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THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF CULTIVATED FERNS. 
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to constitute a generic difference — whether a peculiarity of habit, fructification, or venation, or whether a 
combination of two or more of these. It often happens that the species arranged under a genus, coincide with 
the characters assigned to it, with perhaps a solitary exception ; this anomalous species, partaking of the characters 
of what are considered two distinct genera. The genus now before us, established by Brown, originally included 
H. capensis, S. horrida, &c, but it was subsequently restricted to those species which have anastomosing costal 
venules. Of the four species we have placed here, two have the venules 
thus anastomosing, one has them occasionally anastomosing, and in the 
other they are quite free. Comparing the venation of this genus with 
what occurs in Adiantum and Stenochlfena, we cannot range these species 
under different genera merely on account of their slight variation of 
venation, which only anastomoses and is never truly reticulated ; conse- 
quently we have retained in Hemitelia all those species which have a 
permanent semi-calyeiform indusium, thus excluding H. capensis, which 
has only a lacerated scale at the base of its sori. Fig. 80 represents a 
pinna of S. speciosa (med. size), with a sorns (magn.). 
1. S. speciosa, Kaulfuss. — A beautiful evergreen stove Fern, from 
South America. Fronds glabrous, broadly lanceolate, from four to six 
feet long, rather erect, pinnate, bright shining green ; pinna? linear, nar- 
row-lanceolate, 10-15 inches long, and 1-li wide, petiolulate, obliquely 
truncate at the base and crenate at the margin. Stipes Bcaly, and mivri- 
cate at the base ; terminal, adherent to an erect 
arborescent caudex, the largest in cultivation is 
about two feet high. Sori unisonal, sub-mar- 
ginal. The lower venules in this species occa- 
sionally anastomose, forming an angular costal 
arch. 
2. Bl. grandifolia, Sprengel. — A beautiful 
evergreen stove Fern, from Trinidad. Fronds 
glabrous, ovate-lanceolate, three to four feet 
long, pinnate, bright shining green ; pinna? 
linear-lanceolate, a foot long, sessile, broad, 
pinnatifid, with very obtuse falcate segments, 
finely serrated round the apex. Sori medial, 
uniserial, continued round every sinuosity of 
the pinnae, with a solitary sorus on each venule, 
the inferior ones, and occasionally others, anas- 
tomosing, and thus forming] an angular costal 
arch. Stipes aculeate, with a scale on each 
prickle ; terminal, adherent to an erect caudex, 
which attains the height of four or five feet. 
3. IT. horrida, R. Brown. — A noble ever- 
green stove Fern, from Jamaica and other West 
Indian Ielands. Fronds glabrous, broadly lanceolate, pinnate, five to ten feet long, 
bright shining green; pinna? sessile, broad, deeply pinnatifid, with approximate lanceo- 
late, acuminate, slightly falcate segments, crenate-serrate at the apex. Sori continued 
round every sinuosity of the pinna?. Lower venules anastomosing, forming an angular 
costal arch, with others between the sinus and midrib of the segments. Rachis and 
stipes aculeate, with a scalo on each prickle. Fronds terminal, adherent to an erect 
arborescent caudex, the largest in cultivation being nearly five feet high. 
4. II. Iloslmanni, Hooker. — An ornamental evergreen stove species, from Guiana. 
Fronds glabrous, lanceolate, bipinnate, five to seven feet long, deep green ; pinnules 
lanceolate, pinnatifid, with oblong linear-obtuse sub-falcate segments, round at the apex, 
and entire at the margin, upper ones decurrcnt at the base, forming a winged rachis. 
Sori medial, and usually axillary. Fronds terminal, adherent to an erect caudex, two 
feet high. Only a solitary specimen of this genus is known in cultivation; it was introduced to Kew in 1845. 
yl LSOPHLLA, n. Broun. — Named from akos, a grove, and phileo, to love ; in reference to the localities preferred 
JS2\ by theso plants. 
Sori round or sub-globose, sometimes becoming confluent, medial, or axillary, naked or furnished with a lateral 
interior indusium, which is sometimes very small or hair-like. Spore-cases usually compressed, with tin 
rous receptacles slightly globose or columnar. Veins pinnate ; venules simple or forked, direct, free. Fronds large, 
bipinnate to decompound ; ultimate pinnules pinnatifid. Stipes and raehis often aculeate, with the midrib of the 
Fig. 80. 
*V».81. 
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