Part 1

Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

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 expiration and renewal of their subscriptions the journal will be sent until ordered stopped. All arrearages must be paid. Personal Checks Must Contain Ten Cents Extra for Collection. Otherwise credit will be given 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.

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.