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                                  The
                             Fern Bulletin.


                           Vol. XI.    No. 4.

                     A Quarterly Devoted to Ferns.

                                OCTOBER

                           Binghamton, N. Y.
                         THE FERN BULLETIN CO.
                                  1903




                           THE FERN BULLETIN


                      A QUARTERLY DEVOTED TO FERNS

                        WILLARD N. CLUTE, Editor
          THE FERN BULLETIN CO., PUBLISHERS, BINGHAMTON, N. Y.
                   20 Cents a Copy; 75 Cents a Year.
              Awarded Grand Prize at the Paris Exposition.


To insure subscribers against loss of one or more numbers between the
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for the amount less collection fees.

   Entered at the postoffice, Binghamton, N. Y., as second-class mail
                                matter.


                       THE LINNAEAN FERN CHAPTER

President, B. D. Gilbert, Clayville, N. Y. Secretary, Homer D. House, N.
Y. Bot. Garden, Bronx, New York City.

Fern students are cordially invited to join the Chapter. Address either
the President or Secretary for further information. The annual dues are
$1.00 and should be sent direct to Jas. A. Graves, Treasurer,
Susquehanna, Pa.


                             FERNS FOR SALE

A Fern Student of many years standing who has made a specialty of
cultivating New England Ferns is prepared to supply plants for Ferneries
and House. For prices and variety address,

                                    C. C. BROWNE, South Groveland, Mass.


                       “MOSSES WITH A HAND LENS”

                           BY DR A. J. GROUT

It is the only book of its kind in the English language. It makes the
mosses as easy to study as the flowering plants. Eight full page plates
and ninety figures in the text. Price $1.10 postpaid. Send for sample
pages to O. T. Louis, 59 Fifth Avenue, N. Y. City.


                          WANTS AND EXCHANGES

  _Special announcements inserted here for One Cent a word. No notice
          received for less than 25c. No charge for address._


EXCHANGE—I will exchange three flowering plants of California for any
one desired fern of the United States. Send me your list of duplicates.
GEORGE B. GRANT, 637 Summit Ave., Pasadena, California.


                        EATON’S FERNS FOR $35.00

Eaton’s “Ferns of North America” has been out of print for some time and
is constantly advancing in price. We can offer a second-hand copy, the
two volumes bound in cloth, clean and in good condition, for $35.00,
express paid. There are 81 colored plates, and all the North American
ferns are described. Address,
                                    THE FERN BULLETIN, Binghamton, N. Y.

    [Illustration: WILLIAM RALPH MAXON.]




                                CONTENTS


  THE FERN FLORA OF NEW YORK.                                          97
      Ophioglossaceae.                                                 98
      Osmundaceae.                                                     99
      Schizaeaceae.                                                   100
      Polypodiaceae.                                                  100
      Equisetaceae.                                                   103
      Isoetaceae.                                                     103
      Lycopodiaceae.                                                  103
      Salviniaceae.                                                   104
      Selaginellaceae.                                                104
  FERNWORT NOTES—IV.                                                  105
  SCOLOPENDRIUM FROM CANADA.                                          107
  THE GENUS EQUISETUM IN NORTH AMERICA.                               108
  THE SPECIES-CONCEPTION AMONG THE TERNATE BOTRYCHIUMS.               115
  NEW FORMS OF FERNS.                                                 118
  FERNS IN BOTTLES.                                                   120
  WILLIAM RALPH MAXON.                                                121
  ANOTHER STATION FOR ASPLENIUM EBENEUM HORTONAE.                     122
  INDEX TO CURRENT LITERATURE RELATING TO FERNS.                      122
  EDITORIAL.                                                          123
  BOOK NEWS.                                                          125
  A WORD FROM THE EDITOR                                              129

                               THE FERN BULLETIN
    _VOL. XI._                _OCTOBER, 1903._                    _No. 4_




                      THE FERN FLORA OF NEW YORK.


                           By B. D. Gilbert.

The State of New York has the largest area of any northern State east of
Michigan. It also possesses a great diversity of surface, with its two
mountain ranges, its numerous lakes, its interior salt basin, and its
seashore confined entirely to the southern extremity. On its eastern
side it stretches through more than four degrees of north latitude, and
as these are the degrees just south of the 45th parallel, it is easy to
understand that there is liable to be a greater intermixture of northern
and southern forms of ferns than there would be in a State lying farther
south. And the fact is that certain species from the north and others
from the south do meet within its borders. This also accounts for the
large number of species found in the State: California and Texas, the
one State having four times the area of New York, and the other five
times that area, being the only ones which contain as large or a larger
number of species.

For the purpose of fern classification, the State may be divided into
four distinct zones, as follows:

I. The Littoral.—This comprises Long Island and Staten Island. Only one
fern is peculiar to this zone, viz. _Woodwardia angustifolia_; but there
are two Lycopods, viz. _L. alopecuroides_ and its variety _adpressum_.

II. The Catskill Mountain Region, extending down to Manhattan
Island.—This being the southern mountain range of the State, it is here
that three southern species find their northern limit, viz. _Asplenium
Bradleyi_, _A. montanum_ and _Cheilanthes vestita_. It may be a question
whether the Connecticut stations for _Asplenium montanum_ lie farther
north than the New York stations, but it is certain that there can be
but little difference between them in this respect.

III. The Adirondack Region, extending as far south as Little Falls.—Here
there are a few of the northern species that descend to their southern
limit in this country. Among them may be mentioned _Nephrodium
fragrans_, _Polystichum Braunii_, _Woodsia glabella_, and _W.
hyperborea_. There are also two Lycopods to be included in this list,
_L. annotinum pungens_ and _L. Sitchense_.

IV. The Western Region, extending from the mountain regions to the
State’s western boundary, the southern part drained by the Susquehanna
and its tributaries, and the northern part containing (a) _The Salt
Basin_ of Syracuse and its vicinity, the home of _Scolopendrium_ and
_Botrychium Onondagense_, and (b) _The Central Basin_, extending from
Little Falls to Oneida Lake, and drained by the Mohawk River, being
famous for its large number of _Botrychia_, some of which seem to be
almost, if not quite, peculiar to this region.

In the preparation of this list I have consulted various local floras
and other reports of the State, especially Paine’s “Catalogue of Plants
Found in Oneida County and Vicinity;” the Annual Reports of the State
Botanist, “The Flora of the Upper Susquehanna,” and the files of the
Fern Bulletin. I have also been favored with many notes from the State
Herbarium sheets by Professor Peck himself; while my own herbarium and
that of Dr. J. V. Haberer, of Utica, have been exceedingly useful in
fixing definite localities.

The plan I have followed is to include along with the species only such
varieties as seem to be most important and distinct.

Mr. Bush in _The Torrey Bulletin_ for June, 1903, enumerates 59 species
and varieties of ferns found in Texas. This compares well with our list
of 64 species and varieties in New York State, of which only 18 of these
are common to both States. Mr. Reverchon’s list for Texas, published in
the Fern Bulletin, April, 1903, gives 51 ferns and 15 allies, or 66 in
all. The present list includes 53 species and 12 varieties of ferns, and
23 species and 7 varieties of fern allies. If we take Bush’s ferns and
Reverchon’s allies, there are 74 species and varieties known in Texas,
or 20 less than I have enumerated in New York.


                            Ophioglossaceae.

_Botrychium lanceolatum_ Angs. Open upland woods in the eastern part of
State. Not reported from western part. Scarce.

_Botrychium matricariaefolium_ A. Br. In same localities with _B.
lanceolatum_, but more plentiful.

_Botrychium obliquum_ Muhl. Grape fern. Abundant in pastures and
woodlands, especially in the central part of the State.

_Botrychium obliquum dissectum_ Clute. In similar places with _B.
obliquum_ and always associated with it. Frequent.

_Botrychium obliquum f. elongatum_ Gilbert & Haberer. Scarce in
pastures, eastern New York.

_Botrychium obliquum Habereri_ Gilbert. Scarce. Mohawk Valley, Catskill
Mts., and probably occasional elsewhere.

_Botrychium obliquum intermedium_ Clute. Pastures. Occasional in the
eastern part of the State.

_Botrychium obliquum matricarioides_ Gilbert. Beaver Lake. Lewis Co.;
Whitestown: _Gilbert_. I have seen no other specimens from this State,
but Dr. Underwood cites “Northern New England and New York.” (_Osmunda
matricariae_ Schrank.)

_Botrychium obliquum Oneidense_ Clute. Pastures and open woods.
Occasional.

_Botrychium obliquum tenuifolium_ Gilbert. Field near top of mountain.
Shandaken, Ulster Co., _Mary F. Miller_. As I possess tracings of Dr.
Underwood’s type specimens of B. _tenuifolium_ Und., I am able to say
that these specimens from Shandaken match the tracings completely. (_B.
tenuifolium_ Und.)

_Botrychium Onondagense_ Underwood. Within a radius of five miles from
Syracuse. The stations there are the only ones known in the State.

_Botrychium simplex_ E. Hitchcock. Damp meadows and sandy swamps in
Central and Northern New York. Also Wading River. L. I., _E. F. Miller_.

_Botrychium tenebrosum_ A. A. Eaton. Baldwinsville, _L. M. Underwood_;
Deerfield and Cedar Lake. _J. V. Haberer_. Probably not rare, but
escapes notice because of its minute size.

_Botrychium Virginianum_ Sw. Rattlesnake fern. In rich woods. Common.

_Ophioglossum vulgatum_ L. Frequent in damp ground throughout the State.


                              Osmundaceae.

_Osmunda cinnamomea_ L. Cinnamon fern. Swamps. Common.

_Osmunda Claytoniana_ L. Interrupted fern. Along roadsides and in
thickets.

_Osmunda regalis_ L. Royal fern. Widely spread, but not so abundant as
_O. Cinnamomea_.


                             Schizaeaceae.

_Lygodium palmatum_ Swz. Climbing fern. Hunter, Green Co. and McDonough,
Chenango Co., _Professor Peck_. The only localities known in the State.


                             Polypodiaceae.

_Adiantum pedatum_ L. Maiden hair. Plentiful throughout the State.

_Asplenium angustifolium_ Michx. Narrow-leaved Spleenwort. Damp, shady
soil, common.

_Asplenium Bradleyi_ D. C. Eaton. Near Newburg, _D. C. Eaton_;
Shawangunk Mts., _C. Lown_ in State Herbarium. Rare.

_Asplenium ebeneum_ Ait. Ebony Spleenwort. Frequent on edges of woods or
rocks throughout.

_Asplenium ebenoides_ R. R. Scott. Near Saugerties, Ulster Co., _C.
Lown_, in State Herbarium. Rare.

_Asplenium montanum_ Willd. On rocks about Lakes Mahonk and Minnewaska,
_Prof. C. H. Peck_. New Paltz, _H. Denslow_. Rare.

_Asplenium ruta-muraria_ L. Wall Rue Spleenwort. Limestone cliffs.
Helderberg Mts., _Professor Peck_. Spraker’s and Chittenango Creek,
_Paine_. Little Falls, _Gilbert_. Not common.

_Asplenium Trichomanes_ L. Maiden hair Spleenwort. On limestone rocks.
Middle and eastern parts of the State. Localities comparatively few.
Common in the southern part, _Clute_.

_Athyrium filix-foemina_ Roth. Lady fern. Very common everywhere. About
15 varieties occur in State.

_Athyrium Thelypteroides_ Desv. Silvery Spleenwort. Damp woods. Common.

_Camptosorus rhizophyllus_ Link. Walking fern. On shaded rocks. Not
common but widely scattered.

_Cheilanthes vestita_ Swz. Rare. Washington Heights, Manhattan Island,
_W. W. Denslow_ in herb. Gilbert; Poughkeepsie, _Professor Peck_.

_Cystopteris bulbifera_ Bernh. Rocky banks and ravine sides near water.
Common in the central, rare in the southern part of the State.

_Cystopteris fragilis_ Bernh. Fragile Bladder fern. On gravelly
hillsides and moist rocks. Common. Two varieties of this are
occasionally met with, viz. _dentata_ Hook, and _magnasora_ Clute.

_Dicksonia pilosiuscula_ Willd. Abundant. Growing in large beds along
roadsides and in moist woodlands.

_Nephrodium Boottii_ Davenp. Frequent in damp woods throughout the
State.

_Nephrodium cristatum_ Michx. Crested fern. Common in swampy grounds.

_Nephrodium cristatum Clintonianum_ Gilbert. Growing generally with the
type.

_Nephrodium fragrans_ Rich. Fragrant Fern. Lake Avalanche and
Cascadeville on cliffs. _Professor Peck._ Rare.

_Nephrodium Goldienum_ Hook. Occasional in swampy ground throughout the
State.

_Nephrodium marginale_ Michx. Plentiful in rocky woods.

_Nephrodium Noveboracense_ Desv. New York fern. Common in damp woods and
thickets.

_Nephrodium simulatum_ Davenp. Middle Village, L. I., _Rev. G. D.
Hulst_; Babylon and Bellville, L. I., _W. N. Clute_; Oneida Lake, _H. D.
House_. Rare.

_Nephrodium spinulosum_ Desv. Probably rather common, but not
recognized. Grows in damp woods throughout the State.

_Nephrodium spinulosum dilatatum_ Baker. Infrequent. Catskill and
Adirondack Mts., _Professor Peck_; Yates Co., _Sartwell_. In more
elevated situations than the type.

_Nephrodium spinulosum f. intermedium._ Davenp. Our commonest woods
fern.

_Nephrodium theypteris_ Desv. Marsh fern. Abundant in wet ground,
whether shaded or not.

_Onoclea sensibilis_ L. Sensitive fern. Common in swampy ground.

_Pellaea atropurpurea_ Link. On cliffs both in eastern and western New
York. Scarce.

_Pellaea gracilis_ Hook. Slender Cliff Brake. Not common, but occurring
in many localities through the State. Always on rocks or cliffs.

_Phegopteris Dryopteris_ Fee. Common in rich, damp woods.

_Phegopteris hexagonoptera_ Fee. Rather scarce, but more frequent in the
southern and western parts of the State.

_Phegopteris polypodioides_ Fee. Common on wet rocks and in damp woods.

_Polypodium vulgare_ L. Common Polypody. Common on rocks.

_Polypodium vulgare cristatum_ Lowe. Rock City, Dutchess Co., _Charles
A. Coons_.

_Polystichum acrostichoides_ Schott. Christmas fern. Common in woods.
The variety _incisum_ with the type.

_Polystichum Braunii_ Lawson. Summit, Schoharie Co., Catskill and
Adirondack Mts., _Professor Peck_; Ilion ravine, _Rev. H. M. Simmons_ in
herb. Gilbert.

_Pteris aquilina_ L. Bracken. Common throughout the State.

_Pteris aquilina pseudocaudata_ Clute. The common form on many parts of
Long Island. _Clute._

_Scolopendrium vulgare_ J. E. Sm. Hart’s tongue. Rare. Only in ravine of
Chittenango Creek, Green Lake, Jamesville and a few other stations in
the vicinity of Syracuse.

_Struthiopteris Germanica_ Willd. Ostrich fern. Frequent in the Valley
of the Mohawk and its tributaries. Western part of the State, _Torrey_;
Southern tier, _Clute_.

_Woodsia glabella_ R. Br. Crevices of rocky ledges at Lake Avalanche and
in the pass north of it, _Professor Peck_; Haines’ Falls, Catskill Mts.,
_Professor Peck_. The station at Little Falls has been destroyed by
excavation.

_Woodsia hyperborea_ R. Br. Rare. Adirondack Mts. Only three stations
known—at Cascadeville, Lake Avalanche, and Ampersand Mt., _Professor
Peck_.

_Woodsia Ilvensis_ R. Br. Rusty Woodsia. On rocks and cliffs. Rather
scarce.

_Woodsia obtusa_ Torr. In rich woods and on rocks. Widely spread but not
common.

_Woodwardia angustifolia_ Sm. Flatbush and Middle Village, L. I.,
_Professor Peck_; Babylon and Bellville, L. I., _Clute_; Staten Island,
_Torrey_.

_Woodwardia Virginica_ Sm. Chain fern. Frequent in swamps from Long
Island to the western part of the State.


                             Equisetaceae.

_Equisetum arvense_ L. Field Horsetail. Very common in either wet or dry
soil. Mr. Eaton describes a dozen different forms.

_Equisetum fluviatile_ L. Borders of lakes and ponds. Not uncommon.

_Equisetum palustre_ L. Swamps near Buffalo, _Clinton_, according to
Eaton. Rare.

_Equisetum hiemale_ L. Scouring Rush. Very common in swampy and gravelly
places. Eaton describes seven forms.

_Equisetum hiemale intermedium_ A. A. Eaton. Oneida Lake, _Dr. J. V.
Haberer_. Rare.

_Equisetum scirpoides_ Michx. Shaded ravines and sphagnum marshes.
Widely scattered but scarce.

_Equisetum sylvaticum_ L. Wood Horsetail. Marshes and borders of woods.
Not uncommon. Eaton enumerates seven forms.

_Equisetum variegatum_ Schleich. Brisbin Swamp, _Coville_; Oriskany and
shores of Lake Ontario, _Paine_; Owasco Lake, _Prof. I. H. Hall_; along
W. Canada Creek, near Herkimer, _J. V. Haberer_.


                              Isoetaceae.

_Isoetes Amesii_ A. A. Eaton, sp. n. (_I. riparia Canadensis_ Engelm.
Also _I. Dodgei Eaton_.) Peekskill is the only known locality in this
State, but the species is very common in New England.

_Isoetes echinospora Braunii_ Engelm. The common form in New York State.

_Isoetes echinospora muricata_ Engelm. Lake Luzern, _A. A. Eaton_. Rare.

_Isoetes Engelmanni_ A. Br. Abundant along the Susquehanna river in
Broome and Tioga counties, _Clute_. New York City, _Buchheister_.

_Isoetes macrospora_ Durien. Catskill Mts., Schweinitz, according to A.
A. Eaton. (_I. lacustris paupercula Engelm._) Rare.


                             Lycopodiaceae.

_Lycopodium alopecuriodes_ L. Babylon, L. I., _Clute_. Rare.

_Lycopodium alopecuroides adpressum_ Chapm. Babylon, L. I., _Clute_;
Forbell’s Landing, L. I., _M. Zimmerman_. Rare.

_Lycopodium alopecuroides_ f. _polyclavatum_ McDonald. Staten Island,
_Clute_. Rare.

_Lycopodium annotinum_ L. Damp woods. Rather scarce, especially in
western part of State.

_Lycopodium annotinum pungens_ Spring. Summits of Mt. Marcy and Mt.
McIntyre, _Professor Peck_.

_Lycopodium clavatum_ L. Common Club Moss. Abundant in open woods and
thickets. The var. _monastachyon_ Hook. was found on Bald Mt., Fulton
Chain, by Dr. Haberer.

_Lycopodium complanatum flabelliforme_, Fernald. Common.

_Lycopodium complanatum Wibbei_ var. n. J. V. Haberer. Scarce. Mohawk
Valley. Haberer in herb. Gilbert and in herb. Gray, No. 1,953.

_Lycopodium inundatum_ L. Bogs and borders of swamps. Frequent except in
southern and western part where it is rare.

_Lycopodium inundatum Bigelovii_ Tuckerm. Riverhead, L. I., _Professor
Peck_.

_Lycopodium lucidulum_ Michx. On damp grounds or rocks. Common.

_Lycopodium obscurum_ L. Woods. Common.

_Lycopodium Selago_ L. Summits of Mts. Marcy and McIntyre and in Indian
Pass. _Professor Peck._ Alpine and rare.

_Lycopodium Sitchense_ Rupr. In pass between Nipple Top and Mt. Colvin
and on side of Mt. Marcy, _Professor Peck_. Alpine and rare.

_Lycopodium tristachyum_ Pursh. Cold Spring Harbor, L. I., _Prof. F. E.
Lloyd_; Ray Brook, Essex Co., Caroga, Fulton Co., _Professor Peck_.
Alden Creek, _Gilbert_. Infrequent.


                             Salviniaceae.

_Azolla caroliniana_ Willd. Floating on water. Frequent. Cayuga Lake,
Black Creek, _Professor Peck_; in all side waters of Lake Ontario,
_Paine_.


                            Selaginellaceae.

_Selaginella apus_ Spring. Wet banks and pastures. Uncommon. Cedar Lake,
Herk. Co., _Paine_; borders of Rome swamps, _Kneiskern_; head of Oneida
Lake, _Haberer_; Unadilla, _Brown_.

_Selaginella rupestris_ Spring. On dry open rocks. Rather scarce. Little
Falls, _Paine_; Adirondacks. _Professor Peck_; Washington Heights, _W.
W. Denslow_. Plentiful in the extreme southeast, _Clute_.




                           FERNWORT NOTES—IV.


                          By Willard N. Clute.

Nephrodium Molle in Florida.—Mr. James H. Ferriss recently called my
attention to specimens of _Nephrodium molle_ received from Florida with
the suggestion that this species might be native to the State. On this
point, Reasoner Brothers, the well-known plant dealers, have written him
that they no longer grow the fern since it is abundant in a wild state
and easily obtained when wanted. There seems to be no reason why the
species should not occur in Florida, since _Nephrodium patens_, a close
ally, is common there; but as _N. Molle_ is not listed from the United
States, we publish this note in the hope of drawing out further
information about it and of ascertaining if possible whether _Molle_ is
actually native, or only a well naturalized escape. Superficially,
_molle_ and _patens_ are so very much alike that it is very easy to
confuse them. The venation, however, is a sufficiently distinct feature.
In _patens_ the basal veins in each pinnule run to the sinus, uniting
at, or just below, it; in _molle_ they unite at some distance from the
sinus from whence a single vein runs to the sinus. According to Jenman,
_patens_ has a creeping horizontal rootstock with the fronds arranged in
two lines along it, while _molle_ has an erect rootstock. The fronds of
the latter are also softer and thinner.

Naturalization of an Exotic Fern.—Records of ferns becoming naturalized
in new regions are very rare. _Pteris serrulata_ is probably our most
conspicuous American example, having been found as an escape in several
places, while it is known to grow abundantly on old walls in New
Orleans. I have also reported the occurrence in the same place, of an
abundance of _Pteris longifolia_ previously known in the United States
from Florida alone. In the Fern Bulletin for January, 1898, mention is
made of fronds of _Pteris tremula_ seventeen inches high collected from
the walls of a tunnel in New York City, and the same article mentions a
Japanese species of _Athyrium_ that has become naturalized on Staten
Island, New York. To this meagre list, it is with much pleasure that I
add another species in the shape of the Japanese climbing fern
(_Lygodium Japonicum_). This Mrs. A. P. Taylor has sent to me from
Thomasville, Georgia, where she finds it in profusion along the sides of
a deep ditch. The station is not far from a greenhouse from whence the
plants doubtless came in the first place, but all indications point to a
further spread of this pretty and interesting species.

The Forms of the Spinulose Wood Fern.—It is well-known to fern students
that much more attention has been paid to the forms of ferns on the
other side of the Atlantic than on this. Since the same species are
often common to both localities, it is but natural that the early
students of American ferns should pay rather more attention to the mere
forms of species common to Great Britain and America than their
systematic importance warrants. This is especially true of the variable
_Nephrodium spinulosum_ whose variety _intermedium_, I am convinced, is
scarcely more than an ecological form. In this view I am glad to be
borne out by Mr. A. B. Klugh, who has recently examined nearly 500
Canadian specimens and come to the same conclusion. Mr. Klugh writes:
“In number of glands on the indusium, in color of scales on the stipe,
in shape and cutting of the frond and in degree of obliquity of the
pinnae, we have a perfect gradation from true _spinulosum_ to typical
_intermedium_. Our commonest form has the indusium glandular and the
scales of the stipe pale brown without a dark centre.” In a series of
fronds examined there seemed to be no corelation between the color of
the scales and the glands on the indusium, there being fronds with light
scales and no glands, others with dark centered scales and many glands,
and still others the exact opposites of these. _Intermedium_ may be
distinguished as a form, but it is certainly far less distinct than such
plants as _Nephrodium cristatum Clintonianum_ or _Pteris aquilina
pseudocaudata_ and would probably never have appeared in our lists but
for the fact that much has been made of the forms of this species in
other lands.

Elevation and Lycopodium selago.—Some time ago I noted in this series,
that a party of botanists on a visit to Mt. Ktaadn had found _Lycopodium
selago_ grading into _L. lucidulum_ as they traveled downward from the
summit, and quoted their opinion that _L. selago_ is a xerophytic form
of _L. lucidulum_. In regard to this, Mr. J. B. Flett writes that if the
one intergrades with the other, it is doubtless due to elevation or
cold, and not to xerophytic conditions. As to the plant’s habitat in the
northwest, he says: “I have never seen _L. selago_ growing in a really
dry place, I have studied this form in the field from Washington through
British Columbia into the islands of southwestern Alaska and on the
Aleutian Islands, also on the tundra between Cape Nome and Cape York. No
one familiar with this tundra region would ever assert that there are
any xerotic forms on it.”




                       SCOLOPENDRIUM FROM CANADA.


                           By Homer D. House.

At least four stations for the Harts-tongue fern are known in the
vicinity of Owen Sound in northwestern Ontario. Specimens from these
localities are rare in herbaria, and the writer is fortunate in
receiving specimens from near Collingwood, a station twenty-three miles
east of Owen Sound. This station was first authentically reported by Mr.
Osler and described by Mr. Maxon in “Fernwort Papers” in 1900. These
specimens were collected by Dr. W. A. Bastedo and he describes the place
where they were collected as being five or six miles from Collingwood.
The plants were growing in a shady, though rather open wood, along the
course of a small stream. The altitude is given as 1635 feet above
sea-level. The plants at the time of collection, July 17th, 1903, were
nearly all young and even the mature fronds are but five to eight inches
in length, though all of them are very broad for their length. Dr.
Bastedo further notes that in the recesses of the cliff, snow was still
abundant at that date. _Polystichum Lonchitis_ and _Dryopteris
Filix-mas_ were abundant and _Asplenium Trichomanes_ and _Cryptogramma
Stelleri_ were common upon the cliffs. This station is undoubtably one
of those described by Mr. Maxon in the neighborhood of Collingwood.
However, a careful search of this entire region is very much to be
desired, as it is probable that the fern has a more general distribution
in this region than is known at present.




                 THE GENUS EQUISETUM IN NORTH AMERICA.


                            By A. A. Eaton.

                            FIFTEENTH PAPER.
                        Varieties of E. Hiemale.

1. _Intermedium_ A. A. Eaton. Stems 1 to 4 feet high, 1 to 4 lines in
diameter, simple or ultimately branched, 20 to 30 angled, rough with
transverse bands of silex or becoming smoother by a later deposit
covering them; sheaths longer than broad, ampliated, green excepting
narrow black and white incurved limb, or exceptionally with other black
and white markings; leaves keeled below the middle, flat and often
centrally grooved above; teeth thin, brown, hyaline-bordered, deciduous
or persistent; anatomy of _hiemale_ as previously described. New York,
Michigan and westward. Common west of the Mississippi, being an
important forage crop in some States. The anomalous _laevigatum_
collected by Rydberg at Thedford, Neb., No. 1283 (Cont. Nat. Herb. III,
194), is this variety, as is the plant referred to under the name of
_variegatum_ by V. K. Chestnut (Cont. Nat. Herb. VII, 304), as used for
various unimportant purposes by the Indians of Mendocino County,
California. He also mentions the fact that horses eat it even when grass
is abundant.

2. _Texanum_ Milde. Stems erect, very slender, somewhat rough, 10 to 12
angled, hardly 1 foot high, dirty green; sheaths elongated, slightly
widened, 2 to 2 1-3 lines long and 1 1-3 wide, concolorous, leaves flat,
centrally grooved and 4 angled above and centrally ridged below; teeth
persistent, flexuous, white with red-brown center, lance subulate,
smooth, only the lowermost three sheaths red-brown; ridges convex;
carinal bast 7, vallecular 4, cells high, vallecular holes transverse
oval; stomata rows separated by 7 to 8 cells, grooves naked, lumen of
epidermal cells very wide, angles with broad, short bands, never with
two rows of tubercles. Texas, _Chas. Wright_.

This is Milde’s description. I have never seen this plant. Milde states
that it is a very peculiar plant that equals the weakest specimens of
var. _Moorei_, but differs greatly from it, and he asks if it may not be
the young stage of a larger species.

3. _Herbaceum_ var. nov. Cespitose, decumbent, ascending or erect, 3 to
10 inches high, ½ to 1 line in diameter, 6 to 12 angled, weak and
herbaceous or becoming firmer the second year, usually bearing a single
branch 1 to 2 inches long at each node. Walls of the stem thicker than
in _hiemale_; ridges with long cross-bands; grooves naked, except for
small spots of silex on the cells; sheaths elongated and very
wide-spreading, with a narrow black band at tip, otherwise green or (in
dried specimens at least) all suffused with black; leaves 3-angled or
flat in the middle above, rarely bearing a central groove; teeth
fuscous, flexuous, deciduous, leaving a hard, horny, centrally grooved
erect or incurved, usually shining, borderless leaf base ½ its height;
spikes narrowly elliptical, rounded, not apiculate. _Coville & Funston_,
1297, Death Valley Exp., banks of Kaweah river at Three Rivers, Tulare
Co., Calif., July 26, 1891 (Nat. Herb., 25, 101), as _variegatum_. Three
little plants, 3 inches high, well fruited (Cont. Nat. Mus. IV, 226).
_C. & F._, 1042, 1 mile south of Kernville, Kern Co., Calif., on north
fork of Kern river, Alt., 750 meters, June 23, 1901, as _variegatum_
(Nat. Herb., 25100).

In some of its characters, such as sheaths and persistent, incurved
leaf-bases, this plant resembles _Funstoni_, but the section is similar
to _hiemale_. An abundance of material might show this to be a good
species. The only thing I have seen that approaches it in texture is _E.
Sieboldi_ Milde from Japan, which is even more grass-like.

4. _Pumilum_ var. nov. Cespitose; stems in a dense cluster, 6 to 15
inches tall, 8 to 16 angled, ½ to 1 line in diameter, mostly geniculate
at the lower nodes, nearly all the joints tumid, the lower gibbous;
ridges with cross-bands of silex, grooves naked; sheaths tight, often
symmetrical through the tumidity of the node, narrowest in the middle
except where nodes are normal, bearing a broad black band below and a
narrower black limb, the two separated by a pinkish or dirty white band
which is often suffused with black or even entirely black towards the
top of the stem, fading to dirty ashy the second year, ultimately
splitting, recurving and falling off in patches; leaves linear, erect,
prominently 3-angled, the central one sometimes grooved on the smallest
stems and branches; teeth persistent, dark brown, somewhat flexuous,
white-bordered for 1-5 to 1-4 their height.

Found at intervals for a mile along the railroad grade at North Hampton,
N. H. At the foot of the grade, in moist soil near a brook, probably
from the same source as this, a form of _affine_ grows, but the joints
are often tumid and occasionally geniculate, the branches when present
like stems of this, tumid jointed, often so gibbous as to rupture the
sheath. Peculiar for its small cespitose stems, dark sheaths and
especially the tumid or gibbous nodes, which make the stems thickest
there, while usually the nodes are contracted.

This is near the European variety _viride_ Milde, but differs in having
bands on the ridges, no rosulæ in the grooves, and in the tumid joints.

5. _Suksdorfi_ var. nov. Stems 1 to 2½ feet high, 1 to 3 lines wide,
about 24 angled, rough, with cross-walls of silex, rarely with ends
elevated to two rows of tubercles; stomata in single rows, rarely double
for a short distance, each stoma connected at top and bottom with its
opposite by rows of rosulæ formed by the silex bands of the grooves
throwing up tubercles on each cell of the epidermis, which open at top
to circular jagged disks, these often obscured later by a washing of
silex, but always shown near the tops of the stems and on the branches;
sheaths elongated, cylindrical, tight, black, developing a ring of tawny
white which gradually increases till it occupies the whole sheath except
a narrow black basal ring and a narrow black limb formed by the horny
tips of the leaves; leaves linear, narrowed above the middle, the lower
2-3 keeled, the upper third flat, rarely with a narrow carinal groove
above, tipped with a small, black, horny, hyaline-bordered point; teeth
articulated to the leaves, black-centered, soon fading, withering and
deciduous.

Anatomy of _hiemale_, the carinal bast elongated along the dissepiment,
the vallecular much smaller but often similar in shape. Upper 1 to 3
nodes bearing 1 to 4 branches each, which overtop the stem and bear
contemporaneous spikelets.

This would be a noteworthy variety even if it bore no branches. It is
the only American form of _heimale_ known to me, except occasionally
_intermedium_ which bears branches with the first effort of growth. All
the others develop them, if at all, after the stem has ceased to grow,
and the vegetative energy, having no other outlet, pushes out a few of
the latent buds lying between the ridges at the nodes.

Bingen, Wash. High bottom land on the Columbia river. _W. N. Suksdorf_,
September 3, 1902, No. 2161.

6. _Drummondi_ (Milde) _C. robustum Drummondi_ Milde, Mon. Equis. 593.
Fertile stems 3 feet high, 16 angled; sheaths short, the lowest fuscous;
teeth persistent, white, crispate; stomata often of 1 to 3 lines to a
series, which are separated by 4 to 6 cells.

Collected by Drummond at the Brazos river in Texas. It is very aberrant,
but is placed here on account of its anatomy. I have not seen specimens
of this.

7. _Affine_ (_Eng._) (_E. robustum affine Eng._) _E. hiemale_ of
American authors, not L. Stems 18 to 30 inches high, 2 to 5 lines in
diameter, finely 16 to 40 angled, dark green, angles with broad bands of
silex, rarely with two rows of tubercles. Internodes when dry contracted
above and below, widest in the middle as in _hiemale_, scurfy when
young; sheaths longer than broad, at first with a black limb, developing
a broad ashy band and narrow black basal ring, fading, rupturing and
deciduous the second or third year; leaves narrowly linear, sharply 3
angled, the central ridges only rarely centrally grooved except on the
branches, where they usually are; commissural groove very narrow, not
widened upward; teeth articulated to the sheaths, persistent or usually
cohering by their tips and torn off by the growth of the stem, those of
each sheath shaped like a candle extinguisher, all telescoped together
and borne up on the tip of the stem.

Very common in New England and the east generally, where the type of
_robustum_ is absent. Toward the west it runs into the next, but it is
occasionally found, even to the valley of Mexico (Pringle 3329).
Approaches typical _hiemale_ in its long sheaths and size, and differs
little except in the cross-bands of silex. Found usually in moist sand
near a watercourse; at times on high sandy banks. It is by no means
certain that this is the variety described by Engelmann under this name,
but from the brief description he gives it seems safe to assume that it
is. Two branched forms are found, as follows:

a. _Forma ramosum_ f. nov. (f. _Ramigerum_ A. A. E., in Gilbert’s list,
p. 26, not A. Br. in Sched., which normally branches at the 3 to 5
middle nodes.) Stems issuing one to several branches from the upper
nodes after the death of the top of the main axis; teeth usually
persistent and leaves centrally grooved. b. _Forma polystachyum_ Prager.
Stems issuing small spiciferous branches late in the season. As remarked
by Mr. Gilbert (List, p. 26), these forms are seldom found together and
many patches show neither.

The stems of this variety persist at least three years and probably
longer. I have found but two causes of death, old age not appearing as a
factor. Both are fungoid. After the stem has persisted for a time small
white patches appear under the epidermis of the upper internode. These
increase in number and the internode finally dies, not, however, till
the second one shows the disease. This may continue till the whole stem
succumbs. The other fungus is a smut that breaks out in small pustules,
finally opening in black patches the size of the head of a pin or
smaller. They are usually numerous and the stem dies rapidly.

The growth of the stem is indeterminate, but as each succeeding section
is a little smaller than the one below, the time arrives in the history
of each when no more can be pushed out and the growth ceases. The
undeveloped internodes soon die and thus the stem, if it grows at all,
must put its energy into branches, as the silex coating prevents its
increase in diameter.

9. _Robustum_ (A. Br.) _E. robustum_ A. Br. Stems 3 to 6 feet tall, 2 to
6 lines wide, 16 to 48 angled, simple or branched the second year;
ridges rough with cross-bands of silex; grooves naked with a smooth coat
of silex, and when young with a thin white scurfy coat that soon falls
off; sheaths tight to the stem, or recurved and deciduous in fragments
in age, as broad as long, soon developing a black girdle at base, an
ashy or pinkish one through the middle and a black one above, the last
usually very small, all variable in breadth and intensity of color;
leaves linear, sharply 3 angled; commissural groove not widened above;
teeth more or less persistent for a season, seldom torn off by the
growth of the stem, articulated to the leaves, cohering, in groups,
brown centrally, with tawny margins ½ their height, ending in filiform
usually flexuous appendages, the edges beset with unicellular bristles;
branches variable in number and length, the sheaths mostly like those of
the stem except the teeth always persist and the leaves are usually
grooved centrally; spikes usually green, oval, up to an inch long and
half as wide, sharply apiculate. _Ramosum_ and _polystachyum_ forms
occur in this as well as in _affine_.

Rare east of the Mississippi, where it is replaced by var. _affine_.
Very common west, where it has been reported from nearly every State. I
have seen it from but six localities in the Eastern States, Wallingford,
Pa., _T. C. Palmer_; Towson, Md., _C. E. Waters_; Peoria, Ill., _F. E.
McDonald_; Illinois, without locality, _Dr. Brendell_; Mattsville, Ind.,
_Guy Wilson_; Sarnia, Mich., _C. K. Dodge_; accredited to New Jersey by
Milde, and also found in the Himalayas.

Var. _minus_ Eng. is simply the same thing reduced, often growing with
it. As there is already a variety _minus_ of _hiemale_ this name will
not stand, and the form is of too little moment to merit another.

Stems of this can usually be recognized at a glance, but it is hard to
embody the description in words that will enable one to separate it from
_affine_ at once. From _Californicum_ it can only be separated by use of
a lens, as their appearance is identical.

10. _Californicum_ Milde. Plants of various appearance, now 15 inches
high and 4 lines wide, now 7½ to 8 feet tall and 8 lines wide, 25-40
angled; the ridges with two distinct rows of tubercles or occasionally
with transverse bands of silex, the grooves abundantly supplied with
rosulæ, either in regular rows or scattered, often indistinct on old
stems because of a heavy deposit of silex; sheaths as broad as long,
with a broad or narrow black or dark brown ring just above the base, an
ashy band in the middle and another usually narrow dark band at top. In
young plants the sheaths are usually concolorous with the stem save for
the terminal band; leaves linear, 3-angled with two rows of tubercles on
the middle angle; commissural groove narrow, slightly or not at all
widened above; teeth persistent, dark brown, firm, united two-thirds
their height by brown borders; or brown-centered, flexuous,
membranous-bordered, united or free, or early deciduous, leaving only a
small dark brown spot at the tip of the leaves; branches none or few,
short or up to 18 inches long, fruited or not, on the upper part of old
stems.

Type. California _Balfour_, 1854. I have seen it from the following
localities: California: Sacramento, _Wilkes Exp._ (Sheaths black, teeth
persistent, near var. _Javanicum_); Berkeley, _W. C. Blasdale_ (very
stout, often with two rows of stomata); San Rafael, _Munson & Hopkins_
(like last, but with one row of stomata). Arizona: Cedar Ranch,
_MacDougal_. Nevada: Humboldt Mts., _Watson_. Utah: Fish Lake, _Jones_;
Glenwood, _Ward_. Idaho: Peter Creek, _Sandberg_; Salmon, _Henderson_.
Oregon: Port Discovery, _Wilkes Exp._ Washington: Tacoma, _Flett_;
Klickitat Co., _Suksdorf_. British Columbia: New Westminster, _A. J.
Hill_. (No rosulæ, occasionally two rows of stomata, extraordinarily
thick coating of silex.)

Except the Berkeley and San Rafael plants these can be told from
_robustum_ only by aid of the microscope to see the tubercles and
rosulæ. Though specimens vary considerably in appearance, the presence
or absence of teeth, the size and intensity of the rings, a parallel can
usually be found in a good series of _robustum_.

11. _Doelli._ Stems 1½ to 2½ feet high, erect, dark green, 10 to 20
angled, the ridges with two rows of tubercles or short crossbands, the
former predominating; grooves with irregular rows of rosettes; sheaths
entirely black or with a narrow ashy band which is broader the second
year; the leaves plainly 4 angled through the grooving of the central
ridge; teeth persistent or becoming broken in age, rigid, erect, dark
brown or black, grooved in the center, with narrow white margins and
usually deciduous filiform tips. Somewhat resembles a robust _E.
trachyodon_, which it is quite near.

Type European. British Columbia, near Wharnock Station, _A. J. Hill_;
Vancouver, _Macoun_ (as _ramosissimum_); Blacktail Deer Creek,
Yellowstone Park, _Knowlton_. The latter is quite peculiar in appearance
and approaches _robustum_. None of the specimens exactly agree, but will
come here better than elsewhere. _The Ames Botanic Laboratory, North
Easton, Mass._




         THE SPECIES-CONCEPTION AMONG THE TERNATE BOTRYCHIUMS.


                          By Willard N. Clute.

Living as I do in the midst of a region rich in specimens of the ternate
_Botrychiums_, I have taken more than ordinary interest in the
discussion of the relative rank to which the various forms should be
assigned. After considerable study of the subject which has consisted of
a careful balancing of the degree of differentiation in each form, as
well as an examination of much material both in the herbarium and in the
field, I have come to certain conclusions which I purpose to set down
here.

Before the separate forms are discussed it may be well to say a few
words on the variations of _Botrychium ternatum_ in general. It is a
noticeable fact that all the so-called new species of this section of
the genus, have been based primarily upon the cutting of the sterile
part of the frond. This is all the more remarkable since there are
probably no other genera in which species are founded on the minor
outlines of a mere leaf. One has but to turn to nature in any clime to
see that leaves are not invariably of the same shape. Note the wide
variation in the moonseed, the hollyhock, the sassafras, and some of the
buttercups among flowering plants, and if it be contended that the cases
are not parallel, take as further illustration the blood-root, which,
like the _Botrychium_, produces but one leaf a year, and note the
cutting of its single leaf. If all these forms of _Botrychium_ are
species, why have not the forms of the bloodroot been segregated?
Moreover, if we are to recognize these forms of _Botrychium_ as species,
why should we not also recognize as such the three hundred forms of
_Athyrium filix-foemina_, or the hundred or more forms of
_Scolopendrium_? It is unavailing to say that these latter are mere
gardeners’ varieties, for we have it on the authority of Mr. Druery, who
is familiar with them all, that a large number come true from spores.

Experiments with flowering plants have shown that the thickness of
leaves and the amount of cutting of their edges, may be altered by
different degrees of moisture, sunshine, etc., to which they are
exposed, and we may infer as much for the ferns. This being so, it is
not difficult to account for the slight variations in cutting exhibited
in plants from widely separated points in the United States.

It is, of course, possible to follow the latest writer on the subject,
and consider each extreme of variation a distinct species, but I do not
agree with him in the opinion that the naming of varieties is a stupid
practice, nor do I see that it necessarily follows that because a
species was named _Japonicum_ from Japanese specimens that we must infer
that its centre of distribution is in Japan. As I understand it, to take
a familiar example, _B. ternatum_ stands for a plant possessing certain
characters no matter where found. If we should find another _Botrychium_
that differed from this in some specific way, it would be correct to
call it another species; but if it showed minor differences, slightly
thicker or thinner leaves, a longer or shorter stipe, a little deeper
notching of the leaves, etc.—all characters that vary with the
locality—then it would seem more properly referred as a variety of the
first species.

As I have noted in this journal there are certain slight differences
between the Japanese _B. ternatum_ and our familiar species of Eastern
America, but these are not enough, I now believe, to make them two
separate species, since all the differences are found in the texture and
cutting of the sterile part of the frond. Under such circumstances I
would arrange our American forms as follows:

Botrychium ternatum obliquum (_B. obliquum Muhl._). The common form in
the North Atlantic States.

B. t. obliquum forma DISSECTUM (_B. dissectum_ Spreng.). An exact
duplicate of the preceding form in everything except the cutting of the
pinnules. These latter characterized by a paucity of tissue between the
terminal veins. Has the same habitat and range, and the same peculiarity
of waiting until July or later before putting up its leaf for the
season. No more entitled to specific rank than the “cut leaved” birch or
elder.

B. t. obliquum forma INTERMEDIUM (_B. obliquum intermedium_ Unde.). I
would call this a mere form, comparable to any of the chance varieties
of _Athyrium filix-foemina_.

B. t. obliquum forma COULTERI (_B. Coulteri_ Unde.). A western form
rather more fleshy than that of the East. Grows in geyser formations
which may account for the difference in its appearance.

B. t. obliquum forma OCCIDENTALE (_B. occidentale_ Unde.). Closely
related to the preceding, and, in my opinion, a phase of it. Both good
representatives of the western form.

B. ternatum Oneidense (_B. ternatum_ var. _Oneidense_ Gilbert). This,
the most strongly marked of the forms in the Atlantic States failed to
receive a place in the recently published index to the described species
of _Botrychium_. It can be distinguished at a glance in field or
herbarium by its broad and slightly divided pinnules, and is very common
in central New York. The fronds, notwithstanding their broad pinnules,
are among the smallest of the group. If any of our forms of _Botrychium_
are entitled to sub-specific rank, this is certainly the one.

B. ternatum silaifolium (_B. silaifolium_ Presl.). This is also mainly a
western form. To it, however, I would refer the plant recently described
by Mr. Gilbert as _B. obliquum Habereri_ from central New York. I have
examined the type specimen and in my opinion it agrees perfectly with
specimens of _silaifolium_ from California identified by Dr. Underwood.
Even the striations produced in the pinnae by drying appear identical. I
should call this a sub-species, as it does not approach the type as
closely as the others.

So little is known about _B. biternatum_ Unde. and _B. tenuifolium_
Unde. that I shall not attempt to place them. Judging from what I have
seen of the latter, and I have seen numerous plants in the field, I
should consider it a form of _obliquum_ and I suspect that _biternatum_
will prove to be based upon aberrant plants of this which have fruited
in spring instead of autumn. In regard to this, Mr. W. W. Ashe has
recently informed me that many spring-flowering southern plants do not
flower in the North until late summer. It is possible our ferns may have
similar changes in their fruiting season.




                          NEW FORMS OF FERNS.


                      By Charles T. Druery, F.L.S.

The editorial note appended to my short article in the April issue of
The Bulletin rather takes my breath away, as I never imagined that an
answer to my query could “depend somewhat upon whether we admire ferns
for pure leaves or whether we collect them for study.” No true fern
lover in either case would knowingly destroy one of Nature’s own
novelties in the way I described by denuding it repeatedly of its fronds
for herbarium purposes in situ, when by removing and cultivating it he
could also, in either case, not only gratify his own special taste more
fully, but could afford much gratification to a host of other fern
lovers of either class. That “students of ferns know that many fern
forms are due to varying conditions of soil, light, moisture, etc., and
are inclined to pay very little attention to them” I accept at once,
ranking myself with them; but advanced students also know that many
forms are not demonstrably due to such influences, and amongst these
forms are all those which claim so much attention in this side of the
ocean. The former are, as the editor puts it, “variants,” the latter
true varieties, and so far as they are of Nature’s own shaping, i. e.,
wild finds, as distinct from improved selected types from the spores,
they have at least as much right to recognition in fern literature as
the normals. Hence it is to be regretted that a unique form of the
Christmas fern (_Polystichum acrostichoides_) should exist in the
possession of a member of the Fern Chapter for ten years, and, yet,
never be described. What have the other members done that such
interesting data to some of them should be withheld?

The reference to seven-toed kittens and two-headed rabbits, as fair
parallels to the finest fern varieties in the mind of the average
student, is a poor compliment to the student who would certainly benefit
by a better acquaintance with the plumose section of varieties at any
rate. With the many botanists stated to exist in the States who “prefer
a wild rose to all the gardeners’ many-petalled creations” I have more
sympathy, but here comes in the old botanical mistake embodied in the
term “garden forms” of ferns as applied to all varieties, with the wild
finds of which the gardeners have had nothing whatever to do. What would
such a botanist do if in his rambles among the wild roses he came across
a Marechal Niel as a wild sport? That is a fair parallel to some of our
best wild finds as compared with the normal types, and he would be a
singular man, I opine, in more senses than one, if he turned up his nose
at it as a mere variant and held his tongue for ten years without
describing it. I am gratified to the editor for holding all his abnormal
specimens at my disposal, but, reading between the lines, I fear they
would embrace no acquisitions from my point of view, or he would not be
so ready to part with them. I hope sooner or later he will come across a
thoroughbred and become thereby a convert to my theory, that constant
and symmetrical variations are fully as much, if not more, entitled to
both lay and scientific attention than the normal specific forms from
which, by some occult process, they arise under natural conditions.

[It is doubtless as difficult for Mr. Druery to understand our position
in this matter as it is to understand his. How a _student_ of ferns can
care for what might be termed abnormal variations is beyond our
comprehension. The student is always interested in normal variations, if
we may so describe the common, slight variations in form and texture due
principally to ecological factors; in fact, it is necessary that we take
all such into account in order to get a correct average of the species;
but to give serious attention to forked, crested, plumed, tasselled and
befrizzled specimens of ferns, which are manifestly due to the slipping
of a cog somewhere in Nature’s machinery, is quite out of the question.
We grant that some of these attain forms that merit admiration for their
beauty, or oddity, as showing what Nature can do in the way of leaves,
but we maintain that were these forms animal, instead of vegetable, they
would excite only feelings of repulsion. Now, the student of fern
species is quite inclined to think of these “freaks,” as he calls them,
much as others would if they _were_ animal. The botanist may admire the
form, hue and perfume of the gardener’s rose, but this is not the rose
he cares to study. In the early numbers of The Fern Bulletin, upward of
sixty American ferns have been put on record as bearing forked or
tasselled fronds, and so far as the editor is aware, not one of these
has been taken into cultivation and only a very few have been given
names. This fact will probably explain our position to some extent. When
the editor has leisure, he is going to dig up every one of these
variants in his own locality and send them to Mr. Druery, in
anticipation of which it would be well for the latter to consult his
gardener and glazier about an extension to his ferneries.—Ed.]




                           FERNS IN BOTTLES.


A correspondent sends us the following clipping from the _Westminster
Gazette_. We are unable to vouch for its accuracy, but as it may give
some cultivator a hint we reprint it in full.

In a beautiful garden at Crouch End, belonging to one of the few old
world bowers which have withstood the tempting offers of the building
speculator, may be seen one of the queerest freaks that Nature has ever
played in park or garden. About three years ago a long row of glass
ginger bottles were placed neck downward in the ground, with a few
inches of the other end projecting to form a border for the kitchen
garden paths. Each of these bottles now contains a fairy-like resident
in the shape of a dainty little fern, perfect in form and color, and of
many varieties, the ribbon fern and hart’s-tongue predominating. As no
ferns had at any time been planted in that part of the garden it is
amazing how they got there. Perhaps Nature thought it foolish to waste
so many little natural hothouses, and put in each a pinch of the stuff
she makes ferns of. If so, she must view with much pride the result of
her experiment.


Miss Angie M. Ryon, Niantic, Conn., reports finding fine plants of
_Ophioglossum vulgatum_ upon a very rocky hillside, the roots crowding
themselves between the bits of rock that had been broken up by loads of
heavy timber passing over them the previous year. The plants were
exposed to the full rays of the sun for most of the day.




                          WILLIAM RALPH MAXON.


William Ralph Maxon, whose portrait is presented this month, first saw
the light at Oneida, N.Y., on Feb. 27, 1877, where his parents reside.
He graduated at Oneida High School in the class of 1894. From there he
went to Syracuse University, where he took the degree of Ph. B. in 1898.
The bent of his mind was toward botany and almost immediately after
graduating he went to New York and was employed for a few months in the
herbarium of the Botanical Garden at Bronx Park. From there he went to
Washington and took a temporary position in the U.S. National Museum.
But in August, 1899, as the result of a Civil Service examination, he
received the appointment of Aid in Cryptogamic Botany in that
institution, and still retains that position.

Mr. Maxon joined the Fern Chapter in 1895, served as its secretary for
the year 1899, and as president of the Chapter for the two years 1900
and 1901. He is a member of the Botanical Society of Washington, of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of two other
local societies in Washington. He has published several valuable papers
on botanical subjects, among which are “A List of the Ferns and Fern
Allies of North America north of Mexico;” “On the Occurrence of the
Hart’s-tongue in America,” which formed his presidential address before
the Fern Chapter at its meeting in New York in 1900; “A Study of Certain
Mexican and Guatemalan Species of Polypodium”; besides several shorter
papers containing descriptions of new species, including a continued
series in the Fern Bulletin entitled “Notes on American Ferns.” For a
young man Mr. Maxon has done some notably good work, and his position in
the National Museum is one which will give him exceptional opportunities
for original work in the future.—_B. D. Gilbert._




            ANOTHER STATION FOR ASPLENIUM EBENEUM HORTONAE.


It affords me much pleasure to report another station for the remarkable
fern now known as _Asplenium ebeneum Hortonae_.

A single fine specimen some eight or ten inches high was discovered by
Miss K. A. French at the base of a ledge in Pittsford, Vt. No sign of
fertility is discernible in the old fronds decaying about the base, the
season’s growth or the newer fronds stretching up indoors. Whence came
this beautiful variation in the midst of type specimens galore?—_G. A.
Woolson, Pittsford Mills, Vt._




             INDEX TO CURRENT LITERATURE RELATING TO FERNS.


Readers are requested to call our attention to any omissions from this
list.

Clute, W. N. _Fernwort Notes—III._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Christ, H. _Can Scolopendrium Lindeni be Separated From S. Vulgare?_
Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Eaton, A. A. _The Genus Equisetum in North America._ Fourteenth Paper.
Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Fitzpatrick, F. J. and M. F. L. _The Fern Flora of Iowa._ Fern Bulletin,
Jl. 1903.

Flett, J. B. _The Fern Flora of Washington._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Gilbert, B. D. _Asplenium muticum._ Fern Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Gilbert, B. D. _Two New Varieties of the Ternate Botrychium._ Fern
Bulletin, Jl. 1903.

Haeselbarth, F. C. _The Walking Fern._ American Botanist, Jl. 1903.

Orcutt, C. R. _Ferns of Southern California._ West American Scientist,
Ag. 1903.

Orcutt, C. R. _Isoetes of Southern California._ West American Scientist.
S. 1903.

Shull, C. H. _Geographic Distribution of Isoetes Saccharata._ Botanical
Gazette, S. 1903.

Stillman, B. W. _The Climbing Fern._ American Botanist, Je. 1903.




                               EDITORIAL.


The editor of this journal is again away from home, which will explain
any delays in his correspondence. Letters intended for him and sent to
the usual address will be forwarded at once.

                                   ⁂

Every time the Fern Bulletin is late, doubtless half the subscribers
wonder what the editor can be doing to prevent the magazine from
appearing on time. The editor, therefore, rises to explain that this
publication would always be issued promptly if correspondents would send
in copy in season. We endeavor to have each issue ready for the printer
_a month before publication_, and yet there are many of our
contributors, who, having arranged for space in a number, will wait
until two or three days before the publication date to send in copy.
There is too much matter in the Fern Bulletin for it to be printed,
bound and mailed in one day—or in one week for that matter—and we simply
cannot appear on time if we have to wait for copy. We trust that
contributors will bear this in mind and co-operate with us in future in
this matter of promptness.

                                   ⁂

In this number, all subscribers whose subscriptions are not paid in
advance, will find a bill for the next volume, and the amount in
arrears, if any. There are so few who stop their subscriptions after
once becoming members of the Fern Bulletin circle of readers that to
save all from the possible loss of a number between the expiration and
renewal of subscription, we continue to send the magazine until ordered
to stop. Those who do not wish to be considered subscribers for the new
volume should notify us at once. In view of the liberal terms upon which
the publication is sent, we trust that we may continue to count all our
present subscribers among our readers for another year.

                                   ⁂

The new volume of this magazine will be along the lines of its
predecessors. The Fern-floras of the States will be continued, those for
California and Florida being expected to appear early in the year,
followed by others now in preparation. The series of portraits of fern
students will be discontinued for the present, to make room for a new
series on exotic ferns in which will be illustrated the ferns of unusual
appearance from other lands, together with descriptive notes upon their
haunts and habits. In nearly every fern collector’s herbarium are
species of which little more than the name is known. It is expected that
this series will add much to our knowledge of these. Mr. Eaton’s
_Equisetum_ articles will be finished during the year. Other features of
the publication will be continued. A cordial invitation is extended to
every reader to contribute notes and articles of interest.

                                   ⁂

When one’s herbarium has grown so bulky that it cannot be looked through
in an hour or so, and especially when it contains numerous sheets of the
same species, it often becomes a puzzling question what to show the
non-scientific visitor who wants to see the ferns, but who has no
interest in the slight differences that separate closely related forms.
To fit such cases we would suggest the formation of an “oh, my!”
collection—a collection designed to provoke the visitor’s interest and
admiration and draw forth frequent ejaculations of surprise. Such a
collection saves wear and tear on the general herbarium and often
excites a real and lasting interest in the ferns. It should contain, of
course, the walking and climbing ferns, the little _Schizaea_, the
hartstongue, the maidenhair, the cinnamon and sensitive ferns, etc. Some
of the gold and silver ferns might be included, the star fern is
desirable and various species of grape fern will add to the interest. A
few finely cut fronds like that of _Dicksonia_ may be added, with such
other species as suggest themselves on account of oddity in fruiting. A
few fern allies would make a complete and desirable show herbarium.

                                   ⁂

The recent likening, in this journal, of crested and tasseled fronds to
two-headed rabbits has borne fruit in an unexpected quarter. Certain
cultivators of ferns now speak of their stock as species, varieties and
two-headed rabbit sorts!

                                   ⁂

In a recent article on the distribution of _Isoetes saccharata_, in the
_Botanical Gazette_, the author notes that _I. saccharata_ is found only
in Chesapeake Bay, while _I. riparia_, a form that closely resembles it,
is found only in Delaware Bay, and that, notwithstanding the small
differences between the two, there have been described two intermediate
forms, _I. saccharata Palmeri_ and _I. s. reticulata_. From this and
other facts, he inclines to the belief that _I. riparia_ is simply an
extreme form of _saccharata_. A curious circumstance connected with the
species and forms is that specimens collected in a certain locality
appeared one season as the type and the next as the variety. This is not
the only instance on record of _Isoetes_ species intergrading. Mr. A. A.
Eaton has noted that the variety _Californica_ of _I. melanopoda_
intergrades on the one hand with _I. Howelli_ and on the other with the
type, while specimens referred to _I. mexicana_ by Underwood have since
been identified as _I. Orcuttii_ and _I. melanopoda_. All this seems to
indicate that the systematists have not yet got hold of the proper
characters upon which to found specific differences, and there is here a
chance for a philosophical botanist to distinguish himself. It is not
enough that the plants look different; the differences must be specific.
All of the forms of _Equisetum arvense_ look different, but they are not
species by any means.

                                   ⁂

Plans are being made for another meeting of fern students at St. Louis
this winter, during the session of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. There is a prospect of some excellent papers to
be presented, and a large and enthusiastic meeting is assured. Programs
and other information may be obtained of Prof. N. L. T. Nelson, Central
High School, St. Louis, Mo., or of the editor of The Fern Bulletin. The
editor expects to be at the meeting and hopes to meet there the majority
of his readers.




                               BOOK NEWS.


With two books like “Our Ferns in Their Haunts” and “How to Know the
Ferns” in the field, some might think that the ground is too thoroughly
covered to leave room for another, but Dr. Waters has proven otherwise
in his new volume with the simple title of “Ferns.”[1] If the older
books are taken as books designed for beginners, the new one may be
described as one step more technical—a connecting link between popular
handbook and scientific manual. In the matter of information it contains
practically nothing that has not been published before, being primarily
a rearrangement of what is known of our ferns and bearing internal
evidence that the pages of the popular works above mentioned have
supplied much help in its making. This is especially noticeable in the
appropriation of original stanzas from “Our Ferns in Their Haunts,”
without giving credit for them. Even when giving credit the author is
not always fortunate, as when he ascribes to Miss Pratt certain lines
that are Campbell’s. The book is written from the standpoint of the
author’s experiences in the vicinity of Baltimore, and as such cannot
always be taken as representative of ferns and fern habitats in other
parts of our country. The book is also remarkable for the entire absence
of author citations for the generic and specific names—in this being
unique among American fern books. This will make it difficult for
beginners who use this book to look up the species elsewhere. The entire
subject of the authority for the names is left untouched in the part
that explains why scientific names are used. There is also evident a
disinclination to give credit for recent work, the usual statement being
that such and such varieties “have been described,” without noting where
and by whom. Since these descriptions were heretofore to be found mostly
in periodicals, the desirability of mentioning their place of
description is apparent. This much being said in criticism of the book,
there is yet much to praise. The illustrations are well executed and
include a fair proportion of views in the habitats of the ferns, while
the photographs of the sori enlarged are exceptionally valuable.
Anything like them have never before been published. The analytical key
based on the stipes has been well and carefully worked out. It forms a
very instructive chapter, though such a key will rarely be consulted by
the beginner, because the usual keys are easier. The book is also of
interest for the number of varieties or forms included, many of which
are not mentioned in the manuals, and for numerous photographs
illustrating these forms. There is also a chapter on fern photography.
The nomenclature is conservative; old and well known names having been
retained in spite of recently proposed substitutes. For his stand in
this matter the author is to be greatly commended. The book can in no
sense be considered a rival of others in the field. It fills a place of
its own and as such will be hailed by the fern loving public as another
aid to the proper understanding of this most beautiful and attractive
section of the vegetable kingdom. Type, paper and presswork all combine
to make this a handsome as well as useful book.

In the making of his “Flora of the Southeastern United States”[2] Dr.
Small has practically worked over anew all the species of that region
and the results of this stupendous undertaking are now presented in a
bulky octavo volume of nearly fourteen hundred pages. Dr. Chapman’s
flora of the same region is fairly conservative, while this one goes to
the opposite extreme, being noticeable for the greatly increased number
of species and an equal lack of what the older book is inclined to
consider varieties or forms. This gives students a choice of books, but
it is probable that a beginner will have much difficulty in identifying
his plants by the aid of the new one, because of the many closely
related forms described as separate species. The book will appeal more
to advanced students specializing in a few orders or genera. The
nomenclature is, of course, the most radical, even extending beyond the
genera and species to the orders, so that new names are proposed for the
Leguminosæ, Labiatæ, Scrophulariaceæ and many others. Along with the
segregation of species there has been a similar splitting of genera. To
the individual familiar with the usual manuals the book will appear
almost like the flora of a foreign land. The author, however, has been
painstaking and conscientious throughout the work, adhering closely to
the ideals prevalent at New York and a few other centers of botanical
activity, and if he has produced a volume that will become the object of
much criticism he has also produced an excellent illustration of what
the recently proposed rules of nomenclature, and new conceptions of
species are capable of when allowed full swing. Although not agreeing
with his conclusions, even conservative botanists will appreciate the
author’s consistency and he is to be congratulated upon the completion
of his work. To those who prefer the less elaborate manual, Dr. Small’s
book will always be indispensable for reference.

Mr. Charles T. Druery, well known on this side of the Atlantic as an
enthusiastic cultivator of ferns, has issued a book devoted principally
to British fern varieties, which he has named “The Book of British
Ferns.”[3] In this work he has been assisted by various members of the
British Pteridological Society, an association similar to our Fern
Chapter, and of which Mr. Druery is president. As is well known the
British fern hunter and fern cultivator is most interested in the
abnormal forms of ferns, and as a result so many of these have been
described that a complete list numbers more than a thousand, though
there were less than seventy-five native species to begin with. Mr.
Druery’s task has been to select from this list the really meritorious
varieties from the cultural standpoint. To this revised list he has
added papers on the culture and propagation of ferns, fern hunting, fern
crossing, apospory and kindred subjects, making a volume which should be
of interest to American readers for the light thrown upon fern life. The
book is well printed and well illustrated, the forms shown being mostly
the more striking varieties.




                         A WORD FROM THE EDITOR


For more than two years the editor of the Fern Bulletin has also been
editing a journal for the plant-lover, called The American Botanist.
That he has been fairly successful may be assumed from the fact that it
now has the largest circulation of any botanical magazine in America.
People do not buy such publications out of charity; they buy them for
what they contain. No doubt the principal reason for the American
Botanist’s popularity is that it is untechnical—even those who are not
botanists can understand it. Moreover it deals with a very different
side of botany from that usually presented. If you are interested in
plants as living things—their uses, habits, and curious methods of
getting on in the world—this is just the publication you want. A large
number of fern students are already readers of the American Botanist,
but to induce others to become such, we offer the last three numbers for
this year, all the numbers of 1904, for the regular subscription price
of $1.00 if received before the first of January. Or we will send the
first five volumes (of six numbers each) and a year’s subscription, for
$3.00. With the latter offer, your subscription to the Fern Bulletin
will be renewed for 50 cents additional.

                             Address WILLARD N. CLUTE, BINGHAMTON, N. Y.




                            _For Christmas_


Nearly every fern student seems to have a copy of “Our Ferns in Their
Haunts,” but if you happen to know of one who doesn’t, you could
scarcely do a more graceful thing than to give him one for Christmas.
You may be sure the book will be consulted many times next year and in
the years to follow and every time this happens the giver will be
thought of with pleasure. If you have a young friend who is beginning to
get interested in Nature, crystalize his tendency by giving him this
book. The illustrations will make him a lover of ferns and the text will
make him wise about them. There are 225 illustrations and 340 pages of
text. No other fern book is so full, so clear or more accurate. The key
for identifying the ferns has illustrations of fruit-dots and even a
child can name the ferns by its use. Sent postpaid upon receipt of
$2.15. Address

                             _Willard N. Clute & Co., Binghamton, N. Y._




                               FOOTNOTES


[1]Ferns. By Campbell E. Waters. New York. Henry Holt & Co. 1903. 8 vo.
    360 pp. $2.75 net.

[2]The Flora of the Southeastern United States. By John K. Small. New
    York. Published by the author. 1903. 8 vo. 1,375 pp. $3.60 net.

[3]The Book of British Ferns. By Charles T. Druery, F. L. S., V. M. H.
    London. George Newnes, Ltd. 1903. 12 mo. 135 pp. $1.25.




                          SEND AT ONCE FOR MY
                    JUNE, 1903, SPECIAL BULLETIN OF
     Microscopes and Objectives Cameras, Photographic Lenses, Etc.

    [Illustration: microscope]

Bear in mind I guarantee every instrument to be as represented and in
good working order and adjustment. Prices in parenthesis indicate list
price, by which is understood present or latest price. This stock is
constantly changing; therefore, if interested, place order at once. Send
name and address if you would like to receive these lists as issued.

                            A SPECIAL OFFER

To facilitate the purchase of such a microscope as shall with certainty
prove satisfactory and adequate to its intended use, I am willing to
make the following proposition whereby YOU RUN NO RISK of getting an
unsuitable instrument. The offer is: Order what microscope you like from
this list; use it for one or two months; if then you decide that you
want another one on my list, or a new one of whatever make, order it
from me and return the other one (prepaying expressage) and I will allow
you FULL PRICE PAID.

                             EDWARD PENNOCK
                     DEALER IN OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS
                           3609 Woodland Ave.
        Opposite Medical Department, University of Pennsylvania
                              PHILADELPHIA


                                FOR SALE

We offer a set of the FERN BULLETIN, lacking only two numbers of Vol. 5,
two numbers of Vol. 4 and four numbers of Vol. 1-3, for the very low
price of $6.00 postpaid. This set includes 36 of the 44 numbers thus far
issued. Send order by postal. First order secures the set. Address

                    FERN BULLETIN. Binghamton, N. Y.




                          Transcriber’s Notes


—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
  is public-domain in the country of publication.

—Silently corrected a few palpable typos.

—Generated a spine image based on elements in the cover.

—Added a Table of Contents.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
  _underscores_.







End of Project Gutenberg's The Fern Bulletin, October 1903, by Various

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