600 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
gross characters. It differs constantly from that, however, in its very much 
narrower rhizome scales, more slender stipes, sparingly but persistently pilose 
rachises, slightly broader segments, acutish sinuses, and mostly simple veins. 
It is possible that P. graveolens Baker represents the true P. capillare Desv. 
This and the status of P. decipiens Hook. will be discussed later. 
Polypodium palmeri Maxon, sp. nov. 
Rhizome funiform, wide-creeping, stout (8 to 5 mm. in diameter), usually not 
much branched but with numerous short innovations, densely paleaceous, the 
scales lance-linear, long-attenuate, 6 to 8 mm. long, widely imbricate, appressed, 
attached far above the base, the central basal portion ferruginous, the borders 
and slender tips whitish and fragile, the scales thus broken and darker with age. 
Fronds numerous, subdimorphous, the sterile ones 5 to 20 cm. long, 2 to 4 cm. 
broad, very variable in shape, oblong, linear-oblong, or lanceolate, nearly ex- 
stipitate, cuneate at the base, the apices broadly rounded to acute, the extremes 
occurring in the same plant; fertile fronds 8 to 18 em. long, 0.8 to 2.5 cm. broad, 
linear, linear-oblong, or rarely lanceolate, acute or rarely obtuse, exstipitate, 
narrowly cuneate; leaf tissue rigidly chartaceous, more or less translucent, 
glabrous or at first slightly fibrillose beneath along the slender costa; venation 
variable, commonly evident beneath, the costal areoles very small, parallel to the 
costa; paracostal areoles large, obliquely transverse, extending more than 
half way to the margin, broadly oblong, usually subdivided into several diverse 
minor areoles, these with or without free veinlets; 1 or usually 2 rows of small 
areoles borne between the paracostal row and the margin, these small, with re- 
curved veinlets; sori uniserial, large,.15 to 30 pairs, extending usually from 
base to apex, nearly medial, lightly impressed, borne only in the paracostal 
areoles, usually toward their distal end. 
Type in the U. 8S. National Herbarium, no. 572544, collected from specimens 
climbing 2 to 3 meters high upon trees in a rocky forest near Gémez Farias, 
State of Tamaulipas, Mexico, altitude about 350 meters, April 18 to 21, 1907, 
by Dr. Edward Palmer (no. 308) ; distributed as Phymatodes palmeri sp. nov. 
Probably not a rare species; in the past not unnaturally confused with P. 
lycopodioides, its nearest North American ally, which occurs throughout the 
West Indies and on the continent from Guatemala to Panama. From that 
species P. palmeri differs in its much thicker and heavier, ropelike rhizomes 
and its very large sterile fronds, which are of different shape. The extremes 
of leaf shape include those of P. lycopodioides, but that is a smaller plant of 
very different facies. The very thick, whitish-scaly rhizomes of P. palmeri are 
especially characteristic. 
Besides the type, the following specimens, most of which are stated to have 
grown on tree trunks, are in the U. 8S. National Herbarium: 
Mexico: Antigua, Liebmann. Curahuesco, Tabasco, Rovirosa 210. Zacua- 
pan, State of Veracruz, December, 1906, Purpus 2164. Near Tampico, 
Tamaulipas, alt. 15 meters, June, 1910, Palmer 508. Coatzacoalcos, Isth- 
mus of Tehuantepec, State of Veracruz, C. L. Smith 2108. Orizaba, 
J. G Smith 85; Mohr. Limestone hills of Las Palmas, State of San 
Luis Potosi, Pringle 8355. Sanborn, State of Veracruz, Orcutt 3389. 
Chichen Itzi, Yucatén, C. & H. Seler 5573. Izamal, Yucatan, Gaumer 
528. 
Honpvuras: San Pedro Sula, Department of Santa Barbara, alt. 800 meters, 
Thieme (J. D. Smith, no. 5688). Near Highland Creek, Puerto Sierra, 
Wilson 81. 
NiIcaRAGua: Greytown, Wright; C. L. Smith, 2044, 
PanaMa: Chagres, Fendler 395. 
