NOTES 
Cyathea Hookeri, Thw.—When in fruit, the fronds of this fern are apt to disappear in an 
unaccountable way; probably they are devoured by some animal. The plant is shy 
of fruit, and therefore collectors should not miss a chance. 
Diacalpe Aspidioides, BL, is scarce in the locality where it was first discovered, Blackpool, 
Newera Elba, but is abundant and of much bolder growth at Kooroonda Oya, Mattoorattoo. 
Hymenophyelum Exsertum, Wall, is variable. None of the. Ceylon forms of the plant agree 
closely with the figure in Hk. Sp. Fil., the pinnae of which are distant and the sori few, 
whereas in some of our Ceylon ferns the sori are very copious, and in all the pinnae are 
more or less close. 
Hymenophyllum Polyanthos, Sw. —The extreme forms of this very variable fern are very 
distinct, but they are connected completely by intermediate forms. The typical form of 
Swartz’s plant is found at Condagalla, above Rambodde, and the variety Blumeanum of 
Sprengel is abundant in the forests of Mooroowa Corle. Intermediate forms are to he 
found at Vicarton, Matale, and at the Peacock, Pusilawa. The species is described in 
Hk. Syn. Fil. as “ wingless,” hut nearly all my specimens are winged, some to the very 
base of the stipes. 
Hymenophyelum Neesii, Hk., has hitherto passed in Ceylon for H. Tunbridgense, a fern which 
does not exist there. It possesses, in common with H. Tunbridgense, the marked character 
of very sharply serrated margins, but is in other respects distinct, especially in being 
strongly crisped. Major Beddome figures our plant correctly in his ‘ Ferns of Southern 
India,’ plate 265, but calls it H. Tunbridgense, and attaches to his figure Hooker’s descrip¬ 
tion of that species. There are no specimens from Ceylon in the Kew Herbarium, either 
of H. Tunbridgense or of H. Neesii. 
Trichomanes Muscoides, Sw., is not uncommon in the higher forests, and is very variable. I 
cannot distinguish from it T. N eilglierriense or T. Henzaianum, of both of which I possess 
typical specimens. They seem to be identical with some of our varieties of T. Muscoides. 
Trichomanes Proliferum, BL, is not common. The only typical specimens I have seen were 
found in the southern province. Dr. Thwaites gives Ambag'amoa as its habitat, which is 
very probably correct; but manj’- of the specimens sent to Kew from Peradeniya under 
this name are pronounced by Mr. Baker to be T. Pyxidiferum. It has often been remarked 
in Ceylon that T. Proliferum was very rarely proliferous, but it does not seem to have been 
suspected that the fern most commonly known as such was, in fact, of another species, 
until very lately. Very careful examination of my specimens, and comparison with those at 
Kew, satisfied Mr. Baker, however, that such was the case; and a very large proportion of 
what had been regarded in Ceylon as belonging to this species are truly T. Pyxidiferum, L. 
a 
