64 
THE FERN WORLD OP AUSTRALIA. 
sometimes not very close, forming a row very near the margin. A 
common climbing fern of the South Queensland scrubs, also in some 
of the northern scrubs ; common tbroughout N. 8. Wales . 
P. punctatum, Thunb. Ehizome long, slender, creeping, densely 
scaly. Fronds one to four feet high, much branched, stipes often 
long slender usually of a dark brown color, bi-tripinnate. Pinnules 
oblong, half to one and a half inch long, membranous or rather 
rigid when in full fruit, deeply pinnatifid with dentate segments. 
Veins in each pinnule or segment pinnate with free forked branches. 
Sori orbicular in two rows on the smaller pinnules or longer lobes. 
A very common fern on the borders of Queensland scrubs where, 
supported by surrounding shrubs, it often attains the height of seven 
to eight feet. From its great similarity to Hypolepis tenuifolia it is 
often mistook for that species both being glandular pubescent. If 
in fruit the position of the sori in P. punctatum will be at a distance 
from the margin, while that of H. tenuifoha will be marginal. If 
the plants are sterile the Polypodium will be usually of a more 
wiry growth. 
_P. pallidum, Brack. Rhizome short, horizontal, thick, clothed 
with bright glossy pale colored scales. Fronds one to four feet 
high. Stipes stout at the base and clothed with soft hair-like scales 
which soon fall, leaving the stipes glabrous and pale or glaucous, as 
well as the rhachis, bi-tripinnate, the larger pinnas one foot or more 
long, secondary pinnte lanceolate two to four inches long, pinnules 
linear obtuse half to one and a half inch long and more or less 
connected by the narrow wing of the costa, the whole plant more or 
less covered with white glandular hairs. Veins pinnate. Sori 
from a few to fourteen on a lobe ; when ripe the spore-cases often of 
a dark color, all small .and usually but a few in each sorus. Found 
at Enoggera Creek, near Brisbane. There is not the least doubt 
but that this fern is a true Polypodium, but in the Flora Aus- 
traliensis it seems placed with Aspidium tenericaule, Thw, a mistake 
likely to occur from the examination of dried specimens, but never 
from living ones. The name used is appropriate, and the plant is 
most likely identical with that of Brackenridge, but none of his 
authentic specimens are in the colony, so there is some doubt on 
this point. 
P. aspidioides, Bail. Shiny fern. Ehizome horizontal, thin, 
shortly creeping. Fronds twelve to eighteen inches long, usually 
ovate-lanceolate in the small forms, but more triangular-ovate in 
the larger, in outline ; the stipes long, slender, sulcate and densely 
covered at or near the base with dark brown ovate acuminate scales, 
bi-tripinnate ; the pinn^ and pinnules much elongated at the apex, 
the upper surface glossy, rhachis and costules hairy. Veins pinnate, 
ending beyond the margin in aculeate teeth. Sori medial. Found 
abundant in the Brisbane River scrubs, where it may at once be 
detected by the shining upper surface of its fronds. This beautiful 
fern has been for a long time confused with Lastrea acuminata, 
T. Moore, the Aspidium acuminatum, Hort. Aug., and from which 
