August, 1937. 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
45 
AUSTRALIAN FERNS OF THE GENUS 
CYCLOPHORUS. 
By D. A. Goy (Botanic Museum and Herbarium, Brisbane) 
In Bentham and Mueller’s “ Flora Australiensis ” 
and Bailey’s “Queensland Flora,” this comparatively 
small but very interesting group of ferns was placed under 
the large and polymorphic genus Poly podium. It is one 
of the genera separated from Poly podium, and regarded 
as distinct by practically all modern workers. In F. M. 
Bailey’s “Handbook of the Ferns of Queensland,” 1874, 
the first work on Queensland ferns, the generic name 
Niphobolus was employed, and in the two comprehensive 
works quoted above this name is used as a subgenus under 
Polypodium. The name Cyclophorus has a priority of 
thirteen years, the genus having been described by Des- 
vaux in 1811, and Niphobolus by Kaulfuss in 1824. A 
distinguishing feature is the presence of numerous stel- 
lately-branched scales or hairs on the surface of the fronds. 
The species are characterised by having the rhizomes 
clothed with scales of various types, and the structure and 
mode of attachment of these scales constitute rather an 
important factor in specific determination. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE GENUS. 
Rhizome creeping, clothed with brown scales. Stipes 
articulate to the rhizome near the base, the short persis- 
tent portion densely covered with shorter and broader 
scales than those of the rhizome. Fronds coriaceous, 
simple or rarely irregularly lobed in Australian speci- 
mens; surfaces more or less densely covered with stellately- 
branched, scale-like hairs attached by a central point, 
which tend to disappear from the upper surface of older 
fronds ; veins anastomosing but concealed in the thick tex- 
ture. Sori exindusiate, round or oblong, oblique or 
parallel to the midrib, mostly confined to the upper por- 
tion of the frond. 
KEY TO SPECIES. 
A. Sori round or oblong, rather 
small (under 2 mm. long), irre- 
gularly crowded between the mar- 
gin and midrib and often con- 
tiguous. 
B. Fronds usually 5 cm. or less 
long, obovate or linear-oblong, 
densely covered on the under 
surface with stellate hairs. Sori 
rather small, confluent and 
indistinct when old 1. rupestris C. Chr. 
