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the base ; sori often continuous along the whole margin of the segments. — Hk. Sp. 
2. p. 179. t. 134. B. 
Hab. All round the world within the Tropics, and a little beyond them. 
West Tropical Africa — Angola, Natal, Zambesi Land, Madagascar. Hindostan (as- 
cending in the Himalayas to 11,000 ft.), S. China and Japan southward to Ceylon and 
the Malayan and Polynesian Islands and Rockingham Bay in Trop. Anstralia. 
America, from Cuba and Mexico southward to Brazil. — Varies, much, especially in 
size. P. asperula, J. Smith, is a form with the rachises and costae furnished with 
slender spines ; P. subpinnata, Wallich and Agardh, an Indian form with fewer 
pinnae than usual; P. Argyrsea, Moore, a form with a more or less distinctly 
marked band of white down the centre of the frond ; P. tricolor, Linden, the 
same, with a tinge of red added (see Bot Mag. t. 5*183) : and I cannot distinguish 
by any clear character the West-Indian P. Swartziana, Agardh, and P, Felosma, 
J. Smith ; the Brazilian P. Sulcata, Link ; the Malayan P, Pyrophylla, Blume, and 
P. Deltea, Agardh, and the South- African P. catoptera, Kunze. All our specimens 
of the Polynesian plant have dark-brown naked stipes and rachis. Mr. Thwaites 
sends from Ceylon a series of remarkable abnormal forms passing down gradually 
into a plant with narrow linear pinnee, the lowest with only two smaller similar 
pinnules on the lower side. Down to No. 28 the species are closely allied to this 
and one another. 
Thwaites’ “ Enumeration of Ceylon Plants,” p. 386. 
8. P. quadriaurita, Retz. (Hook. 1. c. p. 179, t. 134, B, cum syn.) — C. P. 1330 
(1129). Et forma ludens ; pinnulis plus minus irregularibus, aliis elongatis, aliis 
abbreyiatis yel abortiyis. — C. P. 1351, 3060 (1133). 
Hab. Very abundant. 
Thwaites, 1. c., p. 438. 
386. “ Pteris quadriaurita, Retz.” Post “ abortiyis” insere : P. Otaria, Bed 
dome, Ferns of South. Ind. t, xli. An hybrida inter P. quadriauritam, Retz., et P. 
crenatam, Sw. ? 
Thwaites, 1. c., p. 387. 
d. Campteria. 
10 P. biaurita, Linn. (Hook. 1. c. p. 203, cum syn.) — P. Nemoralis, Willd. ; 
Hook. 1. c., p. 202, cum syn.— C. P. 1048 (1128, 1130, 1240, 1241). 
Hab. Very common in the Central Province. 
Although specimens occur which appear intermediate between this plant 
and P. quadriaurita, I believe the two are specifically distinct. Very young plants 
of each, growing side by side under exactly similar conditions, exhibit respectively, 
in a marked degree, the characteristic venation of the mature plants. 
This is perhaps one of the most common, most abundant, and most 
variable of our Ceylon Ferns. It grows from the coast up to several 
thousand feet elevation, and varies in size, texture, and cutting according to 
soil climate and other circumstances. In collections of Ferns made 
by persons who do not take these facts into consideration, and who 
collect without reference to the age or fruitfulness of their specimens, there 
are sure to be several specimens of this Fern under the conviction that 
each specimen represents a different Fern. 
What I consider the normal form of this Fern is pretty well 
figured under Pteris quadriaurita, Retz. by Beddome, “ Ferns, I. t 31,” only 
that when found in perfection the terminal pinna and all the others 
have long lanceolate points to them. 
Pteris Otaria, R. H. B. (Beddome), 1. 1. 40. 
5j „ % var. (Beddome), 1. 1. 219. 
„ heteromorpha, II. t. 89. 
are simply depauperised forms of this species, and I believe I 
