302 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
to differ in its peculiar short panicle and ‘‘especially in its persistent 
sterile leaf which remains fresh until the new one is fully developed, 
the plant thus having two growing leaves at the time of maturity, 
to which allusion is made in the specific name.” All the West Indian 
material accessible to me has shown the above characteristics, and I 
have not seen any specimens referable to typical B. virgumanum. 
BOTRYCHIUM BRACHYSTACHYS. 
In describing this species ' Kunze makes the following observation: 
Die Kiirze der fruchtbaren Fieder, welche nur an einem von 12 untersuchten 
Exemplaren etwa zur Hiilfte iiber das sterile Laub hervorragte, an allen tibrigen 
kiirzer war, ist allerdings das auffallendste Unterscheidungszeichen; méchte aber 
fiir sich allein nicht zur Begriindung einer eigenen Art hinreichen. 
From the above it is apparent that the concepts of B. dichronum 
and B. brachystachys agree as to the comparative length of the fertile 
segment. Although the author of the latter species did not. consider 
this character as sufficient in itself to base a species upon, neverthe- 
less in all specimens which I have examined it appears constant, and 
all? except one specimen show the persistent leaf. 
All the West Indian and the Central American records for the 
plant show that it belongs to the Temperate Zone. The Panama 
material collected by Mr. William R. Maxon is by far the best and 
the most interesting. All the specimens show the persistent sterile 
segment. In one (no. 675552), collected ‘on moist forested slopes 
of Cerro do Lino, above El Boquete, Chiriqui, Panama, altitude 1,300 
to 1,560 meters,” the fertile segment is inserted at the base of the 
sterile branches, measuring 20 cm. in length (the stalk included) 
and exceeding the sterile branches by 2 to 3 cm. only. The entire 
plant measures 44 cm. Another specimen (no. 675968) shows a 
forking fertile segment equaling in length the central branch of the 
sterile part, which is 22 cm. long. The entire plant measures 71 em., 
while the persisting frond measures 60 em. in length. 
The most interesting of Mr. Maxon’s specimens is one (no. 675988) 
presenting several peculiarities, as shown in plate 102. Only the 
upper portion of the plant was collected. The fertile segment emerges 
from the common stalk about 3 cm. below the branching of the sterile 
segment, thus proving in a measure the possibility of the condition 
represented in Plumier’s plate. It measures 41 em. in length, the 
distance from the point of insertion to the lowermost pinne being 
17 cm. These are bipinnate and measure 17 cm. in length. The 
1 Linnaea 18: 305. 1844. 
*U. 8. National Herbarium nos. 826306, 830774 (Guatemala, alt. 1380-1550 meters, 
coll. von Tiirckheim); no. 830770 (Guatemala, alt. 1,800 meters, coll. J. D. Smith); and 
from western Panama, no. 677413, alt. 1,000-1,300 meters, coll. Pittier; nos. 675552, 
675610, 675968, 675969, and 675988, alt. 1,300-1,700 meters, coll. Maxon. 
