TEE FERNS OF NORTH- WESTERN INDIA . 
271 
Gamble, and in 1878 by Collett .; and, as will be seen above, the fern grows in 
many other places west of Neptil. 
The scales of the rhizome have not been correctly described by Baker or 
Clarke: they are not “ brown or nearly black,” or “brow a black.” They are 
biooloured, 1 . 0 ., pale-brown with a broad dark-brown streak down the eehtre. 
Clarke says — “ Frond often sub-cordate at base.” Among the numerous speci- 
mens in Gamble’s and my collections I cannot find a frond that is not cordate 
or sub-cordate below. Many examples have sori oval or oblong, the major axis 
directed towards the margin. Some of Duthie’s specimens from British Garh- 
wal, 12,000', have sori biserial between the veins, often confluent. These grew 
entrees; but elsewhere, so far as Lknow, the fern is always on rocks. 1 Can 
see no resemblance to, or affinity with, P . oxylobum. 
82. P. cyrtolobum, J. Sm., C. K. 563. Pleopeltis Stewartii , Bedd., Syn. 
Fil, 2d. ed. 573. Pleopeltis malacodcn , Hook., var. £. mujits i Bedd. H. B. 
363, and Suppt. 96. 
Punjab : Chamba — MacDonell ; fide Beddome in SupT/t. H. B.. 
N.-W. P. : D. D. Dint, — Mussooree, The Paik’’ 63-65C0', Mackinnons 1880, Hope 
1887 ana 189t> ; Kumaun — Binsar 7500', & W. ; Gori 7y.,- 7-8000', Trotter 1891 ; 
Mangalxa Gor 10,000', MacLeod 1893. 
Distrib .— Asia : N. Ind. (.Him.) Nepal to Bhotan 8-12,000': very immon, 
Clarke ; Assam — Jakpho Mt. 8600 'Clarke ; Khasia Dist. 5000', Clarke. 
This species is not in McDonell’s List of Chamba Ferns, and I have seen no 
specimen from the westward of Mussooree. Trotter in his printed list said he 
bad a Chamba specimen from McDonell ; but the species does not appear in 
his later MS. list given to me ; and I have four fronds of P. oxylobum marked 
by him P. cyrtolobum. 
I am not much surprised that writers with a tendency to unite species, and 
who have not seen this growing in its natural habitats, thinking it a turm of 
P. malacodon , at least if they can get over the marked differences of cutting 
and scales of rhizome. But, having seen P. malacodon growing only on rocks 
in the Simla Region, at high elevations, and P. cyrtololum growing only on 
trees in Mussooree, at a much lower elevation, and having observed their very 
different habit and appearance, I cannot hesitate to agree with Clarke in separat- 
ing them, The scales of the rhizome are bicoloured like those of P. malacodon 9 
but they are much narrower and darker coloured, and they end in long thick 
hairs. The frond is less cordate at the base, and sometimes quite decurrent on 
the stipes ; and the texture is much thinner than that of P. malacodon . The 
fronds vary from occasionally simple to three-Iobed, and to three pairs of lobes, 
besides the long terminal lobe. Major MacLeod’s two fronds in my possession, 
from Kumaun, are— one, trilobate, and the other, with stipes over 4 in., has a 
frond. 10 in. 1. with 4 pail’s of lobes— the longest nearly 6 in. 1. A frond from 
Mussooree is nearly 12 in. 1., with terminal lobe all but 8 ihches. 
