■( & ) 
194, Meniscium Thwaitesii, Mk„ 
Bed. 1. t. 223 for C. P. 3145. This fern is peculiar to Ceylon, and was 
found in Uda-pussellawa, in the Central Province, at an elevation of 4,000 
feet. Mr. Beckett; from whom I received specimens, found it at Lagalla. 
195. Antrophyum plantagineum, Kaulf. 
Bed. t. 52 good for the shape of the fronds, and 11. t. 267 ? for A. par- 
vulum, Bl. as a small form of this fern. My specimens of this fern are 
from the higher parts of the Central Province such as Lindula, &c. and is 
not very common, whilst the next one is a very common fern, and I found- 
it at the rock at Tallangama within 11 miles of Colombo. A. plantagineum 
has the fronds generally oblique, or somewhat falcate, and rhomboidal in 
shape, with an abruptly acuminated point, and a distinct stipes 1§ to 3 
inches long, sometimes with a narrow wing, the lower part covered with 
long lanceolate dark brown hair-like scales, which cover about 1 inch of the 
lower part of the stipes ; the rootlets are rarely covered with ferrugineus hairs, 
and the sori are deeply immersed in the fronds. The hair-like scales are 
beautifully reticulated, and resemble some of the Ulvaceaj, and are ciliated 
along their margins. I was in hopes that these last were distinct and good 
characters by which to separate it from the next species, but the scales on 
both are reticulated and ciliated. See my notes on the next species. 
196. Antrophyum reticulatum, Kaulf. 
Bed. 1. t. 231 for C. P. 1305. This is also the A. semicostatum, Bl. des- 
cribed in Syn. Fil. as a separate Ceylon species. Bed. 1. t. 52 gave a wrong 
name ; in the letter-press for 1. t. 231 he makes the following remarks and 
corrections : — “ The two species are nearly allied and perhaps not really dis- 
tinct ; the following are the distinguishing characters : — 
“ 1. A. plantagineum, fronds broad falcato-lanceolate, receptacles deeply im- 
mersed, subglabrous. Nilgiris, Ceylon. 
2. A. reticulatum, fronds narrow lanceolate, receptacles immersed, hairy, 
Ceylon.” 
Whilst after the description of 8 species, including our Ceylon ones, 
Baker in Syn. Fil. p. 393 remarks: — “Species 2 to 8 come very near to one 
another, and cannot be regarded as clearly distinct.” Moore in his Ind. Fil. 
p. 82 quotes Gardner’s 1307 for A. semicostatum Bl., but Th waites, En. p. 
456, shows that 1306, 1307, and 1308 are all=1305, but apart from this 
fact nearly all my specimens of 196 have the costa distinctly for 4 to 5 in- 
ches up in the frond, It differs from 195, in the following respects : — It is 
a common and abundant fern from near sea level to the Central Province, 
growing on rocks or stones, or on trunks of trees ; it is generally long lan- 
ceolate and tapering gradully to both ends with a comparatively blunt point ; 
it tapers gradually down to the caudex and is not hairy on the lower end 
of the stipes ; its rootlets are nearly always densely covered by ferruginous 
hairs, the fronds are generally straight, seldom falcate or bent, they are some- 
times bifurcated, the sori are distinctly elevated, and mixed with ferrugi- 
nous hairs. The hair-like scales on the caudex are narrower and in denser- 
tufts than those on 195, but like them they are reticulated and ciliated. It 
is most likely that Baker is correct in the above remark, but in respect 
to the above notes, our two Ceylon ferns are pretty distinct, and easily separ- 
arated if completely mixed together. See notes on 195. 
197. Vittaria elongata. Sw. 
Bed. 1. t. 21 showing the fern to be erect instead of pendulous. This is 
truly a grass-like fern, hanging down from masses of decaying vegetable 
matter from the trunks of trees and not unfrequently from the mass below 
plants of the Asplenium nidus. The Syn. Fil. describes it as 6 to 18 inches 
long, and | to \ inch broad, and Beddome says it is 8 to 30 inches long 
I do not recollect seeing this fern less than 3 or 4 feet long, and my speci- 
