Descriptions of the Species. 
117 
60. Lomaria attenuata. Willd. 
Plate L. a. Part of barren frond, natural size. b. Part of fertile frond, 
natural size. 
Crown shortly procumbent, branched, making a tufted mass, 
and set with narrow, brown scales. Both barren and fertile fronds 
ovate-lanceolate, simply pinnate, glabrous, coriaceous, three to five 
feet long, eight to twelve inches broad at the middle, tapering to 
both ends, and having a nearly naked stipe, six to twelve inches 
long. Barren pinnae adnate at the base, alternate, linear, lanceo- 
late, four to six lines broad, meeting at the base, except the lower 
ones, which are separate, and very much reduced. Fertile pinnae 
separate, linear, one to two lines broad and pointed ; inausium 
broad, torn, or fringed. Veins forked, often ending in transparent 
cells near the edge of the frond. This splendid fern generally 
grows in clumps of four or five crowns together, each with twelve 
to twenty fronds. The pinnae are about equal in breadth for 
three-fourths of their length, then gradually taper to a long narrow 
point, while at the lower end they widen out at the very base and 
are connected with the rachis all along, meeting the base of the 
next pinna. The narrow pinnae of the fertile frond are about six 
inches long, and curve gracefully outward. In the seedling plants 
the fronds are entire at first, and afterwards waved (Plate LI., 
Fig. 2). Sometimes plants become fertile w T hen only one foot 
high if dry grown, but the fertile frond is then a miniature of the 
ordinary, and not contracted as in L. inflexa. Young barren 
fronds are sometimes green, but often of a bright pink colour. 
A form occurs in which the barren fronds are distinctly 
bi-pinnate on the lower half, and wavy and crisped in the upper 
portion (Plate LI., Fig. 3). This is Lomaria heterophylla, Desv. 
(Blechnum, Schl.), but is not constant enough in its character to 
deserve a name, and Kunze uses the name L. heterophylla, Desv., 
for the ordinary form of this species. Kunze also mentions 
L. hamata, Klfs., a variety with sterile pinnae narrower, fertile, 
falcate. L. decipiens, P. and R., seems to have been founded on 
young plants of L. attenuata, Willd. 
