THE FERNS OF NORTH-WESTERN INDIA. 
97 
Frond deltoidly lanceolate, acute to acuminate, up to 8 ins. long and 
5 ins. broad, always thickly coated beneath with white powder. Lowest 
pair of pinnae always the largest. Segments narrow. Sori continuous 
round the sinus. Margins of involucres entire, uneven, or toothed, not 
lacerate. 
“ This form ranges all over India. I have collected it at Pachmarhi at 
3000', and I have specimens from the Khasi Hills at 3-5000' and 
from the Nilgiris up to 6000'.” 
I found this fern abundant in the Rewa State of Central India, in 1860-61. 
It seemed to be common along the north edge of the plateau, at the heads of 
the valleys running down thence northwards. And I have a sheet on which is a 
ticket of Mr. Clarke's — “ Gheilanthes farinose f, Central India ? ” One plant 
of this is exactly small C. anceps, Blanf. 
10. C. anceps, Blanf., in “ The Silver Ferns ( Gheilanthes ) of Simla 
and their Allies,” read before the Simla Natural History Society, 25th dune, 
1886. Gheilanthes farinosa , var. anceps , Blanf. in Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 
Yol. LVir, Pt. II., No. iv, 1888 ; Cl. and Baker, in Journ Linn. Soc. XXV. 
411; Bedd. Suppl. H. B. 21, under C. farinosa. 
“ Stipes thick, up to 8 ins. long, little longer or shorter than the 
frond, dark chesnut to almost black, bearing, generally throughout, dark 
linear-lanceolate sca’es, with pale margins, which often extend to 
the principal rhachis but not beyond. Frond lanceolate to oblong- 
lanceolate. Under surface always thickly coated with white powder. 
Lowest two or more pairs of pinnae subequal, rather listant. 
Involucres narrow, with toothed or lacerate margins. 
“ Readily distinguished from the typical form by the snortness of 
the lowest pair of pinnae, and the greater extension of the scales. In 
large well grown fronds the lower three or four pairs are nearly 
equal, and the form ” (shape ?) “ of the frond approaches that of 
G. subvillosa. Specimens collected by Mr. Clarke in the Khasi Hills 
present the same characters as those of the N.- YV. Himalaya. I 
have specimens also from Mt. Abu (Rajputana), collected by Dr. 
King, and from the Nilgiris at 4000' and 6000', collected by Mr. 
Gamble.” 
The above is Mr. Blanf ord’s description of var. anceps in the Journal of the 
Asiatic Society Bengal. As to habitat, he said : — 
“ In the North-West Himalaya it has a well defined, but restricted 
range of elevation, viz., from 3500 to 6000 ft., and is common 
below Simla between 4500 and 5000 ft. 
