DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SPECIES 
129 
Natal.— Coast Bush; at Umzinyati Falls, and at Umlaas, scarce 
(Wood) ; Kearsney (Buchanan); Ngoya Forest (Stayner), Murchison 
Flats, abundant on rocks (T. R. Sim). 
Genus 16. Microlepia Presl. 
Stipe continuous with the creeping rhizome ; frond de- 
compound; sorus at the base of a sinus; involucre membrana- 
ceous, intramarginal, opening outward. A genus of about 
70 species, tropical and sub-tropical, included in Davallia in 
Synopsis Filicum. The only African species are M. speluncae 
which is widely distributed, and possibly another, M. mada- 
gascariensis (Kze) Pr. from Madagascar only, which is placed 
under M. speluncae by Baker but maintained by Christensen. 
49. Microlepia speluncae (Linn.) Moore. 
Plate 38. Nat. size, b Pinnule, enlarged, c Sorus, enlarged. 
Rhizome creeping, frond three-pinnatifid, flaccid, softly 
herbaceous in texture, three to four feet long, one to three 
feet broad, deltoid, ovate or ovate-lanceolate on a straw- 
coloured herbaceous stalk one to two feet long. Pinnae 
lanceolate from a wide base, almost sessile, alternate, usually 
six to eight inches long, two to three inches broad, sometimes 
larger. Lower pinnae about equal to, or sometimes much larger 
than, those above. Pinnules sessile, one to two inches long, a 
half to three-quarter inch broad, cut to or near the mid-rib 
into oblique, rounded, crenate or lobed segments, bearing 
a sorus below each sinus. Stalk and rachis rough, with 
short tubercle hairs, frond finely villose on both sides, espe- 
cially on the veins. Involucre like a membranaceous scale 
opening outward, with a semi-circular attachment, early 
deciduous, situated more or less within the margin, and 
often as in Dryopteris. I have seen a specimen with the 
lower pinnae two feet long, five inches broad, and with 
pinnules two to three inches long, one inch broad. 
Microlepia speluncae (Linn.). Moore, Ind. 93, 1857 ; Kuhn, Fil. Afr. 
159; C. Chr. Ind. 428. 
Davallia speluncae. Baker, Syn. Fit. 100; Sim, Ferns of S. Afr., 
1st ed., 63. 
S. F. S. A. 
9 
