appear- 
ance of a Poll/podium. 
Capsulei spherical, opening transversely, borne generally upon very long 
stalks. Seeds minute, reddish-brown. 
Tie genus Pleopeltis was established by Humboldt and 
BoNPLAND, in their Plantes JEquinoctiales, and one species 
VCL. I. 
