20 
THE FERNS OF SOUTH AFRICA 
Asia, Australia, and South Africa ; beside streamlets in 
bush. 
Kaff.— Katberg (Holland) ; Bazija (Baur). 
Natal. — Maritzburg, and sources of the Umlaas, Nottingham, Kar- 
kloof (Buchanan) ; Lidgetton (A. Roberts, 873) ; Benvie (Marriott) ; 
Zwaartkop (T. R. Sim). 
Transvaal. — Macamac gold fields (J. H. McLea, No. 7) ; Pilgrim’s 
Rest (L. Collins) ; Woodbush (Mrs R. Pott). 
Zambesia. — ( Fide Kuhn, Filices Africanae , 209.) 
41. POLYSTlCHUM Macleaii (Baker) Diels. 
Plate 31. Nat. size, b Scale from crown. 
Crown erect, densely paleaceous, with large, widely lanceo- 
late, laciniated, thin, brown scales. Frond coriaceous, leathery, 
simply pinnate, widely lanceolate, glabrous on the upper sur- 
face, two to three feet long, one foot broad, with a stout stipe 
one foot long, which is densely set with large scales at the 
Base, and with smaller more fibrillose scales upward. Rachis 
also fibrillose, and the under side of the pinnae more or less so. 
Pinnae in thirty to fifty opposite pairs, approximate, almost 
sessile, lanceolate acuminate, half-inch broad, six inches long ; 
lower ones rather shorter, all deeply and sharply toothed 
throughout ; cut away at the base on the lower side, but 
with a toothed lobe or auricle on the upper side. Veins 
free ; one group for each tooth. Sori small, in a single line 
near to the mid-rib, or more frequently scattered in three or 
four irregular lines, or with scattered sori out on the lobes, the 
outer ones always smaller. 
Baker’s figure, especially the magnified one, shows the 
lobes rounded, with five to six almost equal teeth, but in 
the fronds I have seen most of the lobes are single large 
sharp teeth, while toward the base of the pinnae the lobes 
or auricles are sharp pointed, with a few small teeth along 
the edges. The auricle is sometimes cut quite to the rachis, 
and occasionally three to four lobes are so, and then slightly 
stalked. This is a very distinct plant, known from South 
Africa only. 
Polystichum Macleaii (Baker). Diels, Nat. Pfi. i 4 , 190, 1899, where 
it is misprinted Macleanii ; C. Chr. Index , 584. 
