J i 'H
M - hì 6 l
. n y .
ìli ili
i i '
lA-A'/Cra. r'-'Z/y./y/f.GY'
G L E I C H E N I A A L P I N A .
F I L I C E S .— G l e i c h e n i a . B r . , K a u l f . S c i i i s m a t o p t e r i d e s . J V i lld .
G e n . Ç i i a k . G L E I C H E N I A . Capsulæ unnwXo c o in p ic to s tr ia to su b se ssilc s, in so ris ro tu n d a tis
dorsalibii.s sæp iu s d e finitæ . In d u s ium n u llu n i. F ro n d e s d ic h o tom æ vcl fu rc a tæ .
G l e ic h e n ia a lpina ; f ro n d ib u s dichotomi.s p ro life ris , ram is p in n a tis , p in n is p in n a tifid is , lobis o rb icu -
la tis su b tu s fo rn ic a tis ; ad u ltis d cn u d a tis , ra c h i com m u n i tom e n to s a , p a r tia h b u s sq u am o s is . B r .
G le ich en ia a lp in a . B r . P ro d . p . l 6 l . S p r e n g . S ijsL V e g e t. v. 4 . p . 2 6 .
H a r . I n In s u la V a n D iem en {D . R . B row n )-, n b i in c a cum in e m o n tis , “ W e llin g to n ” d ic tæ,
le g it D . F ra s e r .
Slipes erectus, semicylindricus, ile.xuosus, 5- vel 6 -pollicaris, inferne nudus, superne magis minusve toinentosiis.
Frondes cæspitosæ, circumscriptione subdeltoideoe, primum, ut videtur, dichotomæ, demum innovationibiis e centro
dichotomiarum ortis ramis pinnatis compositæ. I l i rami iterum piimati, pinnis pinnatifidis, linearibus, viridibus,
glabris, nitidis; lobis orbiculati.s, approximatis, subtus insigniter fornicatis. Rachis communis tomentosa,
subsquamosu, partialibus ramisque novcllis insigniter paleaceo-squamosis, squamis subpeltatis pulclier-
rime reticulatis fimbriatisque, fuscis.
Capsnlce plerumque biiiæ, in singulo lobo, pilis articulatis immixtæ, orbiculari-bemisphæricæ, oblique annulatoe,
annulo dilatato completo.
Flg. 1. Puma a dorso visa. f. 2. Pinna subtus visa. f. 3. Portio pimiæ fructiferæ. f. 4 . Sectio transvcrsalis lobi
e t rachis. f. 5. Capsula (lilis immersa. f. 6 . Sqiiamula ?«frgn. m/cG
f f
riie clichotomoiis ramificiitioii o f lliis p la n t is sc a rc e ly ob se rv ab le , e x c e p t iu th e y o u n g sh o o ts ;
fo r i t is r em a rk a b ly p ro life ro u s ; and, th e y o u n g sh o o ts o r ig in a tin g f rom th e c e n tre o f th e d ic h o to m
ie s, th e o ld b ra n c h e s th e n b e com e p in n a te d in a n o p p o s ite m a n n e r. In a y o u n g s ta te to o , w e m ay
obse rve ; th e w h o le p la n t is c o v e red w ith a d e n s e tom c n tum a s we ll as w ith browm s c a le s ; b u t in age
b o th disap p e a r, e x c e p t o n th e u n d e r side o f th e r a c h is o f th e u ltim a te p iiiiiæ . S o c lo se ly a re th e
lo b e s o f th e p in næ pla c ed , a n d so rem a rk a b ly c o n v ex o n th e u p p e r side, th a t e a ch p in n a se ems to be
fo rm e d by two be ad ed lin e s. T h e de ep c o n c av ity o f th e u iu lo r su rfa c e is sc a rc e ly less rem a rk a b le ,
a n d c an o n ly be a c c u ra te ly se en w h en th e sc a le s o f th e ra ch is a re r em o v e d ; a u d i f a tra n sv e rs e
s e c tio n be m ad e th ro u g h th e ra c h is a n d lo b e s, th e ap p e a ra n c e is as i f th e lo b e s were jo in te d u p o n
th a t r a c h is : in d e ed th e wh o lc s tru c tn r c o f th e p la n t is h ig h ly cu rio u s , ami q u ite diffe ren t from th a t
o f a n y F e rn wc a rc a c q u a in te d with . T h e su b s ta n c e o f th e fro n d s is r em a rk a b ly th ic k , rig id , a n d
co ria c eo u s ; a n d th e s e a re sa id by M r. F r a s e r (to w h om we a rc in d e b te d fo r o n r sp e c im en s) to fo rm
la rg e masse s o r bods on th e sum m it o f M o u n t W e llin g to n .
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