266 
THE FERNS OF SOUTH AFRICA 
Hills, 5000 ft (Eyles, 79) ; Mazoe, 4300 ft (E. Eyles) ; Victoria 
Falls (J. Sim, Engler) ; Chirinda, 2800 ft (Swyn. 401); Singwekwe, 
Mt Pene (Swyn. 6029); Melsetter District, “The common bracken 
of the open slopes, and especially grassy glens” (Swyn.). 
Portuguese East Africa. — Estatuene, and Messengerie (T. R. Sim). 
s MsM ateE* V ittarieae . 
Genus 38. MONO GRAMMA Schk. 
Sori linear, close to the mid-rib on one or both sides. 
Frond simple, with one vein only. Small grass-like or rush- 
like plants, the simplest in structure of all ferns. About 
fifteen species, all tropical. 
1 5 1. Monogramma GRAMINEA (Poir.) Schk. 
Plate 159. Fig. 2. Nat. size. 
Rhizome several inches long, half line broad, creeping,, 
branching occasionally, and densely set with short brown 
hair-like scales. Fronds very numerous, one to three inches 
long, quarter line broad, tapering to less at the base, shortly 
pointed, and having a distinct mid-rib throughout. The son 
consist of a short line of capsules near each side of the mid- 
rib towards the point of the frond. This is a small grass-like 
plant, epiphytal on trees, credited to the Cape, but which is 
not in any Cape Herbarium, and only mentioned by Kuhn 
from the Cape on the authority of Miller ex Hooker {Sp. FiL 
5, 122). It occurs in Mauritius, Bourbon, and Seychelles, 
and the above description and figure are from a Mauritius 
specimen kindly forwarded to me from Kew. 
M. graminea (Poir.) Schk. Hk. and Bkr, Syn. FiL 375; Kuhn, FiL 
Afr. 54; Sim, Ferjis of South Africa , 1st ed., 217; C. Chr. Ind. 430. 
M. linearis Kaulf. Hk. Sp. FiL 5, 122. 
Pteris. Poir. Enc. 5, 708 (1804). 
We think it likely that small plants of Vittaria isoetifolia 
have been the origin of the Cape locality for this. The habit 
is similar, but the Vittaria is very much stronger in all parts, 
and never occurs with the frond so narrow as this. The 
description and figure are however retained here with a view 
to drawing collectors’ attention to what would be easily over- 
looked. 
