Yapp,— Two Malayan ' Myrmecophilous ' Ferns , 221 
Systematic Position. 
While very little doubt as to the fact of Polypodium 
sinuosum being a true Polypodium ’appears to have ever 
existed, the position occupied by P. carnosum has been 
a debatable one. 
Reinwardt 1 originally placed it in the genus Onychium , but 
a few years later it was described as the type of a new genus, 
Lecanopteris , by Blume 2 , who shortly afterwards in the Flora 
Javae (Filices) 3 published figures of two species, L. carnosa 
and L. pumila . The latter species never appears to have 
been described. Several closely allied species, however, have 
since been discovered, which Baker 4 has placed in the same 
genus. Polypodium patdliferum , Burck 5 , is probably identical 
with L . carnosa , though Beccari 6 regarded the name as a 
synonym of L. deparioides (Cezati). 
The majority of writers 7 have maintained Lecanopteris , 
Blume, as a genus, though, as we have seen, both Hooker and 
Smith 8 recognized its close affinity to Polypodium lomarioides 
and P . sinuosum. Christ 9 includes Lecanopteris as a sub- 
genus, in Polypodium ; another sub-genus, to which he gives 
the name Myrmecophila , comprises P. sinuosum , P. lomarioides , 
and one or two closely allied forms which are similarly 
inhabited by ants. Diels 10 maintains Lecanopteris as a distinct 
genus, at the same time admitting to generic rank Drynaria , 
Niphobolus y and other groups often regarded merely as sub- 
genera. In 189s Baker 11 wrote, ‘ I now think that Lecano- 
pteris will have to stand as a distinct genus, in the neighbour- 
hood of Dicksonia , from which it differs in having an indusium 
I Reinwardt (’25), p. 48. 2 Blume (’27), p. 120. 
3 Blume (’29), tab. 94. 
4 Baker (’92), p. 19 ; also (’94), p. 123, and Cezati (’76), p. 13. 
5 Burck (’84), p. 97. 6 Beccari (’84-’86), p. 244. 
7 Amongst others, Presl (’86), p. 202 ; F^e (’50-52), p. 259 ; and Moore 
(’57-68), p. 80. 
8 Smith (’75), p. 106, retains the genus Lecanopteris , regarding the names 
P. lomarioides and P. sinuosum merely as synonyms of Lecanopteris carnosa. 
9 Christ (’97), p. 116. i0 Diels (’99), p. 326, 
II Baker (’92), p. 19. 
