248 
THE FERNS OF SOUTH AFRICA 
sunk so far into the lobe that it is quite surrounded by 
lamina, while the veins all curve over and terminate in the 
sorus. (Fig. 2.) 
This species is difficult to cultivate satisfactorily, in which 
respect it differs much from A. aethiopicum , which is a great 
favourite, and always does well. 
This is A. thalictroides Willd. of our first edition. 
Some doubt may exist as to whether our plant be Will- 
denow’s A. thalictroides , as Schlechtendal’s description is not 
very clear, and his figure was one of those that were not issued 
owing to the non-completion of the book. Reference to 
Willdenow’s Herbarium is required to certify this. Christen- 
sen finds the older name is A. Poiretii Wilks. Baker unites 
A. thalictroides with A. aethiopicum , but Kuhn keeps them 
distinct. However there is no doubt that our plant is a dis- 
tinct species from the strong-growing A. aethiopicum of the 
Eastern forests. 
A. Poiretii Wilkstr. Vet. Akad. Hdl. 1825, 443 (1826); C. Chr. 
Index , 32. 
A. thalictroides. Willd. Hb. 20,101 (Schl.), 20,102 (Kuhn); Schl. 
Adum. 53 (t. 33 ined.); Kze, Linnaea, 10, 530; Pappe and Rawson, 
App. 52; Kuhn, Fit. Apr. 66; Sim, Ferns of South Africa, 1st ed., 72. 
This is abundant near Cape Town, but almost absent else- 
where. It belongs to tropical Africa, India, and America. 
West. — Table Mountain, Devil’s Mountain, etc.; Swellendam (Hol- 
land); Wellington (M. Knobel, 964). 
138. Adiantum aethiopicum Linn. 
Plate 124. Part of frond, nat. size. 
Rhizome paleaceous, almost crown-like, branched and 
tufted, a half to two inches long, two lines diameter, but 
with very long slender running and almost frondless branches. 
Frond glabrous, three to four-pinnate, one to three feet long 
and broad, on a shining, metallic, black, wiry stipe, often two 
feet long, and having lanceolate, brown scales at the base 
only. Pinnae lax, alternate, arching, spreading, erecto-patent ; 
lower pinnae largest, six to twelve inches long, three to six 
inches broad, with four to six pairs of secondary pinnae ; the 
