196 
The Ferns of South Africa. 
ferruginous scales. Frond glabrous, thickly coriaceous, very 
various, simply pinnate, ovate-acuminate, four to nine inches long, 
three to six inches broad, with a channelled rachis six to nine 
inches long, and sometimes varying to trifid or even simple and 
lanceolate, four to six inches long, three-quarters to one inch 
broad, with a short glabrous stipe. In the less divided fronds the 
pinnae are shorter, more rounded at the apex, and confluent below, 
but in the largest condition, which occurs on the same plant, the 
four to six pairs of pinnae are quite separate, linear, one to four 
inches long, three lines broad, sharply pointed, entire or widely 
crenate, and with a widened and often decurrent adnate base. 
Lower pinnae longest, others gradually less ; terminal pinna four 
to five inches long, lanceolate, sinuate-crenate, pointed. Sori very 
large, in a straight line on each side of the mid-ribs, one to each 
crenature of the margin, and sunk into the frond. Veins immersed 
but easily seen, the primary veins forming one line of large areolae 
along each side of the mid-rib ; outside this, veins run to the 
margin, or sometimes again anastomose, while inside the large 
areolae one free single vein (or sometimes with a loop on it) reaches 
as far as the centre, and there carries the sorus. 
Polypodium ensiforme. Thunb. Prod. 172; FI. Cap. 735 ; Schl. Adum. 
19 ; Kze. Linn. 10.500 ; Kuhn, Fil. Afr. 147 ; Hk. and Bkr. Syn. Fil. 
341 . 
Marginaria ensiformis. Presl.; Pappe and Rawson, 39. 
Goniophlebium. Fee, gen. 
4 
South Africa only. 
West. — Grootvadersbosch (Thunb), Stofpad (Mund and Maire), Swellen 
dam (Lady Barkly), Knysna (Ecklon, Pappe), Millwood Gold Fields 
(Holland), Grenadendal (Zeyher), Dokamma (Drege). 
East. — Kowie (Kresfelder). 
Kaff. — Not found. 
Natal. — Tugela (Gueinzius, Krauss, 299). 
120. Polypodium Phymatodes. Linn. 
Plate CXIII. Natural size. 
Rhizome rather stout, firm, procumbent, at first paleaceous 
