174 
The Ferns of South Africa. 
Aspidium leucosticton. Kze., Linnsea, 23.301. 
Arthropteris. J. Smith. 
Polypodium pectinatum. Forsk. 
Tropical Africa, and African Islands. 
Natal. — Open rocks about two miles west of the Inanda, and immediately 
below Insusi Fall, only 2000 feet alt. (Buchanan), (Govt. Herb. Cape 
Town and Natal, and Herb. Bolus, 3974 )* 
(Nephrodium conterminum. Desv. 
A Natal fern, without or almost without indusium, which in 
Hk. and Bkr. Syn. Fil. stands as Polypodium obtusilobum, 
Desv., had been stated formerly by Baker to belong to one of the 
forms of N. conterminum, and on this is included in Lady 
Barkly’s list under that name ; but it is likely that Mr Baker used 
that name in the wide sense of the conterminum group, as used in 
his “ Synopsis Filicum,” which includes N. Bergianum, Baker. 
At all events, Lady Barkly’s specimens from Buchanan, and all the 
other specimens I have seen so named, or named Polypodium 
obtusilobum, are identical with the larger growing forms of 
N. Bergianam, and do not answer so well to Baker’s restricted 
species N. conterminum, Desv., and Mr. Baker writes me that he 
does not know N. conterminum from South Africa. The only 
difference from N. Bergianum is that they have no indusium, and 
even that is a poor distinction, as in almost every case the speci- 
mens are in the advanced condition in which the more or less 
fugacious indusium is often awanting, or can be seen only with 
difficulty. N. Bergianum is however often without indusium, or 
almost so, even when young ; and Schlechtendal founded thereon 
his Polypodium Bergianum (Adum. p. 20, tab. 9), in which he was 
followed by Kunze, and by Pappe and Rawson ; though Kunze 
remarks that this and his N. patens grow in company. 
Though Schlechtendal describes and figures his plant as having 
no indusium, Nephrodium Bergianum, Baker, which has generally 
an indusium, is named from it, with Polypodium, Schl., as 
