I t
i A
108
mediate between iraqi—.j - .
and stikta, and is sometimes distinguishable from the
former only with difficulty.
20. L. stricta, Drju ; rhizome short-creeping, fibrillose ; S t. rigid, erect, 12-24
in. 1., polished, often ehesimt-brown ; f r , simply pinnate, 12-24 in. 1., ^ in. hr.,
or with 1 or 2 pairs of erect rigid lateral branches ; p innl. J in. hr., less deep, thè
lower line often considerably decurved, the upper rounded, nearly entire, closely
placed but imbricated ; colour bright-green, but texture coriaceous ; sori in a
continuous line round the upper edge.—H k . Sp. l . p . 21G. L. elegans, H k . le.
P I. t. 08. {an unhrancheA fo rm ).
Hab. Tropical America from Mexico and the West Indian Islands southward to Rio
Janeiro.—The plant well deserves its name. The pinnules and stems are so rigid, that
specimens can be only made to adhere to paper with great difficulty. I t is occasionally
even tripinnatifid.
21. L. rigida, J . Sm. ; rhizome wide-creeping ; st. 4-6 in. !., rigid, erect,
prickly towards the base ; f r . with a long unbranched central point and 1 to 4
pairs of flexuose lateral branches, 4-8 in. I. ; pinnl. S-4 lin. br., 2 lin. deep, the
lower edge often falcate, the upper 3 or 4 times bluntly, not deeply lobed, placed
close together but not imbricated ; texture very thick and coriaceous ; veins prominent
; sori in a marginal line on the lobes.—H k . Sp. 1. p . 217. t. 63. A.
H a b . Malay an P en in su la , on M o u n t O p h ir.—M u ch resem b lin g L . stricta, b u t th e
te x tu r e is th ick e r, th e veins more conspicuous, au d th e u p p e r m a rg in o f th e p innules is
conspicuously c ren a te . T h e colour of th e m a tu re fro n d is sepia-brown, an d tb e p ale
veins s tan d o u t from th e g ro u n dw o rk in relief.
22. _L. K ir k ii, I lk . MSS. ; St. 1-2 ft. L, stout, suherect ; f r . 1-2 ft. 1., 6-9 in.
br., with a long unbranched point and numerous (6-9) erecto-patent branches on
each side, 6-9 in. 1. ; pinnl. about i in. br., iu. deep, much decurved a t the
base, the outer edge rounded, the upper crenate, th a t nearest the rachis frequently
overlapping it, and the pinnules placed so close th a t one overlaps the
base of the n ex t above it ; texture th in ly herbaceous ; veins prominently
channelled ; sori numerous round the upper edge, not more th an twice as
broad as deep, protruded from the mai-gin, termina ting only one or two of
tlie veins.
H ab . Seychelles Jlslands ; g a th e red by M . Bouton, D r. K irk , an d R . W . Eawso n ,
E sq .—A v e ry d is tin c t au d handsome species. T h e veins occasionally anastomose.
23. L. pendula, Klotzsch ; rhizome wide-creeping, densely clotlied with dark
chesnut-brown fibrils ; st. erect, 6-9 in. 1., naked except below, polished 9-12
in. 1., 8 f t in. br., oblong iu general outline, the main rachis without pinnæ except
„ „ -- - ape, r ____—D-_____,
imbricated, those of the upper side of the branches often deflexed and pendulous;
texture subcoriaceous ; sori in a continuons line along the upper edge of the pinnæ’
—H k . S p . \ . p .2 \3 .
Hab. British Guiana ; gathered by Schomburgk, and again recently by Appun.
24. L. Sprucei, H k . MSS. ; rhizome short-creeping ; st. erect, wiry, 6-15 in. 1. ;
/ r . 3-6 iu. 1., about 1-J in. br., ovate, bi- or tripinnatifid, branches j-1 in. 1., rigid(
filiform, spreading or decurved towards the point ; pinnl. about 1 lin. deep, flabellate,
cut down to the rachis into narrow linear mucronate segments, 4-1 lin.
those of the upper side of the branches often deflexed and pendulous ; texture
coriaceous ; fertile segm. broader a t the apex (4 lin. br.) ; sori not quite occupying
the whole point.
Hab. San Carlos, on the Eio Negro, N. Brazil, Sprnce, 2988.—A very ourious plant,
resembling Z. p e n d u l a in its subsecnnd fertile pinnules, but with the ultimate divisions
so narrow, that the sorus is usually as deep as broad ; so tbat we place the plant here
rather from analogy than because it fulfils the technical character of the genus.
25. L. ? Parishii, Baker ; rhizome slender, wiry, wide-creeping ; f r . I ft. 1., 3-4
in. br., tripinnatifid, the rachis flexuose, and rooting at its extremity ; pinnæ
16 to 20 on each side, 1-2 in. 1., fleXuose, spreading from the stem a t about a
right angle ; pinnl. oblong, blunt, the largest about 4 lin. 1., 2 lin. br., cut down
to a narrow flattened rachis into 3 or 4 segm. on each side, which are rather
broader at the point th an below, placed only on the lower side of the main rachis
of the pinnæ, except one at its base, and often, b u t not always, a few towards its
extremity ; texture herbaceous ; fru it unknown.
Hab. Banks of Packchang river, the southern boundary of the province of Tenasserim,
Ezv. G. S. Parish.—The fruit is quite unknown, but I was unwilling to leave this very
curious fern unnoticed. In habit it comes nearest Z. Sprucei; but the pinnules here are
larger and différent in texture, and confined principally to tbe under side of the rachis.
The general aspect is very like that of a large leaf of a bipinnate Acacia, but with
compound and subsecnnd ieafiets.
§§ Isoloina, J . Smith. P in næ equilateral ; veins free. Sp. 26-85. This section
in habit and texture resembles Pteris rather than Adiantum, and the cuneate species
approximate very closely to Stenoloma.
Fronds Sp. 26-27.
26. L. (Iso.) reniformis. Dry . ; st. wiry, flexuose, 4-6 in. 1., black, polished;
f r . 2-2^ in. across, orbicular-reniform, with a deep basal sinus ; texture coriaceo-
membranaceous, not pellucid ; sori continuous all round tlie edge, except in the
sinus.—Hk. Sp. 1. p . 203.
Hab. Guiana and the Amazon valley.
27. L. (Iso.) sagittata. Dry. ; st. wiry, flexuose, 4-6 in. 1., black, polished ; f f .
sagittate-aoumiuate, with a deep basal sinus, 2-4 in. across, sometimes lobed ;
texture as in the preceding, and the sori similarly continuous.—Hk. Sp. 1. p. 203.
H k . £ Gr. Ic. « 87. .
Hab. Guadeloupe and French Guiana.
** Fronds simply pinnate, with linear pinnæ. Sp. 28-30.
28. L. (Iso.) Walkeræ, H k . ; rhizome creeping, paleaceous ; sf. wiry, erect,
black, polished, 6-12 in. 1. \ f r . 6-12 in. 1., 2-4 in. hr., simply pinnate ; pinnæ 1^-2
in. ]., J in. br., entire, equilateral, erecto-patent, Avith several times their breadth
between th em ; coriaceous ; rachis naked, shining, brownish-black; sori
in a continuous line along both edges.—H k . Sp, 1. p . 209. f. 69. A.
Hab. Ceylon and island of Banca, east of Sumatra.
29. L. (Iso.) divergens. Wall. ; rhizome creeping, wiry, fibrillose ; S t. wiry, erect,
black, polished, 4-6 in. 1. ; f r . 6-12 in. 1., 1^-2 in. hr., simply pinnate ; pinnoe J-1
in. 1., 2-3 lin. br., obliquely truncate a t the base below, auricled at the base above,
the margin entire, the point bluntish ; texture coriaceous ; rachis naked and
polislied ; sori in a continuous line along both edges.—H k . Sp. 1. p. 210. Hk.
£ Gr. Ic. t. 226.
Hab. Malayan Peninsula and Borneo.—Here the pinnæ are placed close together, and
spread from the rachis at a right angle.
30. L. (Iso.) Wall. ; rhizome stout, creeping, clothed with fibrillose
III