THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST. 
Jn iSoiit'h Africa ir occurs on many 
mountains at a considerable altitude. In 
the north it lias a very wide range from 
the Arctic regions south, ilnrt where 
it spreads to warmer parts it re¬ 
treats to the .mountain tops, where 
it is found as far south as '.Mexico, 
West Indies, Abyssinia, and the Hima¬ 
layas. On the Himalayas it ascends to 
sin altitude of 10,000 feet. It is a small, 
delicate plant, finding its home for pre¬ 
ference in the crevices of rocks, (if a 
tufted habit, it makes a pretty little 
greenhouse fern. The leaves vary con¬ 
siderably in shape, and many species or 
varieties, according to the bias of stu¬ 
dents. have been made of it. The leaves 
seldom rea'eh six inches in length, -and 
are divided into primary and usually 
secondary pinnae, the ultimate divisions 
being bordered hv lobes or acute teeth. 
The sporangia are of the true polypodin- 
ceous type, namely, stalked with a well- 
developed vertical annulus. The spo¬ 
rangia are arranged in little round sori 
on the buck irf the ultimate segments 
at some distance from the margin, 
and arise from the end of a 
lateral vein. In the young state 
the *oms is protected by a delicate 
membrane or itidushim that arises below 
it, and for some time appears as a cup 
or concave cover opening a hove. As 
the sores matures that membrane is bent 
■hack, and is commonly completely hid¬ 
den. The sporangia arise with the 
indtisium from the surface layer of the 
leaf, but as development proceeds they 
are home on to the base of the indtisium 
itself, and appear as attached to that 
organ instead of to the leaf, '['his is im¬ 
portant as a distinguishing mark, divid¬ 
ing Cystopteris from litvaIlia. The ap¬ 
pearance of the young indtisium lias gain¬ 
ed for the plant the popular name of 
Bladder Fern. 
Cytoptkkis Fragims Bern. 
ftotes on a Tasmanian Eucalyptus. 
(£. unnii of J, 3). Jiooker.) 
BY L. KODWAY (Government Botanist). 
In the year 1S44 Sir Joseph Hooker 
described in the “London Journal of 
Botany” a eucalypt, and named it “Eu¬ 
calyptus gunnti.” In his great work. 
“Flora Tasmaniae,” published about the 
same time, also appears a description of 
:the tree, accompanied with a very re¬ 
liable plate. The plant described was 
from Tasmanian material, and accurately 
represents the tree so common in some 
parts of our Midlands, from Mount Field 
to Ironstone Range, and known locally 
as the cider gum. Like most other 
cucalypts, the tree varies, and it is a 
