THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF CULTIVATED FERNS. 
/0 
terminate within the areoles. Fronds stipitate, from one to two feet high, simple, entire, or trilobate. Rhizome 
creeping. — This genus contains but a solitary species, native of Trinidad. It has been long known in herbaria, 
but only recently introduced to English gardens in a living state. In its small calyciform fimbriate indusium it 
is analogous to Woodsia ; but in habit, aspect, and venation, it coincides best with Aspidium, from which genus 
it is only distinguished by its inferior indusium. Fig. 53 repre- 
sents a portion of a frond of H. Brownii (med. size). 
1. H. Brownii, J. Smith. — An ornamental evergreen stove 
fern from Trinidad. Fronds simple or trilobate, one to one and 
a half foot high, light green, oblong-acuminate, lateral lobes 
small, middle one very large, about two to three times the 
length of the lateral ones, undulated, rather membranous, cor- 
date at the base, and entire at the margin. Stipes and rachis 
thickly scattered over with small light-coloured scales. Fronds 
lateral, adherent to a scaly creeping rhizome. Sori uniserial 
near the primary veins, or scattered throughout the whole under- 
sui-face. 
El SPIDITJM, Swartz. — Named from aspidion, a little shield or 
j)$\ buckler ; alluding to the circumstance of the sori being 
protected with a cover. 
Sori round, reniform, or by confluence oblong, uniserial on 
each side the primary veins, or irregular, produced on the angles 
or points of confluence of several veinlets. Indusium orbicular 
attached by its centre (peltate), or reniform and attached by its 
sinus (lateral). Primary veins pinnate ; venules compoundly 
anastomosing, producing from their sides variously directed free 
sterile veinlets, terminating in the areoles. Fronds simple, lobed, 
pinnate or bipinnate, from one to three feet long, with large 
pinnae, entire, sin- 
uated, or laciniated on 
the margin. — Under 
this genus were ori- 
ginally comprehended 
nearly the whole of 
the species belonging 
to this tribe, number- 
ing about two hundred. These have now been divided into about ten 
genera; and the characteristics of the genus Aspidium, as now restricted, 
are compital sori, with central or reniform indusia, and a compound 
anastomosing venation. Fig. 54 represents a pinna of A. trifoliatum 
(med. size). 
1. A. trifoliatum, Swartz (Polypodium, Linnmns; A. heracleifolium, 
Willdenmo). — An ornamental evergreen stove species, from the West 
Indies. Fronds glabrous, pinnate, one to one and a half foot long, 
rather erect, light green ; inferior pinnae petiolate, somewhat triangular 
trilobate, cordate at the base, lobes acuminate, middle one largest, 
sinuate or obtusely crenate on the margin ; superior pinnae oblong- 
acuminate, petiolate, cordate-auriculate at the base ; terminal one tri- 
angular, sinuately-pinnatifid, segments acuminate, lower ones longest. 
Fronds fertile throughout ; terminal, adherent to a rather erect fasci- 
culate rhizome. Stipes dark coloured, with a few scales at the base. 
Sori round ; indusium peltate. The specific name, trifoliatum, is ob- 
viously not applicable, as there are nearly always two pairs of pinnae 
on a frond, exclusive of the terminal one. 
2. A. macrophylhim, Swartz. — A robust-growing evergreen stove 
fern, native of the West Indies and tropical parts of South America. 
Fronds glabrous, oblong-ovate, pinnate, two to two and a half feet 
long, pale green ; pinnae oblong-lanceolate-acuminate, rather mem- 
branous, petiolulate, cordate at the base, lower pair two-lobed, terminal 
one three-lobed, or sinuately-pinnatifid, with the lower segments long- 
est. Sori reniform, uniserial on each side the primary veins, and frequently seated on the middle of a venule. 
Fig. 53. 
Fig. 54. 
Stipes scaly ; terminal, adherent to an erect fasciculate rhizome. 
