roth’s fern. 
•217 
explicit to allow of our doubting for a moment that it belongs 
to the present plant ; and I must observe, for the information of 
those who wish to go more fully into the question of date, that 
although this volume of the ‘ Flora Germanica ’ was published 
in 1800, the description of multijiora had previously appeared 
in the ‘ Catalecta Botanica,’^ and that the author claims for it 
priority over Hoffmann’s name of dilatatum, which he supposes 
may be intended for the same species. Be this as it may, I hope 
I shall find botanists willing to do honor to Roth’s admirable 
description by adopting his name, for of a truth we may exclaim 
with him , — Maximce sane et fere insuperabiles in determina- 
dales et longiores, infra medium semipedem et ultra latae, saturate virides, sub- 
tus pallidiores, rigidae, ovato-oblongae, apice acuminatae, plane tripinnatae ; pinnis 
alternis patentibus in apicem pinnatifidum decrescentibus ; inferioribus duplo 
fere brevioribus et latioribus mediis, plerumque sterilibus, basi bine productio- 
ribus, oblique triangulis, bipinnatis : mediis reliquis longioribus, oblongo lan- 
ceolatis, fere bipinnatis; superioribus lanceolatis, magnitudine decrescentibus, 
pinnatifidis demum in mucronem tenuem pinnatifidum desinentibus. Pinnulae 
alternsB, patentes, oblongae, acutae, glabrae ; infimae pinnarum inferiorum iterum 
pinnatae, quarum exteriores magis protensae, interioribus socialibus, sesquiunci- 
ales et longiores ; superiores pinnatifidae, tamen ad nervum fere divisae et ala 
foliacea tantum confluentes, angustiores, demum in mucronem acutum, tenu- 
em, acute serratum confluentes ; foliolis vel laciniis suboppositis, oblongis, 
obtusiusculis, patentibus, margine inciso-serratis, apice plerumque trifidis ; 
serraturis spinula incurva terminatis, conniventibus. Stipes e viride fusces- 
cens, rigidus, infra medium nudus, paleis fuscis validis secundum totam lon- 
gitudinem adspersus, ad pinnarum exortum parum dilatatus et quasi nodosus, 
tamen minus flexuosus, bine convexus, inde canaliculatus. Fructificationum 
puncta subrotunda, crassiuscula subtus in foliolis vel laciniis pinnularum duplici 
serie disposita, paribus in quovis foliolo vel lacinia duobus vel tribus in majori- 
bus pinnulis raro quatuor, bine in pinnula subtus secundum longitudiuem con- 
siderata quadruplici plerumque serie collocata apparent, in inferioribus pinnis, 
rariora et remotiora, in summis duplici tantum serie secundum longitudiuem, 
intra pinnulse costam et laciniis distributa, primum distincta, demum fere con- 
fluentia, fusco-ferruginea, tecta involucre reniformi-subrotundo, protuberanti- 
bus capsulis margine undique libero, demum ad punctum suum fixum laterale 
retracto, capsulis tunc effusis. Capsulse subrotundse, fuscee, pedunculo longo, 
tenui, pellucido insidentes annulo articulate atropurpureo cinctee. Semina plu- 
rima exigua fusca. — Rotb, Flor. Germ. iii. 87. 
* Rotb, Cat. Bot. i. 135. 
