1 í .111 - I
i l
S . Î t
ap p e a red . B u t tlio p o in t th a t ne ed s m o s t co rre c tio n is, w h e re it is s a id th a t th e capsule, is a lto g
e th e r d e s titu te o f a rin g . I t is so m in u te , h oweve r, as to h av e w h o lly e sc ap ed th e n o tic e n o t on ly
o f th e a u th o r o t Exotic Flora, h u t a lso o f t h a t o f o th e r a n d very a c u te b o ta n is ts , w h o e x am in ed th o
spe c im ens. A n annutus in d e ed d oc s e x is t ; b u t so sm a ll, a n d so u n lik e th a t p a r t in o th e r F e rn s ,
th a t w e m ay well b e p a rd o n e d fo r h a v in g o v e rlo o k e d it : n o r sh o u ld wc n ow p ro b a b ly have d e te c ted
it, were wc n o t le d to su sp e c t its p re s e n c e b y k n ow in g th a t som e o th e r F e rn s n ow in o u r p o s s
e s s io n , m o s t c lo se ly a llied to th is , a te fu rn ish e d in th e ir c ap su le s w ith a rmtarhably la rg e , very
b ro ad , a n d a lm o s t com p le te r in g . T h e F e rn s wo a llu d e to a te th e Ceratopteris lhaliclroides o f
B ro n g n ia r t {Fllebocarptis oleráceas o í K a u lf.), f rom th e E a s t In d ie s w h a t w c t a k e fo r Ceraio-
pleris Oaudiehaudii o f B ro n g n ,, sa id to h o f rom S t. V in c e n t ¡— a n d o n e , i f n o t tw o , n e a rly allied
p la n ts , from N ew H o lla n d . T h e r e c o u ld n o t b e a q u e s tio n o f a ll th e s e b e lo n g in g to th e same
n a tu r a l g ro u p ¡ a n d u p o n ex am in in g w ith th e h ig h p ow e r o f th e m ic ro s co p e th e c ap su le s o f o u r
Parkeria, we fin d o n o n e sid e , n e a r tlie p o in t o f in s e rtio n , a sm a ll o b lo n g tra n sv e rs e ly s tr ia te d sp o t
o r d is k , w h ich may in d e ed b e c om p a re d w ith a ve ry red u c ed an n n lu s o f Ceratopteris, b u t w h ic h can
o n n o a c c o u n t b e a s s im ila ted to th a t o f th e Filices Gyratæ o f M r. B row n .
S in c e we h a v e n ow a s c e rta in e d a n an n u lu s to b e p r e s e n t, o r s om e th in g a n a lo g o u s to it , w c c an n o
lo n g e r a llow th e g cn n s to b e s ep a ra ted f rom th e Ftlices .• h u t it be com e s a q u e s tio n , to w h ich o f th e
D iv isio n s i t sh o u ld b e lo n g . B ro n g n ia r t (se e D ie t. Classique, v . S .p . 3 5 0 .) a n d B o ry de S t. V in c e n t
h av e r a n k e d th e Ceratopteris w ith th e Gleicheneæ; th e fo rm e r Indeed, do u b tfu lly ,— a n d h e e x p re ssly
p o in ts o u t a difference in th e n a tu re o f th e an n u lu s ¡ b ro a d a n d f la t a n d in c om p le te » in Ceratopteris,
n a r row a n d p ro je c tin g a n d com p le te in th e Gleicheneæ. In d e e d th e w h o le n a tu r e o f th e c apsule s is
diffe ren t in th e tw o , th o u g h th a t d ifference is n o t easily e x p re s s e d in w o rd s. T h e y a re la rg o in
Ceratopteris a n d Parkeria, q u ite sessile, o f so th in a n d m em b ra n o u s a n d p e llu c id a te x tu r e , th a t th o
seeds a re visib le th ro u g h th e c o a t ; an d . even in Ceratopteris, th e r in g does n o t ap p e a r to h av e a n y
e la s tic p ro p e r ty , n o r a re th e s e c apsule s a rra n g e d in sori, b u t s c a tte re d u p o n lo n g itu d in a l veins b e n e a th
th e involucre. T lic seeds ( in c o rre c d y g iv en in th e Exotic Flora, h u t we ll de fined b y M r . B row n )
a re la rg e , a n d w h en se en u n d e r th e h ig h p ow e r o f a m ic ro s c o p e e x h ib it a m o s t b e a u tifu lly s tria te d
a p p e a ran c e . T h e ir in te g um e n t is c om p a ra tiv e ly th i c k a n d to u g h , and, w h en b ro k e n , i t is fo u n d to
c o n ta in a tra n s p a re n t oily su b s ta n c e , w h ich flo a ts u p o n th e ta b le o f th e m ic ro s co p e . I n s h o r t, th e
wh o le h a h lt o f th e p la n t, its pla c e o f g row th , th e s itu a tio n o f th e c ap su le s, th e i r s tru c tu r e a n d th a t
o f t h e seeds,— all p o in t o u t a g ro u p o r tr ib e w h ich c a n n o t well be a s so c ia ted w ith a n y h ith e r to e s ta b
lish ed . O n th is a c c o u n t we h a v e fo rm e d a n ew one.
T h e P a r k e r i a c k ® a re ex c lusive ly tro p ic a l p la n ts , in h a b itin g A s ia , A fric a a n d A m e ric a ¡ a n d wc
a re a t p re s e n t a c q u a in te d w ith h u t tw o ieoeto.,-Ceratopierus, d is tin g u ish e d b y its ve ry la rg e and
d is tin c t an n u lu s i a u d o u r Parkeria. O f th e la tte r we p o s s e s s tw o sp e c ie s . Parkeria,,teridoi(ks an d
P . L o c k h a r tif.
M . B ro n g n ia r t a ttr ib u te s a do u b le co v e rin g to th e c ap su le o f Ceratoptens ; b u t su ch a s tru c tu re
we h av e n ev e r fo u n d to e x is t in any o f o u r spe c im ens.
* We are aivare th a t Mr. Brown attributes to his Tekozama (Brongniart's Cera(opieris) a compieii annulus: but we have not
found it to be so in any of our specimens. y y a
t P . Lockharti; frondibus fertilibus pinnatLs, pinnis pinnatifidis incisis, stipite lequali cylindraceo.
Hab, In lacubus prope Arima, Insula Trinitatis. D . Lockhart.
‘If