198 
The Ferns of South Africa. 
dark, pointed, club-shaped scales. Fronds herbaceous, lanceolate, 
entire, four to twelve inches long, three-quarters to one and a half 
inches broad at the middle, and tapering to a point, and also 
tapering slowly to the short stipe. Fronds quite naked, or with a 
few scales below on the mid-rib when young. Sori large, sunk, 
mostly in the upper part of the frond, in a row on each side of the 
mid-rib, and halfway between it and the margin. Veins show 
very distinctly as a fine network on the upper surface, and when 
seen through have regular areolae along the mid-rib containing free 
veinlets, and more or less irregular areolae between these and the 
margin. Fertile frond often longer, and rather narrower than the 
barren. 
Buchanan doubted if this and P. normale, Don., were both to 
be found in South Africa, but included P. Schraderi, Mett., as a 
species ; and Wood evidently followed in excluding P. lineare, 
Thbg. I regard P. lineare as a common forest fern (in Kaffraria 
at least), and P. Schraderi, Mett., as a mere conditional variety of 
it, and not very common ; while P. normale seems quite distinct 
in all the specimens I have seen. 
Polypodium lineare. Thunberg, FI. Jap. 335 ; Kuhn, Fil. Afr. 148 ; Hk. 
and Bkr. 354. 
Polypodium Gueinzii. Mett. Polyp. No. 161, tab. III., f. 18, 19. 
Tropical Asia and Africa. 
Natal. — (Gueinzius), Forest near York (M‘Ken), not known to Buchanan 
or Wood, but evidently included in their P. Schraderi. 
Kaff. — Bazija (Baur), common in the Perie and other forests, growing in 
shade. 
Var. / 3 . simplex. (Sw.) Fronds larger and more thinly 
herbaceous, one and a half feet long, two inches broad. Veins 
more distinct. 
Polypodium simplex. Sw.; Kuhn, Fil Afr. 153 ; Hk. and Bkr. Syn. Fil. 
354 - 
Polypodium loriforme. Wall. ; Hk. Sp. V. 57 (in part, Kuhn.) 
