


Genus V: LASTREA (Bory), Presi. 
Gun. Cuar.—Sori indusiate, globose ; the receptacles medial or 
rarely terminal or subterminal on the venules. Indusium roundish 
reniform, sometimes small and irregularly reniform, plane or fornicate, 
fugacious or persistent, the basal sinus at which it is affixed, variously 
deep, narrow, broad, or shallow. Veins simple forked or pinnate, 
from a central costa; venules free, the anterior usually (sometimes 
more) fertile. 
Fronds herbaceous or coriaceous, pedate pinnate or bi-tri-pinnate, 
the fertile sometimes slightly contracted. 
Caudex short, thick, erect or decumbent; or elongately creeping. 
The genus Lastrea as established by Presl, embraces that portion 
of the free-veined species of Aspidium, in which the indusium is 
reniform, and affixed at the basal sinus. It comprises the larger 
proportion of the free-veined species, and on this ground Professor 
Fée retains for the group the name of Aspidium, which we have 
already, under Polystichum, pointed out, should as it seems to us, 
rather be preserved to the typical species,—Aspidium trifoliatum, a 
netted-veined plant with umbilicate or peltate indusia, standing in 
this position. Were it indeed otherwise, the peltate-scaled species 
have at least the preference over those with reniform covers, so 
that the Polystichum group rather than the Lastrea group should 
retain the original name. 
Sir W. J. Hooker adopts a view* different from that of Professor 
Fée. Retaining the name of Aspidium for the peltate-scaled 
species, without reference to venation we presume, he refers all the 
species having a reniform indusium to Nephrodium, adopting in this 
respect the views of Richard and Brown. Those who, like ourselves, 
separate the free-veined from the netted-veined species, assign the 
* Hooker, Filices Exotice, t. 53. 

