January, 1938 The Queensland Naturalist 
71 
oblong, coarsely and broadly lobed or almost entire, ob- 
tuse; veins free, pinnate, simple or forked, the costae 
flexuose and elevated on the upper surface. Sori large, 
usually in two rows close to the midrib but more numerous 
in larger pinnules. Indusium large, orbicular, peltate, 
entire, persistent. 
Distribution : — Australia, Polynesia, New Zealand 
South Africa, America (Antilles to Southern Chile). 
Queensland : — First recorded for this State from 
Tamborine Mountain by Domin (Bibliotheca Botanica XX, 
p. 57, 1915), with the note that this probably represents 
its most northern limit. No further record has since been 
made. 
New South Wales : — Coast District and Dividing 
Range from Macleay River to Victoria. 
Victoria: — North-eastern, eastern and southern por- 
tions of the State. 
Tasmania : — Derwent River. 
5: P. fragile W. Watts, Proc. Linn. Soc., N.S.W., XXXIX, 
Pt. 4, p. 775 (1914). 
Epiphytic. Rhizome thick, creeping, densely clothed 
with brown, narrow and flexuose, acuminate scales, stipes 
40-60 cm. long, flexuose, clothed at the base with pale 
brown scales, naked above, scarcely muricate. Fronds 
broadly lanceolate, 60-80 cm. broad at base, loosely bi- 
pinnate, lower pinnae opposite, upper alternate, narrow- 
lanceolate, 10-40 cm. long and 10 cm. broad; texture sub- 
coriaceous, colour pale green, scarcely shining, glabrous. 
Pinnules lanceolate, equal on both sides, lower ones 2-3 
cm. broad at the base, pinnatifid to the winged rhachis, 
upper ones subentire, pinnately nerved but nerves indis- 
tinct, very brittle when dried, pinnules with the costae 
distinctly elevated on the under surface, depressed above. 
Sori medial, up to 8 per pinnule, solitary on the lobes; 
industrium rotund, deeply incised, soon shrivelling and 
fugacious. 
Distribution : — Recorded by Watts from Major’s 
Homestead, near Ravenshoe, North Queensland in 1913, 
but not found since as far as is known. 
6. P. hispidum (Sw.) J. Sm., Journ. Bot. IV, 195, 1841. 
Aspidium hispidum Sw., Benth. FI. Austr. VII, p. 760, 
1878. 
Rhizome stout, long-creeping, densely covered with 
dark subulate scales. Stipes 15-50 cm. long, rather slen- 
