i i'i
1 K
/ /
TAB. CCXVIIJ.
T R I C H O M A N E S R A D IC A N S .
F ILICES.-GYilArÆ. B r . P o l y p o d i a c e æ . K m d f . E i l i g e s v e ræ . WUld.. Spren g.
G en . C l « . T R I C H O M A N E S , Sm. S o ri r o o r fX e o . Capoulx aessik s, receptáculo com muni
cylimlLicco inserta:, Intra Involucrmn monopliyllnm, snbur ccoktnm, ore liiantc, textura
frondis. B r .
T k ic u o m a n e s r a d icm v , c a u d ic e l o n g i s s im e r e p e n t e , f r o n d i b u s n u m e r o s i s s n b s c s s il i b n s f la c c id is p r o -
c n m b c n t i b n s ( e o s t i s r a d i c a n t ib n s ) O Y a to -o b lo n g is b i - s n b t r ip ln n a t l f id i s , la c in i is l in e a r i - o b lo n g i s
o b t u s i s , in v o lu c r is e x s c r t i s c y lin d r a c c i s o r e b r e v i p a t e n t e b r e v i s s im e l i i la b i a to .
Triclionmncs radicans. Sw u r tz , F l. In d . Occ. v. 3. p . 173 6 . S,jn. F il. p . 143. m ild . Sp . P t.
V. .5.;!. 6 1 3 . K a u lf . E n um . F il. p . 2 6 ? . S p rm g . S y s l. V eg e t. v. 4. p . ISO.
Trichomanes diaphanum. K u n th e l Humh. N o v . Gen. u. \ . p . 21. (fide Sprengel).
H a h . In montibus altis Jamaica:, ad arbornm radices. S w a r tz ; D r . B an c ro ft. Insula Trinitatis.
L o c k h a rt. Insula Sancti Vincentii. L . G u ildin g. Brasilia. Chamisso. In timlirosis
tcmpcratis provincia? Venezuela?. Humboldt.
Caude x longissimus, repeiis, crassitie peiinoe passerinæ, superne nudus, inferne radiculosus.
F ro n d a subsessiles, spitlianiicæ fere ad ped.aleni, copiosoe, alternæ, circumscriptione oblongsc sen oblongo-ov.ifn,
bi-tripinnatifidoe, flaccidæ, procumbcntes ; ra c h i seu co ü a prim.nria soepissime rntlic.mte ; radicHmt fibrosis
brevissimis; so gm o ra isp r iom rm oblongis, bas! panlulam latioribos, l.orisontaliter patentibus, tenui-membr.a-
naceis, ted cu la tis, di.aphanis, costatis nervosisque; la c in ih brevibus, lineari-oblongis, integris vcl palenli-
bifidis, obtusis. S tip e s perbrevis, lineam seu sesquiiineam longus, alatus.
/auofi«»« ad apices laciniarum, exserta, cylindraceo. ore dilatato, membranaceo, sub-bilabiato, Jablis brevissimis
demum patentibus.
Rcceptaculum exsertum, involucro duplo longius.
Capsidæ incîusæ, peltatæ, orbiculares, compressæ, annulo lato cinctæ.
Semin a subglobosn, pallide fusco-flavescentia, nunc obscure reticulata, et sublimbata.
Fig . 1. Segmentum frondis fertilis. f. 2. Involucrum. f. 3. Capsuloe. f. 4. Semina ««cA
W e have already bad occasion to remark, that some o f the older species o f Ferns stand as iniich
in need o f illnstration as th ose that have recently been discovered. Sncl, is eminently tl.c case
vvitli the present indlvidn.nl, vvllicb, though described by Sw.nrtx, and taken up by many succeeding
botanists, has never yet been figured, nor docs it appear to have been correctly described. W c can
liardly believe hut tliat our plant is the true T . ra d ican s a ! Swartz ; .and It is indeed frequent in
.lamaica and other o f the W e s t Indian islands ; but in all our nuincrons specimens, the fronds are
universally upon so short a stipes, that at first sigh t tltcy wonlil naturally he c;illed s e s s ile ; yet
Swartz describes tile stip e s as from one to tlircc inches In length : again l:c observes, that it is
simillivium T . scandenli" o f Linntens, and refers to the figures o f Plimiier F il. t. 9 3 , and Sioane
J am . v . \ . L 5 8 , as aulliorltlcs for this hatter p la n t; hut surely no two species c,nn well be more
dlircrcnt; and if wc are correct in wliat wc ju d ge to be the T. scandens o f Swartz, the figures just
quoted represent it in caricature ; but as wc do n o t feel sure about that species, wc refrain at present
from offering any remarks upon if. W e sliall be glad, however, to liavc it in our power to give an
authentic figure o f it.
T . radicans appears to us to he very dilihrcnt from every otlicr species o f the genus. I l is
characterised by its very lo n g creeping main-stcms or caudiccs, wlilch climb for a great way upon
tlic trunks o f trees, and arc as it were pinnated witli niimerons llaceid fronds, c lo se ly bi-tripinnatifid,
the nltinmte segments frequently forked, and llieir divisions considerably spreading. Tile textnre
IS very p ellucid; and Sprengel is probal.ly correct in referring to il the 71 diaphanum o f Knmli.
j
If