THE FERNS OF SOUTH AFRICA 
150 
Kaff. — Katberg (Miss Hartzenberg); Main (Mrs Young); Perie, Frank- 
fort, etc. (T. R. Sim) ; Engcoba (A. G. McLoughlin, 96). 
Natal.- — Great Noodsberg and Umpumulo to Drakensberg, 2000 to 
5000 feet (Buchanan) ; Buccleuch (W. Leighton) ; Nkandhla (Mar- 
riott) ; Umzimkulu, 4000 ft (R. Schl. 6629). 
Transvaal. — Pilgrim’s Rest (R. Collins, 907); Woodbush (T. J. Jenkins, 
796). 
Rhodesia. — Umtali (Holland, Mrs Bennett); Matopo Hills, 5000 ft 
(Eyles, 1022) ; Chirinda Forest, 4000 ft (Swyn. 879, 880); Gwaai 
River (J. Sim). 
Var. BIPINNATIFIDUM Sim. 
Plate 52. Nat. size. 
Plant stronger in all its parts than the type, but habit, 
texture, and villose rachis, as well as the cutting when the 
plant is young, are the same. When the plant is mature 
fronds are two to four feet long, five to seven inches broad, 
lanceolate, the pinnae divided to the mid-rib toward the base 
into separate but overlapping, obovate, rounded, bluntly ser- 
rate, lobed pinnules. Upper pinnules rounded, more or less 
confluent. Sori flabellate in the free lobes, otherwise nearly 
parallel with the costa, and not reaching the sinus. Found 
at Dokamma (Dr&ge, Jide Kunze), and in the Perie Forest. 
65. Asplenium laetum Sw. 
Plate 50. Fig. 1. Nat. size. 
Crown erect, tufted; stipe round, without scales. Fronds 
two feet long, two to four inches broad, thinly herbaceous 
glabrous, pinnate, tapering rather rapidly to the point. Pinnae 
one and a half to two inches long, one-third to one-half inch 
wide, obtuse, cut away somewhat on the lower base, widest 
on the upper side at the base, bluntly toothed or double 
toothed. Sori long, narrow, oblique. This species was in- 
cluded under A. erectum as var. brachyotus in our first edition; 
it is often difficult to distinguish from forms of A . lunulaUim 
and it also approaches A. anisophyllum closely in its larger 
forms, but is usually smaller, thinner in texture, with no 
scales, and longer, narrower sori. It is recorded from Trop. 
America, Madagascar, and South Africa. 
