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Hab. Van Diemen’s Land, Labillardiere ; since found very abundantly thereand in the south and east of Australia , from Victoria to Moreton Bay, Brown,Mueller, and others. New Zealand , north and middle island , as far south asHouraki Gulf and Acheron (Lyall). Lord Auckland’s group, Hook. fit. Norfolk Island , Bauer, Dr. V. Thomson. India , very abundant, especially in Himalaya ,etc., Wallich (P. marginale, Wall. Cat. n. 322, Aspid. marginatum, n. 391, andAspid. divisum, n. 393). Java (Miguel), De Vriese and Teijsmann,n. 11, 479,and 481, Thos. Lobb, n. 261. China , Chusan, Alexander. Ceylon, Mrs. Genl.Walker. South America: Chili, Pceppig, Cuming, n. 203, 149, 635, Bridges, n.552, Philippi (who, as well as Bridges and Bertero, considers it identical with Polyp,spectabile of Kaulfuss, certainly a Chilian plant, but certainly not the Phegopt.spectabilis of Fee, which Mettenius considers the plant of Kaulfuss, see p. 259),Gillies; Chiloe, C 'apt. Ph. King; Valdivia, Bridges, n. 813; Juan Fernandez,Bertero (“ Pol. spectabile ”), n. 1664, Cuming, n. 1348; Ecuador , Jameson,Spruce, n. 5716 (very large, secondary pinnae pinnatifld rather than pinnate, seg-ments less pinnatifld); Peru , Pasco, Mathews, Cruckshanks (Pol. fulvescens,Hook, and Grev.). St. Helena , Cuming, n. 1348 and 433, Hook, fit., Nuttall,Lefroy. Tristan d’Acunha, Thouars, Carmichael. Bourbon (ex Hei'b. Mas.Par.). Fernando Po , Barter, Mann. —Perhaps no Fern has been so generally mis-understood as the present, both in regard to genus and to the limits of the species;and this is partly owing to its being very variable, both in size and texture, and tothe close proximity of the sori to the margin of the pinnules, and the frequentinflection of the lobes of those pinnules, w hich give the appearance of an involucreof a Cheilanthes or Ilypolepis, to which also may be added the wide extent ofgeographical distribution. Labillardiere has well described and well figured theplant; yet I have myself often found it difficult to distinguish between someforms of Hypolepis hostilis, Kze., and H. p ter aides, Mett., especially II. Pm -dieana, Hook. In the localities I have here given, taken exclusively from speci-mens in my own herbarium, I have been as careful as possible to exclude anyforms which showed the smallest trace of a true involucre ; yet I am far fromsatisfied with my decisions.
In bringing to a close this portion of my labours which treat of tbe Polypodia which have free veins, I must entreat indulgence for its many imperfections, es-pecially in what concerns the decompound species. There are difficulties occa-sioned by variations common to Ferns in general, to which must be added thosepeculiar to specimens of large size, such as are manifest in different parts of thesame specimen ; and last, and not least, the possibility that our plant may, insome stages of its progress to maturity, be possessed of involucres, proving it tobe not Polypodiaceous, but Aspidiaceous. Here, as elsewhere, I have excludednot a few doubtful species, of my own among the rest.
N.B.—The first part'of the next Volume will commence with the species of Poly-podiutn which have connivent or anastomosing veins.
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VOL. IV.