I m « r u .
A veiy variable species, wliieli also inhabits the extreme south of the American continent, as well as other and
wanner parts of the globe. Presi, retaining the name of H. semib'tvalve, arranges this in Ms section “ Cycloglossum,
removing it from that of Euhyiiienopligllum,” in wMch the H. aspienioides, fmmrioides and nitens, Br., are placed;
but in the structure of the involucre and receptacle I have been unable to detect even a specific difference between
those species and the H. rarum or semibivalve. The H.fumarioides, on the authority of Drcge’s specimens, which
are so named and agree in the main with Bory’s description, has been included in the “ Species Filicum ” under II.
ranm, of wMch plant I have examined numerous and very varjfing Cape forms from Messrs. Harvey, Forbes, Mund
and Capt. Cai-michael, and have also gathered it upon Table Mountain. In both Tasmanian and New Zealand specimens
I have seen the receptacle to be either included or exserted, and in one from the fonner country the form of
the indusia varies from being short, almost wholly sunk in the frond, much broader than long, with scarcely prominent
lips, to an elliptical ovate fonn, with the lips protruded and nearly twice the length of the sunk portion. The
H. aspienioides and abruptim are both very neaily allied to E . rarum, the latter especially ; the former has a much
stouter caudex aud stipes.
2. A SPIDIUM, Sw.
1. Aspidium (Polysticliimi) venustim, Hombr. et Jacq.; frondibus elongatis lineari-oblongis acuminatis
bipinnatis, piimis linearibus acuminatis, pimiulis breviter petiolatis oblique ovatis acutis basi superne
productis grosse crenato-dentatis coriaceis concavis glaberrimis venosis, segmentis inferioribus obtusis superioribus
acutis aciuninatisve, rachi stipiteque superne \ñIloso-hirtis, subtus paleis majusculis dense vestitis.
A. vennstum, Hombr. et Jacq. in Voy. au Pole Sud, Bot. Monocot. Cryptog. t. 5. sine descript. A. Waik-
arense, Colenso, MSS. in Herb. Hook.
H a b . Lord Auckland’s group and Campbell’s Is lan d ; very abundant from the level of the sea to an
altitude of 1 2 0 0 -1 4 0 0 feet.
Eilix, in sylvis maritimis caulescens. Caudex 2-A pedalis, erectus, stipitibus frondium vetustorum fibnsque mgro-
fuscis ubique vestitus, \ ped. diametr. et infra, versus apicem frondibus imdique patentibus coronatus. Frondes
3-5 pedales, exemplaribus sylvicolis horizontaliter patentes, alpicolis suberectæ, -i—f ped. latæ, lineari-oblongæ,
gradatim acuminatæ ; pinnis plurimis, 4 -6 unciabbus, f unc. latis, linearibus, aciuninatis, coriaceis, glaberrimis,
piimatis, pinnis ultimis in caudam profunde et argute serratam confluentibus, pinnulis distantibus v. subimbricatis,
divaricatis, breviter sed manifeste petiolatis, infirois supra racMn plus minusve productis, omnibus oblique ovatis,
acutis, convexis, rigide coriaceis, grosse crenato-serratis, basi cuneata superne oblique producta, margine inferiore
costæ parallelo, segmento infimo majore, obtuso, intermediis obtusis acutisve, supremo acuto, pungente, rarissime
omnibus obtxisis acutisve, superne lineis depressis notatis, venís furcatis pluriesve divisis, subtus prominentibus, gla-
berrimis, rarius exemplaribus valde coriaceis evanidis. Sori parvi v. minimi, plerumque 4-7 quavis pínnula, costæ
propius quam margim ; receptaculum elevatum ; indusium minimum, stipitatum, peltatim affixum, orbiculare. Costa
rachisque rigidæ, validæ, superne tomento moUi nifo subvillosæ, subtus Me iUic tuberculatæ, hirtæ, squamis pale-
isque undique et tota obsitæ ; paleoe plurimæ, majusculæ, scariosæ, subsquærosæ, curvatæ, ovato-oblongæ, in acumen
elongatum attenuatæ, rufo-brunneæ, nitidæ, margine pallide fulvo.
The above description has been drawn up after the examination of many states of a plant, which wiU very likely
give as much trouble to a botamst in the antipodes as the states of its representatives, A. aculeatum and ungulate, have
caused to those of Europe. It was first discovered by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. Solander in New Zealand, to small
specimens gathered by whom the MS. name oîAsp. coriaceum, ¡3. is attached in the Banksian Herbarium. I consider
myself fortunate in having met ^fith it in Lord Auckland’s gi'Oup, where it varies considerably, inhabiting various
situations from the level of the sea to an altitude of 1300 to 1400 feet ; in the former locality appearing as a most
elegant subarborescent species, for the stipites do really become consolidated into a ligneous caudex, and in the
i I* !
upper regions forming small tnfts of the ordinary mode of growth in ferns. Besides these variations in size and
luxuriance, depending wholly upon climate, I find that the pinnæ and pinnules ore more or less remote, irith longer
or shorter apices, and the segments of the latter ai-e either decidedly rounded and blunt, or aU acuminated and
pungent ; in general, however, the lower segments are obtuse and the upper acute. As a species it is abundantly
distinct from A.fvoliferum, Br., in the presence of the large paleæ. In New Zealand it is probably even a more
sportive plant than in the islands now under consideration, for I am inclined to refer to it Mr. Colenso’s A . Wzihar-
ense, A . sylvaticum, and A. pulcherrimum.
The islands of New Zealand have long been known to produce a very large proportion of Feras compared to their
phænogamic plants ; a circumstance wMch must strike the most casual observer. Being an attractive branch of Botany,
it might be supposed that the excess of this Natm-al Order was rather apparent than real, and only due to its species
being more generally collected and transmitted to England : but this is not wholly the case, the exertions of
recent collectors having increased tMs proportion, to what is probably the maximum; for being more widely
distributed than the Mgher orders, the hitherto pai-tially explored middle island may be expected to produce new
forms of flowering plants, accompanied with a large number of Ferns it is trac, but those of species ah-eady
detected elsewhere. The species of widely spread natural orders, being very frequently themselves distributed
over large areas, it follows that the relative amount which such bear to the remainder of the vegetable kingdom,
in a country so large as New Zealand, cannot be ascertained from an examination of the productions of one half
of its area only. Mr. Brown has stated (Expedition to Congo, App. p, 462) the conditions wMch appear* most
requisite for the abundant production of Ferns, and these ai*e to a great extent amply fulfilled in the position and
climate of New Zealand ; for not only the number of species is great, but the mode of growth of many is indicative of
a lower latitude than they inhabit, no less than six assuming the arborescent form, one of which attains the 47 th
degi-ee of south latitude : besides this, other species, whose stipites spring from the root at once, become caulescent,
having their* fronds disposed on the apex of the caudex, as those of the tr*ue tree-ferns are, giving a totally
different, as well as far more beautiful habit to the plant. Of tMs there are a few examples in New Zealand, as
the Aspidium pennigerum and several species of Lomaria, and a more striking one in the Asp. venustim, wMch
presents this unexpected appearance in the high latitude (for these regions) of the 53 rd degree, and is wholly due
to the shade, moistur’e, and equable climate of the sea-level in Lord Auckland’s gr*oup and Campbell’s Island ;
for on ascending the hills, or even leartng the woods, tMs fer*n assumes the ordinary appeai’ance of other Aspidia.
Although the most abundant prodirction of Ferns is found under the physical features of shade, moisture, and
a certain amoimt of heat, these are not on the one hand always present where the Ferns do preponderate to a great
degree, nor on the other do the latter always appear where these conditions are the most evident.
The small island of St. Helena has its Flora composed of nearly equal portions of Phænogamic plants,
Ferns, and other Cr}q)togamiæ, the Fems forming about a tlm*d part of the whole, and nearly equalling the flowering
plants ; this is only to be expected from St. Helena fulfilling the above conditions in a most eminent dcgi*ee. The
little island of Ascension, on the other hand, about 500 miles distant, is proverbially called a cinder, with hardly
water sufficient to supply a gaj*risoii composed of a mere handful of men, and absolutely but one small drip, rather
tlian spring, in the whole island, supplied by the percolation of condensed sea-A'apours on the naiTow top of a
hill, 2818 feet high; no shade exists any Avherc, and the soil is porous volcanic scoriæ, that scorches the feet after
being heated by a tropical sun ; under all these cucumstances it produces likeAvise as many Ferns as native floAver-
ing plants. It is true that they are confined to the top of Green Mountain, Avhose slopes in many places are
completely covered by them, but they enjoy no shade, the only native woody plant not attaining two feet in
height ; and Avhat is more remarkable, out of nine species of Ferns existing under these circumstances, only tAvo
ai’c couunon to Ascension Island and St. Helena ; several arc peculiar to their isolated position, and one is a
species of Marattia, a genus I believe to be in general particularly impatient of exposiue. I knoAv no parallel
instance to this amongst the Atlantic islands ; a far larger proportion of the ferns, both of St. Helena and of
Tristan d’Acuiiha, is common to both these spots, and to other parts of the globe, than are those of Ascension ;