MAXON—STUDIES OF TROPICAL AMERICAN FERNS. 151 
with a few sori near the lower margin usually come from dry bushy banks or open 
slopes, and are likely to have very narrow stiff fronds. According to Milde and 
others, the species is rather widely distributed in Africa. Specimens are at hand 
from Madagascar, Natal, German East Africa, and British East Africa, as well as 
from several of the Canaries and neighboring islands. Asplenium dentex was described 
from the Canaries and A. blandulum from the Cape Verde group. Asplenium men- 
ziesii is a name given by Hooker and Greville to the Hawaiian form of this species, but 
their description and plate have been held to apply equally well to South American 
specimens, which have been regarded as at most a variety of A. monanthes. 
The two American species proposed by Fée are forms which at first appear suffi- 
ciently distinct. Asplenium leptophyllum was founded upon plants collected in Co- 
lombia by Schlim and in Mexico by Galeotti. These, as figured, will be seen to rep- 
resent one of the common Mexican forms not unlike that which occurs in Arizona, 
Asplenium galeottit was founded upon specimens collected in Oaxaca by Galeotti 
(no. 6369). It isnot common in Mexico, but occurs in both eastern and western Guate- 
mala and in Costa Rica, and presumably also in the high mountains of the intervening 
territory. Intermediates between Fée’s two ‘*species”’ are of frequent occurrence, 
as, for example, the Guatemalan plant shown in plate 1, figure d, and the Mexican 
plant shown in plate 1, figure e. 
Another Mexican form which has been collected by Palmer, Pringle, and others ' 
is that illustrated in plate 1, figure f. This has the characteristic middle pinne 
linear-oblong, 12 to 17 mm. long, subauriculate, the auricular portion sharply dentate- 
serrate, the serrations usually becoming more oblique and continuing around the 
otherwise blunt apex, being noticeable upon the lower margin fully halt the distance 
toward the base. The sori are rather short and arranged in 3 to 5 pairs, the upper 
line of sori usually being nearly as complete as the lower. This form was regarded by 
so careful a field observer as Mr. Pringle as representing a species distinct from A. 
monanthes. Specimensare at hand, however, representing a complete transition into 
the form called A. leptophyllum by Fée. Asplenium arcuatum represents one of these 
intermediates, as is proved by several fronds of Liebmann’s original specimens received 
from Copenhagen. 
Still another Mexican form is that indicated in plate 1, figure g. It is not very 
common and ‘is chiefly remarkable for its congested appearance, largely owing to the 
sori being numerous, long, and close-set, nearly covering the surface of the pinne. 
The most remarkable phase of all is that found upon several of the high volcanoes 
of western Guatemala and Costa Rica. This was first described under the name 
Asplenium polyphyllum ? by Bertoloni in 1840 from the volcano Agua, Guatemala. 
Specimens from the type locality, where it is abundant * in the moist forested zone 
1 Rio Blanco, State of Jalisco, E. Palmer 562, in 1886; cool banks, Eslaba, Federal 
District, Pringle 8754; Santa Rosa, Guanajuato, Dugés 25, in 1905. 
2Asplenium polyphyllum Presl, relating to plants from Manila and Oahu, was pub- 
lished as a nomen nudum in 1836 and was not associated with a description until 
1843 (Goldman in Nov. Act. Acad. Caes. Leop. Carol. 19: Suppl. 1: 462. 1843). In 
the meantime (in 1840) Bertoloni had fully described a Guatemalan plant under this 
name. There was thus no need of the new name A. polymeris published by Moore 
for the Guatemalan plant in 1859. Captain Smith also renamed the Guatemalan 
plant A. bertolonii, presumably upon the same ground erroneously taken by Moore, 
namely, that the name polyphyllum must date from 1836. 
3'The following specimens are in the U. 8S. National Museum: Volcan de Agua, 
Guatemala, alt. 2,700 to 3,300 meters, in moist shaded thickets or rarely on shaded 
banks, Mazon & Hay 3674, 3725, 3729, 3732, 3733, 37382, 3734, 3737, 3741; John Don- 
nell Smith 2447. The same form was also collected in the Department of Quiché, 
Guatemala, above 3,000 meters by Heyde and Lux and distributed by Captain Smith 
as no. 3225. 
