STUDIES OF TROPICAL AMERICAN FERNS-NO. 2. 



By William R. Maxon. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The following paper is in continuation of "Studies of tropical 

 American ferns," of which the first number was published in volume 

 10° of the Contributions from the U. S. National Herbarium, and is 

 along the lines indicated in the introduction to that number. 



NOTES UPON FERNS RECENTLY COLLECTED IN GUATEMALA 

 BY BARON VON TURCKHEIM, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF SEV- 

 ERAL NEW SPECIES. 



At intervals during the past year and more the writer has examined 

 with great interest a considerable number of well-prepared Guate- 

 malan ferns, collected by Baron II. von Turckheim, mainly in the 

 humid mountain region of Alta Verapaz. A large proportion of these, 

 particularly of those first studied, were courteously forwarded for 

 examination by Capt. John Donnell Smith, whose ferns, out of his 

 entire herbarium presented to the Smithsonian Institution several 

 years ago, have recently been incorporated in the l T . S. National 

 Herbarium. The other specimens, received directly from Baron von 

 Turckheim, include a few not seen in Captain Smith's collection. 

 Altogether, the plants are the most interesting series which it has 

 been the writer's privilege to examine from any part of Central 

 America, serving, as they do, to indicate a rather close relationship 

 between the fern flora of eastern Guatemala and that of the similarly 

 humid belt of eastern Mexico at mid-elevations — the latter a region 

 not very adequately explored, at least for ferns, since Liebmann's 

 time. Examples of this are found in the notable extension of range 

 for Diplazium tematum, known previously only from Oaxaca, Mexico, 

 and in the additional material from Vera Cruz of several of the new 

 species based upon Baron von Turckheim's specimens. 



Another feature of interest is the rather large number of undescribed 

 species now collected in the general region to which Baron von Turck- 



a Forming part 7 and including pages 473-508, plates GO and 61 . March 30, 1908. 



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