TEE I&RNS Ot NORTH-WESTERN INDIA. 
140 
21. A. nigripes BL MSS., Aspidium nigripes Bl. Enum., p. 162. 
Aspl. nigripes Mett., in Miquel’s Annales, Yol. II., 240, and Yoi. 1Y., 1Q9 ; 
Syn. Fil. 227 ; 01. Rev. 490. AVnyrium nigripes MeU., Bedd. H. B. 166. 
Blume’s description, at p. 162 of bis “ Enumeratio,” is as follows : — 
“ A. fronde bipinnata raembianacea glabri-scula, pinnis petiolatis cblongo- 
larncoelatis acutis, pitmuiis subdecurrentibus cuneato-oblongis obtusiu- 
soniis, infimis snb-petiolatis prof unde pannatifid, is superioribus inciso-serratis 
confluentibus, soris oostulis approximate, raohi glaberrima stipite trigcno 
iqferne paleaceo nigro.” 
“ Crescit in paludibus inter mortes Burangrang et Tankuwan—- Prahu Javge 
insulae. ’* 
Mattenius, after giving the reference to Blume’s “ Enumeratio, ” says 
“ Folia cum petiolo basi prgesertira dense paleato qnadri pedal ia ; pinnae 
inftriores 8 poll, longae, pinnulm inlimae 2-3 poll., pinnatifidae, segment is 
ovalibus serrato-piunatifidis. Prostat lusus Joins tri nec quadri-pinnatis 
oblongioribus augustioribus, pinnularum segmentis ovalibus, muoronato-denti- 
cularis Allantodia paludosa (Zipp.)” 
The type specimen in the Kew Herbarium, which ha Blmne’s* ticket— 
‘ Herb. Lugd. Batav. Asplenium nigripes , Ja^ Blum.e,”— is a small 
plant with erect black or dark-brown candex, black roots, and bases of stipes 
clothed with small brown scales : it has 8 fronds, with stipes 6-7 in. long, as 
long as or longer than the fronds, straw-coloured, and naked except at base, 
bipinnate, pinnae few, secondary rhachises winged, lowest > innae as long as any 
blit frond not deltoid, pinnae not acuminate, pinnules narrowest at base, bl m 4 
rounded, very setulose. 
Some specimens from the Khasi Hills in Assam, 4-5000', from Clarke and 
Mann, agree with Blume’s type specimen, and are also somewhat like my next 
species, especially in having setae on the upper side of the costa ; but they have 
much longer stipes than A. tenellum has, and the pinnae are short and not 
much acuminate. Mr. Mann has named one of these A , solenopteris Kze., but 
except for having more lamina it is identical with another he has named A. 
nigripes Mett. and some high-level plants got in Sikkim, for which Mr. Clarke 
has (in MSS) suggested a variety name, alpina, may be the type plant. -But 
the bulk of the material in herbaria from the north-east and south of India as 
well as from the north-west, ticketed A. nigripes, is quite different from Blume’s 
plant. The type plant has not been got west of Nepal, that I know 7 of. Most 
of the N.-W. India specimens I originally had in my A. nigripes wrapper I 
have removed A . Maclcinnoni , Hope ; and only fve remain, of which only 
one, from Kumaun, somewhat bears out Blume’s name and description by 
