77 
TiENITIS GRAMINIFOLIA. 
GrasS'leaved Tcenitis, 
CEYPTOGAMIA FILICES.— Nat. Ord. FILICES. 
Gen. Char.— iSoTM* linearis^ continuus, quandoque interruptus, longitudina- 
lis, inter costam et marginem exteriorem frondis situs. Indusium nullum. 
Taenitis graminifolia ; frondibus simplicibus furcatisve lineari-lanceola- 
tis integerrimis glabris. 
Grammitis graminoides, Sw. Si/n. Fil. p. 22. t. 1. f. 5. ? 
Root consisting of numerous blackish much branched and rigid fibres^ which 
are here and there downy. Fronds 4 or 5 inches in length, erect or a 
little curved, destitute of stipes, of a linear-lanceolate form, attenuated at 
the base, and slightly so at the extremity, which is frequently forked, 
the segments divaricating, of a pale green colour ;|furnished with a slen- 
der central dark purple-colored or almost black glabrous midrib, and se- 
veral oblique parallel lateral veins ; the margin is wholly entire, the apex 
rather obtuse. 
The Fructification, consisting of innumerable capsules, destitute of invo- 
lucres, appears on each side of, and close to the midrib, the midrib in 
two parallel lines at the back of the frond, occupying about an inch and 
a half or two inches of the upper extremity ; in the forked fronds al- 
ways running down considerably below the segments in uninterrupted 
lines. As the fructification advances, it covers the whole midrib, and 
appears to constitute only one line of capsules. These capsules are sphe- 
rical, reticulated, brown, pedicelled and annulated, as in Polypodium. 
I am not quite satisfied that the present fern belongs pro- 
perly to the genus Tcenitis of Willdenow, which is stated 
to have the line of fructification " inter costam et marginem 
exteriorem frondis ;" by which is probably meant that it should 
be distinct both from the midrib and margin, near the centre, 
whereas the fructification is here placed close to the midrib; and 
unquestionably in one continued line, as may be seen in the 
young state of the capsules, (Fig. %), Hence this plant cannot 
VOL. I. 
