182 
THE FERNS OF SOUTH AFRICA 
late, one to two feet long, three to six inches broad at the 
middle, tapering to the point, and to the short slightly palea- 
ceous stipe. Rachis naked, channelled. Pinnae alternate, 
numerous, one to every three-quarter inch ; pinnae of the 
barren frond somewhat falcate, two to three inches long, 
four lines broad, tapering to the sharp or rounded point, 
cordate at the base, or hastate, or auricled on the upper 
side, connected to the rachis by a short stalk only, or the 
upper pinnae somewhat adnate at the base. The lower pinnae 
are more distant, and reduced to rounded deflexed auricles. 
Fertile pinnae two to three inches long, one to two lines 
broad, less pointed, and less cordate at the base, except the 
lower ones, which are short, and often more or less barren. 
Involucre continuous, marginal, or intramarginal, nearly entire, 
broad ; sori often covering the whole underside except the 
mid-rib. This is a most changeable plant ; sometimes not 
unlike a small state of B. attenuatum , but distinguished by 
its free pinnae; at other times having the character of Eu- 
Blechnum , and difficult to distinguish from Blechnum australe 
L., with which it is confused in several Cape herbaria. 
A two-pinnatifid form (Plate 78) sometimes occurs, not 
unlike a similar form of B. australe , and like it, fertile and 
falcate in the upper pinnae, and barren below ; but it does not 
appear to be constant. 
As some of the varieties of B . punctulatum are more or 
less permanent, and have received names placing them in 
different genera, the most distinct are given here, retaining 
the above as the type, for which synonyms are as under. 
Blechnum punctulatum, S w. Schrad. Jour. (1801); Schl. Adum. 37, 
tab. 21 and 22, fig. 2 ; Kuhn, Fil. Afr. 93 ; C. Chr. Ind. 158. 
Lomaria punctulata. Kze, Linnaea , 10, 507; Pappe and Rawson, 28; 
Hk. and Bkr, Syn. Fil. 179; Sim, Ferns of S. Afr ., 1st ed., 118. 
Lomaria densa. Kaulf. En. 1 5 1 . 
Lomaria auriculata. Desv. 
Lo?naria Dregeana. Fee. 
Lady Barkly includes here L. inflexa Kze in mistake. 
South Africa ; growing in damp parts of the forest, or 
among shaded rocks. Said by Lady Barkly to be common 
