194 
The Ferns of South Africa. 
scales. Fronds jointed to the rachis, firmly herbaceous, simply 
pinnate, glabrous, six to twelve inches long, one and a half to two 
inches broad, with a naked stipe of two to four inches. Pinnae 
oblong, one inch long, quarter-inch broad, rounded or shortly 
pointed, widened both ways at the adnate base so that the pinnae 
meet below though apart above. Sori abundant, large, set in a 
row near each side of the mid-ribs. Veins free ; veinlets pinnate. 
I have seen specimens two feet long and nine inches wide, and 
Kunze mentions two forms. 
This is a widely distributed fern, known as the English Poly- 
pody ; growing on rocks or dry turf banks. 
Polypodium vulgare. Linn.; Kze. Linn., 10.499; Pappe and Rawson, 
39 ; Wood’s Natal Ferns, 31. 
Polypodium australe. Fee, gen. 236. 
(Polypodium (Grammitis) australe, Mett., is an Australian and 
South American species with free veins, and undivided fronds ; 
credited by Kuhn to “ Prom. Bon Spei.” (Poeppig), but evidently 
a mistake.) 
West. — Table Mountain (Drege), George (Rawson). 
East. — Bellerne, Bedford (Holland), Boschberg (MacOwan), Howison’s 
Poort, Grahamstown (Dr. Atherstone), Oudeberg (Bolus 701), Winter- 
berg (Eck.). 
Kaff. — Kat River (Eck.), Manubi (Bowker), Perie, 4000 feet. 
Natal. — Sources of Mooi River, Lyndoch, The Dargle (M‘Ken), Boston, 
Norton’s, Riet Vlei, 4000 feet only (Buchanan), up country, rare 
(Wood), (Plant 31 1). 
1 18 Polypodium incanum. Swartz. 
Plate CXI. Nat. size. b. Peltate scale of frond, magnified, 
c. Scale of rhizome, magnified, d. Unusual form. 
Rhizome very long, slender, woody, closely attached to tree 
trunks or on moss, and clothed with lanceolate, adpressed, dark 
scales. Fronds scattered, glabrous on the upper surface, simply 
pinnate, rather widest at the base, sub-coriaceous, involved when 
