AN ENUMERATION 
OF THE 
SOUTH AFRICAN FERNS. 
SYNOPSIS OF SOUTH AFRICAN GENERA OF 
FERNS. 
The classification adopted in the following description is 
mainly that established by Professor Presl, in his admirable 
“ Tentamen Pteridographiae,” published in 1836, and fol- 
lowed by Sir Wm. Hooker, in his exquisitely illustrated 
“ Genera Filicum,” published in 1842. 
The latter author, in his subsequent, more detailed, work, 
commenced in 1846, under the title of “ Species Filicum,” 
has somewhat modified PresPs arrangement, and other later 
authors have introduced more extensive changes ; but as none 
of these have been generally accepted, and as Sir Wm. 
Hooker’s work on the species of Ferns is still incomplete, it 
has been deemed, preferable to adhere generally to the 
classification of Presl. 
This author excludes from the order of Ferns (Filices) the 
group Hymenophyllece of Endlicher, containing the two genera 
of Hymenophyllum and Trichomanes, which Sir William 
Hooker has restored, placing them between the tribes Dick- 
soniacese Pr., and Davalliacese Pr. He also excludes the order 
of Lycopodiaceae, and others akin to, but not comprised in, 
the order of “ Filices.” The same arrangement will be 
adopted in the following synopsis. 
Presl admitted two sub-orders, established by Bernhardi, 
dependent upon the character of the elastic ring surrounding 
the capsules (sporangia), viz., Helicogyratae, having an eccen- 
tric ring, and Cathetogyratse, having a marginal ring seldom 
complete. The former embraces only the first two tribes of 
the order. The distinction cannot easily be detected without 
a magnifying glass, and need not be attended to in a study of 
the Ferns of South Africa. 
