DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SPECIES 
189 
fronds between. Fronds six to twenty-four inches long, one 
to two inches broad at the middle, and tapering very gradually 
to the point, and also to the base, where the pinnae are distant, 
and very much reduced ; the lowest often within two inches 
of the crown, but sometimes leaving a bare stipe of six to 
eight inches, which is paleaceous below, but glabrous above, 
and like the glabrous rachis, slightly channelled in front. 
Pinnae of barren frond very various, generally one-half to 
one and a half inches long, three to four lines broad, oblong 
or widely lanceolate, often falcate, tapering to a sharp point, 
the upper adnate by almost their whole bases ; those in the 
middle of the frond sessile, but rounded to a narrow con- 
nection ; those below auricled on one or both sides, and 
connected by the mid-rib only ; while the reduced lower 
ones are triangular, and often three-pointed. Fertile pinnae 
one and a half to three lines broad, except at the base, 
where the upper ones widen a little, and the lower ones are 
hastate auricled, and less fertile, or often quite barren. In- 
dusium continuous, at first entire, afterwards somewhat torn; 
placed about halfway between the mid-rib and the edge, or in 
some cases near the edge ; sometimes filled with capsules to 
near the mid-rib, but often with a space between. Often in 
the lower pinnae the sori are short and separate, as in Doodia. 
Both fertile and barren pinnae in the lower half of the frond 
are set across the rachis, so that the lower auricle overlaps 
the front, and the upper auricle the back of it. Frond quite 
glabrous even when young, by which it is easily distinguished 
from the glandular B. auriculatum. It is often confused with 
B.punctulatum , and as both vary in their fructification from 
typical Lomaria and typical Blechnum, that character cannot 
be given. In this the frond is generally narrower, and always 
narrower compared with the length, pinnae closer, more pointed, 
continued further down the stipe, and the rhizomes are also 
different. 
A form occurs in which all the middle pinnae are set along 
their lower edges with four to eight tooth-like lobes, similar 
to the auricles (fig. c), and in the fertile frond the sori extend 
into these lobes. 
