24*2 
ASPLENIACE^. 
No. 4. Athyrium trijidum. 
Polypodium trijidum of Hoffmann. 
No. 5. Athyrium ovatum, Roth. 
Polypodium dentatum^ Hoffmann, and 
Polypodium Filix-femina^ Hoffmann ? 
No. 6. Athyrium Filix-femina. 
Polypodium Filix-femina, Linneus. 
Polypodium incisum, Hoffmann. 
No. 7. Athyrium rhceticum. 
Polypodium rh(Bticum, Linneus. 
Thinking that some of my readers might consider the whole 
of Roth’s descriptions and observations somewhat tedious, I 
have reserved them for the Appendix,*^ restricting my remarks, 
in this place, to a brief summary of the principal characters of 
each form, and treating each as a variety rather than a species. 
The reader who wishes to pursue the subject will do well to 
study Roth’s more elaborate descriptions. 
Athyrium Filix-femina, var. molle. (See figure a, page 244). 
Athyrium molle, Roth. 
Stalk short, with broad and short scales. Frond usually about 
eighteen inches in length, semi-erect, bright green, ovate-lanceo- 
late, pinnate, pinnm pinnate, their midrib winged, the lower pair 
distant from the rest, short, deltoid and deflexed ; pinnules flat, 
decurrent, united by wing of midrib, their margins toothed : the 
clusters of capsules are very distinct, there are 5 — 7 pairs on a 
pinna. 
Athyrium Filix-femina, var. trijidum. 
Athyrium trijidum, Roth. 
This much resembles the last, but is considerably larger, being 
twice as long and twice as wide ; the pinnules are flat and semi- 
decurrent, not being quite united by a wing of the mid-rib ; a 
slender wing is observable behind each pinnule at its base, but 
this does not reach to the base of the next following pinnule ; 
the pinnules are more deeply cut, and the apices of the lobes are 
generally distinctly trifid, the first anterior lobe of each pinnule is 
larger than the rest. The clusters of capsules, as compared with 
those of A. molle, are smaller and more remote. 
* See Appendix, F. 
